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Selena Flores, 27, says she was always tired while working night shifts.

But she has young children — ages 3, 5 and 7, the youngest of whom recently started preschool — so switching to working daytime hours meant she and her husband needed a child care option for after school.

Recently, Flores got a job as an administrator at a restaurant in Naperville, she explained. And it was an after-school program at West Aurora School District run by the Fox Valley Park District that helped her manage the job switch.

“My life did a full 180,” Flores said about her change in work. She said she’s able to see her children after work, go to bed earlier, spend the mornings helping them get ready for school and then head off to her job.

Flores is one of a number of West Aurora parents whose children are enrolled in the Fox Valley Park District’s new EPIC after-school program, which operates at four West Aurora District 129 elementary schools — Smith, Schneider, Nicholson and Hall.

The program is similar to one offered for over a decade in the school district via a partnership with the park district called MyTime, said Rachel Shields. Shields is West Aurora’s 21st Century Project Director, meaning she works on grants for the district.

That program was free for parents, and ran from Monday through Thursday. It was funded by the 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant, a federal funding source.

The Fox Valley Park District was receiving the federal funds on a three-year grant cycle, which expired in June.

But uncertainty surrounding federal funding availability prompted the park district to look for other funding sources to continue on with an after-school program at West Aurora, explained Fox Valley Park District Recreation Superintendent Becky Harling.

“The grant world … can be kind of fluid at times,” Harling said. “You’ll have funding one year and not the next, and trying to make sure that there’s stability within your program when you’re looking at grant funding can be a little tricky.”

According to a spokesperson from the Illinois State Board of Education, who emphasized that grant renewal is never guaranteed, this federal grant was meant to provide “start-up funds” for new after-school programs, rather than permanently fund ongoing ones. Applications for the fiscal year 2026 grant competition did ultimately open in October, according to the state board.

The U.S. Education Department did not return a request for comment about the grant.

So, not planning to rely on the federal funding source, the park district revised its after-school offering at West Aurora, naming it EPIC, which stands for Explore, Play, Imagine and Connect.

The park district instituted fees for the new program, including lower rates for families who qualify based on their income, according to a news release. The district also applied for a grant from Aurora-area nonprofit the Dunham Foundation, said Harling, to potentially help cover the program’s costs.

The EPIC program, which started at the beginning of the current school year, “looks very much the same” as the previous MyTime program, Shields explained. It includes nature and art activities, sports and fitness and field trips, as well as homework assistance.

It runs from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and is open to students in kindergarten through fifth grade. That the program also operates on Fridays now is a difference from the old program, explained Shields.

Harling explained that the previous program was referral-based, but EPIC is open to all students. It’s also open to kindergarteners now.

Some of the program’s staff — made up of mainly West Aurora employees — is the same as for the previous program, too.

“They know the students, they have relationships,” Shields said. “So that is something that we were all grateful for, that it wasn’t this big shift in all new people.”

Implementing the new program at West Aurora without the federal funding meant the park district began charging families for the program: a general fee of $240 per month, or reduced rates of either $120 or $60 per month for families who qualify, according to the park district.

But the park district ultimately received a $330,000 grant from the Dunham Foundation, meaning it is  now offering full scholarships for children who qualified for either of the reduced rates — Flores’ kids included.

Flores said it was difficult to find affordable day care options.

“You get to a certain point where, does the benefit of me being able to work the 9-5 … still give you some financial freedom,” Flores said. “Is it a feasible change?”

But with the EPIC program, she qualified for the half-price rate — and now her kids are participating in the program for free because of the recent grant.

“I was over the moon,” Flores recalled when she heard that she wouldn’t have to pay for the program for the rest of the year. “I cried like a baby at work … it’s not a lot of money that we were paying, but, you know, that can easily go towards extra shopping for the kiddos, extra school supplies for the kiddos, extra groceries for the week.”

Dunham Foundation President and CEO Vicki Morcos said, in the park district’s news release, that the organization “saw an opportunity to make a real difference in how families access after-school programming” when the park district approached them about the program.

“By funding full scholarships for families who need them most,” Morcos said, “we’re not just supporting a program — we’re investing in educational equity and making sure every student has the chance to explore, play, imagine and connect alongside their peers.”

Families can continue to enroll as the school year goes on, the park district says. It has capacity for 250 students across the four West Aurora elementary schools the program is offered at. Currently, the Dunham Foundation grant is going toward 60 scholarship recipients, per the park district.

Though her youngest isn’t eligible for the EPIC program yet, Flores said it’s been “a weight off (their) shoulders” to have child care for her older two kids — and that they enjoy it.

“There are times when my husband picks them up, and they’re like, ‘We want to stay a little longer,’” she said. “You feel bad because you’re leaving them at school for an extra two to three hours, but at least you know that they’re enjoying it.”

Harling also spoke about the value the program has for parents.

“Parents really rely on after-school programs,” she said. “I think being able to provide an after-school program where we have … certified and quality instructors to provide it, I think is a real big highlight for these parents.”

The program has been particularly helpful for Flores’ family because most of her and her husband’s families live in Mexico, she explained.

“We don’t have that usual … somebody to depend on,” Flores said. “I don’t have my mom to watch my kids or to grab them from school.”

So she’s glad to have the option as a working parent.

“It’s an amazing thing that they’re doing, and they are very, very genuinely changing people’s lives,” Flores said. “And aiding parents in a time where a lot of parents are two-parent working households …you try to make it work the best that you can.”

mmorrow@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/30/fox-valley-park-district-gets-330k-grant-to-help-fund-after-school-program-in-west-aurora-district-129/ 

Don Pierson called 1985 the “most memorable season” not just for the Chicago Bears, but for any NFL team. The personalities, the injuries, the swagger, the statistics — all of the season’s highs and lows are recorded in his dozens of notebooks.

