Bill Wade wore #9, same as Jim McMahon.
Bill never wore personalized head bands just to piss off Pete Rozelle.
Bill never mooned a helicopter.
Bill never wore sunglasses because of stabbing his own eye with a fork as a child.
And, Bill never sang “The Super Bowl Shuffle”, much less appear in a music video.
But, Bill Wade quarterbacked as many NFL champion teams as McMahon.
Bill Wade was a victim of circumstance. He was the #1 overall draft pick in 1951, but was also drafted into the military. Two years lost. Then he finally played with the Rams, but couldn’t beat out Norm Van Brocklin. Four more years lost. Then his coach, supposed passing guru Sid Gillman, couldn’t decide between Bill, Frank Ryan and Jim Bukich. Three more years lost.
Then, Papa Bear Halas traded for him, and Bill led the Bears to a 9-5 record in 1962, and a 12-1-1 record and the Western Conference championship in 1963, beating Lombardi’s Packers twice, which few mortals ever did. Then, in some of the worst weather ever seen in an NFL game, he scored two touchdowns and avoided turning the ball over (unlike his opponent, Giant HoF YA Tittle) and totally controlled the game, earning Papa Bear his last title.
But, that is all anyone remembers. I have seen the clip of old man Halas celebrating on the sideline (when his defensive coach George Allen probably deserved the credit for the title) many times, but no one shows Bill scoring either touchdown. Then came “The Super Bowl Era”, and all history prior to the 1966 was deemed redundant. Including Bill.
But, perhaps Halas gave Bill the ultimate compliment—when he retired, it was Bill who he asked to replace him as head coach. Ditka never asked McMahon to do squat.