“There were so many (potential) stories, you had to pick one to work on,” he said. “Even the ‘Super Bowl Shuffle’ — it was just another story for that week.”

Pierson, who covered the Bears for the Tribune from training camp in Rensselaer, Indiana, in 1969, through the team’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI, said the Bears’ road to New Orleans wasn’t easy. He pointed out that the Bears came from behind several times early that season and remained undefeated until Week 13. The determination to make it to Super Bowl XX stemmed from coach Mike Ditka, who was introduced as Bears coach on Jan. 20, 1982.

“He was the first coach that ever came and said, ‘Some of you are going to be here and some of you won’t, but we’re going to the Super Bowl,’” Pierson recalled. “The older players like Gary Fencik and Walter Payton were happy to hear that because no other coach had ever talked about the Super Bowl.”

Pierson wrote hundreds of stories during the 1985 season, and has since written multiple books about the team, including the “Chicago Bears Centennial Scrapbook,” with Dan Pompei. He’s also been honored by the NFL Hall of Fame for his work.

Forty years later, here’s a look back — game-by-game — at the incredible 1985 season for the Bears, with Pierson’s insights.

Week 1: Bears 38, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28

Sept. 8, 1985, Soldier Field

“I was kinda disappointed the fans got on our butt,” said Bears quarterback Jim McMahon, who made his first regular-season appearance since a kidney injury nearly ended his career Nov. 4, 1984. “We got down two TDs, and we started hearing the boos again. Hey, we can come back and score.”

Pierson: Openers are as important in football as they are on Broadway. If lost, they are often closers. When they fell behind a very ordinary Tampa Bay team 28-17 at halftime, the extraordinary expectations the Bears had for their 1985 season seemed pretentious.

“Maybe sometimes we read about how good we are,” Ditka said. Maybe the 130-degree heat on the Soldier Field Astroturf — which made it feel “more like a steam iron than a gridiron” — made Tampa feel more at home. But when defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan told cornerback Leslie Frazier at halftime to change his coverage, intercept a pass and run it back for a touchdown — and that’s exactly what happened — it was the first sign of magic to come.

Stat line: After giving up 307 yards, the Bears defense was not ranked No. 1 in the league for the first time since 1983.

“We thought we played terrible,” cornerback Mike Richardson said. “Embarrassing, ” Bears middle linebacker Mike Singletary said.

Week 2: Bears 20, New England Patriots 7

Sept. 15, 1985, Soldier Field

“No surprises,” Bears safety Dave Duerson said. “(The Patriots) ran right into our hands 95% of the time. We had a game plan of 150 pages, and they ran right into it.”

Pierson: Nobody predicted a Super Bowl preview before or after this one. The defense intercepted Patriots quarterback Tony Eason three times and sacked him six times — three by Singletary — putting Eason in no hurry for a rematch four months later.

There was concern over injuries to McMahon (neck) and running back Walter Payton (ribs) because the Bears had to play the Vikings in Minnesota four days later on national TV.

Stat line: With 9:03 left, the Bears lost their shutout when Eason found running back Craig James isolated on Bears’ linebacker Wilber Marshall. Eason lofted a short pass over Marshall’s head that James turned into a 90-yard touchdown — then the longest in New England and Soldier Field history.

Week 3: Bears 33, Minnesota Vikings 24

Sept. 19, 1985, Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome,

“I got in (Ditka’s) ear during warmups and told him I felt ready,” said McMahon. “I stayed in his ear at halftime and then after the first series of the third quarter, I said, ‘Let me go, I’m ready.’”

Pierson: McMahon hadn’t practiced because of lingering neck, leg and back problems, so Ditka told him he wouldn’t play. McMahon kept badgering Ditka on the sideline. So behind 17-9 halfway through the third quarter, McMahon replaced Steve Fuller and the magic turned near mystical. First pass, touchdown. Second pass, touchdown. Seventh pass, touchdown.

“That guy, I can’t explain,” Ditka said.

And no surprise that Payton — still battling sore ribs — played the whole game. His play-saving block of blitzing linebacker Dennis Johnson on McMahon’s first touchdown pass was one reason he is the best football player I’ve seen in 70 years of following the NFL.

“Beware of players with small injuries,” said Vikings coach Bud Grant. “I’m just glad I lasted this long to be around,” 10-year safety Gary Fencik said. “I was giddy on the way home.”

Stat line: In the span of 6:40, McMahon had completed five of seven passes for three touchdowns. “I must have been blessed tonight,” McMahon said. “I can’t remember the last time I threw three TDs like that.”

Most amazing was that none of McMahon’s touchdown passes were planned.

“The first play, I almost fell on my face. I felt like a fool and thought, ‘What a start,’” McMahon said. “It was a blitz, and luckily Willie (Gault) was looking, so I threw it up. It was supposed to be a screen pass to Matt Suhey.”

“I don’t know how you write scripts for the kind of game you saw out there,” said Ditka, who turned and shook his head in disbelief on the sidelines after McMahon’s third touchdown pass.

Week 4: Bears 45, Washington Redskins 10

Sept. 29, 1985, Soldier Field

“If we play like we can play, ain’t nobody who can beat us,” McMahon said postgame. “I don’t mean we can just show up. I mean if we execute, we can beat anybody. We believe that now. Maybe last year we had some doubts. But not anymore, I don’t think. We’ve got that kind of confidence now.”

Pierson: Greatness is not measured in one-fourth of a season, but the Bears have won their games the way great teams win them: Somehow, they find a way.

It was a misleading final score, because once again, the Bears were behind 10-0 before Gault returned a kickoff 99 yards. Then Dennis McKinnon caught his fifth touchdown pass in four games.

The game was Tom Thayer’s first start for injured right guard Kurt Becker, and also the only game left tackle Jim Covert missed with injury. For the next 15 games, Covert, left guard Mark Bortz, center Jay Hilgenberg, Thayer, and right tackle Keith Van Horne started every game. It was the best offensive line in Bears’ history and underscores how important continuity and competence count up front.

Stat line: Payton was held to six yards on seven carries, but Washington forgot he could also pass. On a trick play, Payton hit McMahon for a 13-yard touchdown pass.

Week 5: Bears 27, Buccaneers 19

Oct. 6, 1985, Houlihan’s Stadium

“I don’t feel bad about it, but I don’t feel good about it, either,” Singletary said after the game. “I didn’t think it would take this long for us to perfect our game. We’re not doing enough of the little things. At various times, that makes the difference.”

Pierson: The Buccaneers won only two games all season, but when they jumped out to a 12-0 lead, it marked the fourth time in five games the Bears had fallen behind. So it’s no wonder Chicago fans were still a tad wary of their undefeated team. It took eight catches for 114 yards by underrated tight end Emery Moorehead and two fourth-quarter touchdown runs by Payton to get to 5-0.

All week, players had credited Ditka with reminding them they had the confidence and ability to come back.

“He said the real true test of a great team is what you can overcome,” fullback Matt Suhey said. “We want to win ‘em all,” McMahon said.

Stat line: The Bucs had closed to 20-19 on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Steve DeBerg to Gerald Carter with 5:21 left. It would have been 20-20 if they hadn’t aborted an extra-point try in the first half with a wild snap.

Week 6: Bears 26, San Francisco 49ers 10

Oct. 13, 1985, Candlestick Park

“The Bears have a great football team,” 49ers quarterback Joe Montana said. “But they didn’t play us any different than they did in the title game. The difference was we didn’t make any mistakes in that game. We made enough mistakes today to last us a long time.”

Pierson: The Bears had been looking ahead to this rematch since losing last year’s NFC title 23-0 to the eventual Super Bowl winners, who rudely suggested the Bears “bring an offense” next time. Big mistake.

“They didn’t show much courtesy or dignity,” Payton said. “They said negative things about our offense.” Payton’s 132 yards rushing and two touchdowns — plus the defense’s seven sacks of Montana — stamped the Bears as the new team to beat. The 49ers’ only touchdown came on an interception return.

The Bears ran out the clock with 300-plus-something-pound rookie defensive tackle William “The Refrigerator” Perry carrying the ball, an answer for what the Bears thought was the 49ers’ insulting use of guard Guy McIntyre as a running back late in the NFC title shutout.

“When I got up from the pile and the 49ers saw that I was the ball carrier, their eyes got real big,” Perry said.

Ditka celebrated too much on the plane ride home and got a DUI citation, which immediately stopped the celebration: “I don’t have a right to drink and drive. That right nobody has.”

Stat line: The 49ers were penalized 13 times for 94 yards.

Week 7: Bears 23, Green Bay Packers 7

Oct. 21, 1985, Soldier Field

“I’m just a straight-ahead runner at the goal line,” Perry said after the game.

Pierson: Perry, the Bears’ first pick at No. 22 in 1985, was in on only eight tackles and had no sacks in limited play for the first six games. Ryan labeled him a “wasted pick.” If Ryan wasn’t going to use him on defense, Ditka said he’d use him on offense. So the usual Monday night build-up for a Bears-Packers game reached a crescendo when Perry entered at fullback in the second quarter at the goal line.

The Bears were behind 7-0, and when Perry blocked linebacker George Cumby halfway out of the end zone to pave the way for Payton’s 2-yard touchdown, the nation was introduced to a more whimsical brand of football. But once wasn’t enough. Perry then carried for a touchdown over Cumby, and then blocked Cumby again for another Payton TD — all in the second quarter.

“I hit him pretty good but he outweighed me by 100 pounds. It’s not enough we have a worry about Payton,” Cumby said. Perry headed to “Late Night with David Letterman” the next week. As usual, it wasn’t all happy news for the Bears, as McMahon sustained “a tremendous bruise” on his seat, an injury that would rear up again Super Bowl week.

Stat line: The Bears used three quarterbacks in the game — McMahon, Fuller and rookie Mike Tomczak — for a play that backfired on the snap.

Week 8: Bears 27, Vikings 9

Oct. 27, 1985, Soldier Field

“What today showed is we have a lot of ways to win,” Ditka said. “If we put it all on the right track, we can be pretty darn good.”

Pierson: The season’s two games against the Packers were only two weeks apart, so most of the talk seemed to look past the Vikings. There were accusations that the Bears ran up the score on the Packers. There were also rumblings of controversy surrounding a Bears team that was thus far unselfish and unspoiled. Would Perry get too much publicity? Would linemen or fullbacks who blocked for a living be jealous of Perry’s sudden notoriety?

The players ignored the noise and won with ease. Linebacker Otis Wilson had two of four sacks and returned an interception for a touchdown. Linebacker Wilber Marshall had two of the team’s five interceptions.

Perry and the Bears agreed his weight was only 308, which, 40 years later, would have made him one of the league’s smaller defensive tackles. For the first time, he played most of the game and registered his first career sack. “Better than scoring a touchdown,” he said.

Stat line: For the first time since 1942, the Bears were 8-0.

Week 9: Bears 16, Packers 10

Nov. 3, 1985, Lambeau Field

“I wasn’t the star of this show. This team is the star. Put the spotlight on the Chicago Bears.” Payton said. “This was as intense a game as we’ve ever had against them, in a way. I couldn’t say what their motivation was today, but ours was that we’re a pretty good football team who’s not supposed to lose to them.”

Pierson: In the Lambeau Field parking lot, fans took turns bashing refrigerators with sledgehammers. Inside the stadium, a Bears fan was wearing an actual refrigerator.

When the Bears got into their locker room, it reeked from two bags of manure stashed there. Ditka had said he respected Packers coach Forrest Gregg, a former teammate in Dallas, but defensive tackle Steve McMichael had a different take: “Mike and Forrest don’t have the greatest desire to like each other.”

Six personal foul penalties, four on the Packers, turned the first half into an ugly spectacle. Packers safety Ken Stills hit Suhey so late that Suhey confronted Gregg in a restaurant during Super Bowl week. Perry made his first start at defensive tackle next to McMichael, with Dan Hampton shifting to end opposite Richard Dent. Solid starter Mike Hartenstine became a sub. With 30 seconds left in the half and the Bears behind 3-0, Perry caught a touchdown pass from McMahon. “I had to keep a straight face when I got on the line,” Perry said.

McMahon said, “I ran down the sideline and flipped Gregg the bird.” But the outcome wasn’t decided until Payton ran 27 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, capping a season-best 192-yard day. Anybody who thought Payton had lost a step and was along for the ride in his 11th season as the Bears turned into more of a passing team did not see what I and many others thought was the signature game of his career.

Said Ditka: “Maybe as good as I’ve ever seen a guy with a football under his arm play.” He carried the Bears on his back in their closest call of the first nine weeks.

“Hard to put into words what he means to this team,” Hampton said. “If it wasn’t for Walter, this game would have been a fiasco.”

Stat line: Payton became the first NFL player to reach 14,000 career rushing yards, or actually 14,153.

Week 10: Bears 24, Detroit Lions 3

Nov. 10, 1985, Soldier Field

“When we woke up and saw the waves on Lake Michigan going up, we knew it would be a hard day to pass the ball,” Payton said. (The Bears opened with 21 consecutive runs.)

Pierson: With McMahon out with a sprained shoulder, backup Fuller ran for two touchdowns and handed off to Payton and Suhey, who each had 100-yard days against the league’s worst run defense. Perry — called “the final piece of the puzzle” by personnel director Bill Tobin — had five tackles and two sacks in his second start. And the Bears eventually became the first team in NFL history to have three defensive linemen from the same team elected to the Hall of Fame: Hampton, Dent, and McMichael.

Again, it seemed like the team might be looking past Detroit to their next game in Dallas, where the Cowboys beat the Bears 15-13 in an August preseason game that didn’t look meaningless as six Bears and an unknown number of Cowboys were fined for fighting. It was also the last time the Bears lost a game.

Stat line: At 10-0, the Bears were the 12th team in professional football history to win their first 10 games of the season. With a win in Week 11, the Bears could clinch the NFC Central Division.

Week 11: Bears 44, Cowboys 0

Nov. 17, 1985, Texas Stadium

“This one was for Mike (Ditka),” Payton said.

Pierson: After the Bears lost to the Cowboys the year before in the first meeting between Ditka and his old coach Tom Landry, Ditka made a very unusual admission. “I got uptight. I choked,” he said. This time, it was the Cowboys’ worst defeat ever — and it enabled the Bears to clinch a division title earlier than anybody ever had.

The game’s first two touchdowns came on interception returns by Dent and cornerback Mike Richardson. Fuller again subbed for McMahon, but it didn’t seem to matter as the Bears had six sacks and four interceptions against “America’s Team.”

Said Hampton: “If we keep playing like this, the other 27 teams in the league might start calling us the Kremlin’s Team.” With Hampton playing over center in Ryan’s “46” defense designed to limit double-team blocks, the pass rush was overwhelming.

Critics noticed opposing receivers were at times running dangerously wide open, but Ryan reminded them it was hard for any quarterback to throw while lying on his back. Safety Dave Duerson said what everybody was thinking: “We’re destined.”

Stat line: The Cowboys didn’t make more than two first downs in a series.

Week 12: Bears 36, Atlanta Falcons 0

Nov. 24, 1985, Soldier Field

“That’s the thing … we aren’t satisfied yet,” said Singletary. “If you set your goals as being the best team of all time, the best players of all time, how can you be satisfied?”

Pierson: Of the 28 quarterbacks who started the NFL season, only nine were still starting by Week 12 because of injury or other circumstances. Of the replacements, Fuller had the best job. In his third straight start, all he had to do was get one score and the Bears won.

This time, rookie placekicker Kevin Butler got the rout started with two field goals. Then Payton again wowed the crowd with a 40-yard tightrope run for a touchdown along the sideline worthy of a ballet dancer. Perry scored his third touchdown of the season, more than starting fullback Suhey or speed receiver Gault had tallied.

The defense was again so impenetrable that the Falcons ended up with only three pass completions and minus-22 yards net passing. Backup defensive tackle Henry Waechter had three sacks including a safety to cap the fun. “We’re going to ask him to make a pass rush film to show Hampton and McMichael,” Ditka joked. “The way our defense is playing, it seems nothing is too hard.”

Stat line: Only two other teams had won 12 games to start their seasons: 1934 Bears (13-0) and 1972 Miami Dolphins (14-0).

Week 13: Miami Dolphins 38, Bears 24

Dec. 2, 1985, Orange Bowl

“We don’t need games like we’ve had the last two weeks,” Ditka said. “I think we need to be in games when it’s tooth and nail. It’s good for the coaches to see if we choke or not.”

Pierson: Be careful what you wish for. On a Monday night in Miami, the Dolphins not only preserved their legacy as the only team to complete an undefeated season (1972), but their game plan caused Ditka and Ryan to practically choke each other in the locker room at halftime.

Ditka was mad at Ryan for making Marshall try to cover slot receiver Nat Moore, who caught two touchdown passes from Dan Marino during a 31-10 onslaught in the first half.

“In the paper, it said Ditka was hollering at me. It didn’t say I was hollering back,” Ryan complained.

Ditka and Ryan echoed each other the next day: “We beat ourselves.” McMahon relieved a hobbled Fuller in the fourth quarter, but it was too late for any magic. “I hope they go as far as we’re going to go and we’ll play them again,” Ditka said.

Amazingly, most of the Bears kept a commitment arranged by Gault to tape the “Super Bowl Shuffle” rap video the next day. Although the “Shuffle” remains famous 40 years later, it was infamous to some. “I thought, ‘We better win the Super Bowl now or we’ll all look like a bunch of jerks,’” Hilgenberg said.

Stat line: Payton set an NFL record with his eighth straight 100-yard game but it was lost in the loss.

Week 14: Bears 17, Indianapolis Colts 10

Dec. 8, 1985, Soldier Field

“Hampton put it best,” McMichael said. “If you’re winning the Indy 500 by 10 laps, there’s no reason to push your car down the stretch.”

Pierson: Although the outcome never seemed in doubt against a Colts team with only three wins, it took a 16-yard touchdown run by Payton late in the third quarter to break a 3-3 tie. He did it on the way to extending his record 100-yard streak to nine games.

McMahon returned to start, and minus the incentive of an undefeated season, the team appeared to go on cruise control waiting for the playoffs. The game ball went to punter Maury Buford, who put two of his four kicks inside the Colts’ 5-yard line.

Said McMahon: “We’d like to win the next two games. The team that seems to limp into the playoffs usually limps out of there in a hurry.”

General manager Jerry Vainisi asked players to limit appearances and promotional activities to days off. “It was snowballing,” Vainisi said.

Stat line: The 13 victories tied the Bears’ most in a regular season, set in 1934.

Week 15: Bears 19, New York Jets 6

Bears halfback Walter Payton motors through a hole in the Jets’ defensive line during the first quarter on Dec. 14, 1985, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Bears won 19-6. (G. Paul Burnett/AP)

Dec. 14, 1985, Giants Stadium

“Best defense we’ve faced,” Hilgenberg said after Payton’s streak of 100-yard games ended.

Pierson: As meaningless as this game might have looked to the Bears, it was plenty meaningful for the Jets, who were still in the thick of the AFC East race and playing at home. So it was impressive that Butler kicked four field goals on a windy day in East Rutherford, N.J., to set club records. The Jets tried to keep Butler from doing it by conveniently opening a gate at the end of the stadium to increase the wind every time Butler lined up.

“We’d do it too if we had a gate,” Butler figured. He broke Mac Percival’s season record with his 26th field goal, and with only 17 seconds left, Ditka ignored claims of pouring it on by letting Butler break Bob Thomas’ record 11 consecutive makes in a row.

With all the deserved accolades for the Bears defense, people forget the Bears led the NFC in scoring too.

Stat line: Dent had two sacks on his way to leading the league with 17.

Week 16: Bears 37, Lions 17

Dec. 22, 1985, Pontiac Silverdome

“We played lousy. We couldn’t beat a playoff team today,” Ditka said. A day later, he changed his mind. “We played great.”

Pierson: Despite the lopsided final score, it was only 6-3 before Dennis Gentry returned the second-half kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown.

The week of the Detroit game, Pro Bowl voters elected nine Bears but overlooked some including Fencik, who led the team in tackles. Elected twice after losing seasons, Fencik was disappointed but philosophical and ecstatic about winning.

“It’s too bad because he’s probably had as good a year as anyone in football,” Ditka said. Fencik’s presence helped make fellow safety and first-year starter Duerson a Pro Bowler, and Fencik had opinions about his three other Pro Bowl teammates.

“Take Hampton away and it would be a critical loss. Singletary runs the defense and is the best middle linebacker in football. But impact player this year? Richard Dent,” he said.

Hampton had his own choice for defensive “unsung hero,” Marshall, also overlooked in Pro Bowl voting as Wilson, another linebacker, finally got honored. Then there was McMichael, who led the defensive line in tackles but was also shunned by voters.

Stat line: Butler finished the regular season with 144 points. He was the first Bear to win the league scoring title since 1965, when Gale Sayers scored 132 points in a 14-game schedule.

Divisional playoff: Bears 21, New York Giants 0

Jan. 5, 1986, Soldier Field

“What if we had lost? What would 15-1 mean?” Hilgenberg asked. “It wouldn’t have meant anything. It would have been ugly. What 15-1 does is make us feel a certain responsibility to win these games. We just don’t want to be second best. Nobody remembers who finished second or third.”

Pierson: The Bears became somewhat of a traveling circus for the playoffs in going to Suwanee, Ga., to practice. Even though they had earned home-field advantage, there was no home facility for practice in the winter. They immediately embraced the national spotlight.

Ryan predicted a shutout in the NFC Divisional title game against the Giants. McMahon was asked if he would predict a Super Bowl victory the way idol Joe Namath had for the 1969 Jets. “If we get there, yeah, I’ll say we’ll win it,” McMahon said.

Dent’s first of three and a half sacks set up a punt in the first quarter and the cold Soldier Field wind blew the ball off punter Sean Landeta’s foot. Shaun Gayle returned it five yards for a touchdown. Ryan also used backup safety Gayle in what he called a “Smurf 46” defensive alignment.

Covert kept feared pass rusher Lawrence Taylor away from McMahon, who threw two touchdown passes to McKinnon in the third quarter.

“You can go back the 20 years I’ve been around and be hard-pressed to find a defensive end play any better in a big game than Richard Dent played,” Ditka said. Dent’s agent used the compliment to issue the unlikely threat of withholding Dent’s services from a Super Bowl if a contract extension couldn’t be reached.

Stat line: Butler, who made 22 straight field goals from inside the 40, missed them from 26, 49 and 38 yards — all kicking against the wind. He cheered when he made the extra point against the wind to make it 14-0.

Conference championship: Bears 24, Los Angeles Rams 0

Jan. 12, 1986, Soldier Field

“Eleven years of climbing mountains and all the sweat finally paid off,” Payton said. “I wish this was the Super Bowl.”

Pierson: Everybody remembers when the snowflakes starting to fall at Soldier Field in the final minutes of the NFC title game after Dent sacked quarterback Dieter Brock and forced a fumble that Marshall returned 52 yards to the end zone. It looked like confetti sent from heaven by Bears founder George Halas as the Bears earned their first Super Bowl trip. “He sent the sunshine, the snow, the touchdowns, everything,” Ditka said.

Ryan had predicted three fumbles by running back Eric Dickerson, who dropped it twice. “If they would have run him more, he would have had three,” Ryan explained. McMahon ran 16 yards for a touchdown that was supposed to be a pass and later passed 22 yards to Gault for a touchdown that was supposed to be a run.

“The coach sent in a draw play I didn’t agree with, so I called my own,” McMahon said. It was not the first or last time the “punky QB” would be defiant. He wore a “ROZELLE” headband to remind NFL commissioner Pete he didn’t appreciate the $5,000 uniform violation fine for wearing an “Adidas” headband.

The Bears wished they were replaying the Dolphins, but the Patriots beat them for the AFC title, which made Patriot castoff McMichael happy.

Stat line: The Bears entered Super Bowl XX as the only team ever to record two straight playoff shutouts.

Super Bowl XX: Bears 46, Patriots 10

Jan. 26, 1986, Superdome

“Isn’t there any other news?” complained team President Michael McCaskey about McMahon.

With the circus invading New Orleans, there were more stories than the 26 Tribune reporters on site could wish for. Yet McMahon managed to overshadow all, starting with calling out McCaskey for not allowing his personal acupuncturist on the plane to tend to his sore rear end. Then he mooned a TV helicopter sent to spy on practice. Then he gathered a new collection of headbands to defiantly display. Then he was falsely accused on the radio for unkind observations he didn’t make about local females. Later, he revealed he was getting death threats. It was stunning how much pressure was building for the QB, unless it was all intentional.

“He’s a guy who is really kind of immune to all the pressures,” Suhey said. Single-handedly, intentionally or not, McMahon removed all the pressure from his teammates and coaches and put it on himself. That’s why I was one of the Super Bowl MVP voters who wrote down McMahon’s name instead of the deserving winner, Dent.

The Bears had seven sacks and held the Patriots to seven yards rushing. But it was McMahon who plunged for two touchdowns and directed an offense to the 46 points that cemented Ryan’s “46” defense into football immortality. McMahon’s only regret was not defying Ditka again and letting Payton score the final touchdown instead of Perry, a mistake also regretted by Ditka and lamented by Payton more than he let on at the time. It would have helped ease the memory of Payton’s fumble on the second play of the game that set up a Patriots field goal and prompted Patriots fans to march through the New Orleans airport the next day chanting, “We scored first! We scored first!”

On Super Bowl eve, Ryan had strongly hinted he would soon be named head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, prompting McMichael to throw a chair that stuck into the blackboard of their meeting room. The defense responded by terrorizing quarterback Eason, who was replaced after completing none of his six passes.

The Bears had just completed what I believe remains the most memorable single season in NFL history. The game drew a television audience of 127 million, replacing the final episode of “M*A*S*H” as the largest in TV history. But the day after the freezing celebration parade in Chicago, the space shuttle Challenger exploded after takeoff in Florida, putting an abrupt end to national merriment.

Stat line: Because they were so talented and young, more Super Bowl wins were predicted that still await 40 years later.

Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago’s past.

Have an idea for Vintage Chicago Tribune? Share it with Kori Rumore at krumore@chicagotribune.com.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/30/chicago-bears-super-bowl-1985-don-pierson/ 

Imagine a shirtless Abe Gibron celebrating with his players after a Bears win.

Sorry to put that image into your head on a cold Chicago morning, but I couldn’t help thinking about the beefy Gibron after a shirtless Ben Johnson went viral Friday night following the Bears’ 24-15 win in Philadelphia.

Johnson’s selfless act of exhibitionism triggered another free hot dog day from the fine folks at Wieners Circle, bringing joy to all on a snowy holiday weekend when Friday felt like a Saturday and Saturday felt like a Sunday. Johnson had telegraphed his intentions to the media last month when asked if he would accept the iconic Lincoln Park hot dog stand’s standing offer to feed Chicagoans by removing said shirt during or after a win.

“I’m a man of the people,” Johnson replied. “So time will tell.”

The man of the people stood up for Chicago on Friday, assuring the masses that free glizzies would be theirs, assuming they don’t mind standing in a long line for a hot dog.

Gibron, an XXXL-sized coach without a ton of talent on his roster, was the polar opposite of Johnson. He won only 11 times in his three seasons here from 1972-74, and was more renowned for the ubiquitous “Abe and Melody” TV commercials with actress Melody Rogers that ran during games.

Chicago Bears coach Abe Gibron claps on the sidelines in an undated photo. (Ed Wagner Jr./Chicago Tribune)

But for boomers, he’s perhaps the quintessential Bears coach of our lifetime. We’ve endured many more Abe Gibrons than Mike Ditkas over the last 60 years, most of which were very forgettable. At least Gibron was colorful.

Still, having a head coach with a great offensive mind and an uninhibited personality is going to take some getting used to for Bears fans. It’s a refreshing change of pace, and we can’t wait to see what he does next Sunday if the Bears beat the Packers in Green Bay.

Meanwhile, here are 13 more observations from the wacky world of sports.

ESPN’s “College GameDay” informed us Saturday morning that Lane Kiffin started his day off with his traditional hot yoga session, and that the whole world was waiting on his announcement about his future — whether Kiffin was staying at Ole Miss or leaving for LSU. I couldn’t ask the whole world, but I polled my household, and it turns out that no one actually cared about Lane Kiffin or his decision. The relentless Kiffin hype by the network that airs SEC football is tedious, to say the least.

How does a player headbutt a referee, as Michigan’s Jaishawn Barham did early in Saturday’s Michigan-Ohio State game, and not get ejected? I’ll hang up and listen for my answer.

It’s great to see a college basketball doubleheader at the United Center, like the old days at the Chicago Stadium. But having it on Thanksgiving night was a bad idea, and having the Northwestern-Oklahoma State game start close to 10 p.m. was even worse. Maybe a late afternoon, Black Friday doubleheader would draw more eyeballs in 2026.

Oklahoma State forward Andrija Vukovic (19) battles for a rebound against Northwestern forward Arrinten Page (22) during the second half on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, at the United Center. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Word is former LSU coach Brian Kelly is working on several regional accents, just to be ready in case any college calls for his services. The Cajun accent he adopted after leaving Notre Dame for LSU is likely to be retired for good.

Philadelphia Eagles fans are becoming a parody of themselves. Booing players after every play gets a little tiresome, as though they’re only doing it to live down to their reputation. No wonder Jalen Hurts looks so unhappy all the time.

Chicago Sports Network needs to make a commercial from the scene Friday night at the United Center, where a group of young boys sitting near the glass gleefully egged on the Blackhawks-Predators brawl during the second period. It was like a scene out of “Slapshot.”

A scrum ensues between the Blackhawks and Nashville Predators during the second period, Nov. 28, 2025, at the United Center. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)

Former White Sox ace Dylan Cease agreed to a seven-year, $210 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, which is a higher annual average value than former White Sox ace Garrett Crochet’s six-year, $170 million extension with the Boston Red Sox. The combined $380 million is around $379 million more than current White Sox ace Shane Smith will be paid in 2026.

No. 2 Indiana might be the least-publicized 12-0 team in college football history. Too bad the Hoosiers aren’t in the SEC. Maybe coach Curt Cignetti can take up hot yoga.

An NFL playoff without the Kansas City Chiefs means no bombardments of Taylor Swift sightings by Fox Sports, CBS or NBC, and that’s something we can all get behind in the final weeks of the regular season.

Good call by the IHSA to cancel the four high school football championship games that were scheduled for Saturday. The snowstorm would’ve made traveling to Hancock Stadium in Normal difficult. The Class 5A and 6A games were rescheduled for Tuesday at Hancock, while the 7A and 8A have been moved to Huskie Stadium in DeKalb on Wednesday. With Wrigley Field having already laid down a football field for the two recent Northwestern games, it’s a shame they couldn’t reschedule the games for the ballpark. Of the eight teams in the four games, only East St. Louis, which plays Fenwick in the 6A title game, is not from the Chicago area.

Cheers to Bulls center Nikola Vučević for getting visibly annoyed by the mugging of teammates Jalen Smith and Matas Buzelis while Vučević was being interviewed by CHSN’s K.C. Johnson after a win over the lowly Washington Wizards. Why so many athletes think it’s funny to make faces or throw water on a teammate getting interviewed on TV is one of life’s enduring mysteries.

Now that Michigan has lost to Ohio State, will Fox Sports stop shoving uber-obnoxious Michigan booster Dave Portnoy down America’s throats? His act is played out.

The Grinch in the Walmart commercials that aired nonstop in every football game over the weekend looks like the Cowardly Lion from “The Wizard of Oz” and is even more pathetic than Jim Carrey’s version in the movie. You’d think at this point in time someone would make an AI version of the OG (Original Grinch) Boris Karloff, who voiced the character in the 1960s cartoon version.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/30/chicago-bears-shirtless-ben-johnson/ 

NATO’s Potential “Anschluss” With Austria Would Be For Purely Narrative Reasons

Tyler Durden
Sun, 11/30/2025 – 07:00

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/natos-potential-anschluss-austria-would-be-purely-narrative-reasons 

Charles Ovando, assistant superintendent of student support and development for Orland High School District 230, said he spent two years telling students, especially if they were sick, to “stay home, stay home, stay home” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But that message changed after schools returned to in-person instruction.  The district’s rate of students missing more than 10% of school has been over three times higher than it was pre-pandemic, and District 230 is trying new strategies to improve attendance rates that have struggled.

This includes a new attendance policy, a communication campaign and one-on-one interventions with students at it’s three schools all with the goal to educate students and families that attendance matters, he said.

“Yes, you’ve been hearing if you’re symptomatic, if you’re sick, stay home for your health, and that’s 100% the right message,” he said to parents and students. “On the flip side now, 100% the right message is also, we need you in school. It matters for you. It matters for your learning.”

The district, like others across the state, has struggled with attendance rates since the pandemic. But contrary to others, District 230 had a chronic absenteeism rate that was almost three times lower than the state average, at 6%, or 445 students, before the pandemic, according to Illinois State Board of Education data.

Chronic absenteeism is defined as the number of students who miss 10% of the school year, or roughly 17 days.

The district’s absenteeism rate spiked in 2022 when classrooms returned to in-person learning and has remained at about 20%. Last year, about 19% of district students, or about 1,422 students, were chronically absent, according to ISBE data.

By school, the absenteeism rate was 21.3% at Stagg High School in Palos Hills, 18.2% at Sandburg High School in Orland Park, and 17.5% at Andrew High School in Tinley Park.

Ovando said he hopes to improve these scores with a policy implemented in August that caps the number of excused absences at eight absences before students are required to provide additional verification for missing school.

This additional verification could be a doctor’s note for students who are sick or a university note if students are missing school for a college tour, he said.

Under the previous policy, all absences were considered excused as long as they were called in by a parent or guardian, and students were able to make up missed work for full credit within a specified time frame, regardless of the reason for the absence.

Stagg High School in Palos Hills. (Vincent D. Johnson/for the Daily Southtown)

He said a district analysis of attendance policies used by eight nearby, similar suburban high school districts showed District 230’s previous policy was an outlier. Compared to the other schools, he said District 230 lacked clear expectations for good attendance and reasonable guardrails for excessive absences.

“We weren’t really affirming the value of attendance,” Ovando said.

He said when students are present, they build relationships with other students and teachers and are more likely to be involved in activities, which can only promote their positive experience in school.

Higher chronic absenteeism rates have been linked to lower academic performance and an increased risk of not graduating on time, according to research reports compiled by Attendance Works, a national nonprofit initiative focused on reducing chronic absenteeism.

Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park. (Daily Southtown file photo)

Ovando said chronic absenteeism also makes it hard for teachers to keep track of who was absent each day and what makeup work needs to be done, which takes up time teachers and students could be spending on learning.

“When I think of two absences, I might not think that that’s a lot, but when I think that means I might have missed 12 to 14 periods of instruction, it starts to illustrate the connection we’re trying to emphasize, which is that being in class matters,” Ovando said.

In an effort to better inform students and parents, the district launched a communication campaign called attendance matters last January and distributed new quarterly attendance progress reports. The reports categorized each students’ attendance rates into four categories, exceptional, on track, at risk or chronically absent.

“It’s really an affirming message,” he said. “It’s not really about a negative of reducing chronic absenteeism as much as it is, we want your children in school.”

Victor J. Andrew High School in Tinley Park. (Daily Southtown file photo)

The district also launched a new intervention strategy, where district staff identify students at risk for chronic absenteeism and figure out why the students are continually absent, case by case. He said, for example, if there is a transportation barrier affecting several students, the district would address that barrier.

He said that since these new policies have been implemented this year, he has already seen a 5% to 6% drop in the chronic absenteeism rate.

“I don’t want to get too excited yet about it, but it’s trending in the direction we expected,” Ovando said.

Now that the district is starting to see improvement, he said the goal is to maintain higher attendance through the end of the school year.

He also said the district’s policy could even be helpful after graduation.

“We’re trying to implement reasonable guardrails that are also reflective of what we know is true in adult professional life,” he said. “There are expectations about being present and productive in the workforce, and we think that our policy helps mimic that better and prepare students for life after high school.”

awright@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/30/orland-district-230-chronic-absenteeism/ 

The first time I held my original birth certificate, I was in my 50s. I’d spent a lifetime knowing that I was adopted. I was loved, supported and grateful for my family, but still missing the first page of my own story. That small piece of paper held answers that had always been out of reach: my birth time, my birth mother’s name and many other small details that finally connected me to the beginning of my life.

For decades, adoptees such as me in Illinois were denied access to that most basic document. We could vote, buy a house or raise children of our own, but not see our own birth certificates. For years, the state sealed those records, citing outdated privacy laws that had long since outlived their purpose. That injustice became my mission.

When I first introduced legislation to allow adult adoptees to access their original birth certificates, I knew it would not be easy. The bill took 14 years to pass: 14 years of hearings, negotiations and emotional testimony from adoptees, birth parents and adoptive families alike. Some feared the unknown; others worried about privacy or the reopening of painful memories. But I believed then, as I do now, that knowing where you come from is a fundamental human right.

The bill was signed in May 2010. For the first time, adult adoptees in Illinois could open the door to their origins. That moment has become a personal and political milestone, not only in my career but also in the lives of thousands of Illinoisans who can now hold their own stories in their hands.

I still remember the day the first adoptees walked into the Illinois Department of Public Health and applied for their original birth certificates. Some cried. Others stood silent, taking in the weight of the moment. Many reached out to me afterward to say that, for the first time, they felt whole. One woman learned she had three siblings she never knew existed and had been living less than 10 miles from them their entire lives. Another woman finally understood her family’s medical history. Every story reminded me why the work was worth it.

It’s easy to see laws as words on paper, but for adoptees, this one was life-changing. It restored something that had been taken away for generations: the right to know ourselves.

When people ask me what I’m proudest of during my time in public service, I don’t hesitate. This is it. It’s my most meaningful legacy. Not because it was the most politically advantageous or newsworthy, but because it required patience, coalition-building, vulnerability and persistence when the easy thing would have been to give up.

That’s how real change happens. It happens through lived experience, through genuinely listening to people’s fears and hopes, through finding common ground where none seemed possible. It happens through a willingness to stay at the table for years until you get it right.

Since that day, Illinois has become a national model for adoptee rights. I recently sponsored legislation to help adoptees whose adoption agencies have closed or merged, ensuring they can still access their records through state archives. These are the unglamorous, technical fixes that make a real difference, and they only come when legislators understand both the issue and the people behind it.

As I approach another election, I carry these lessons with me. Experience matters. Relationships matter. The ability to build coalitions and bring people together matters. That’s what gets things done in Springfield. And that’s what has always driven my work.

This November, as we celebrate National Adoption Awareness Month, I want to honor the entire adoption community. From the adoptees who fought for recognition, to the birth parents who made profound sacrifices and the adoptive families who opened their hearts and homes. Adoption is about love, but it is also about truth. Every person deserves to know their story.

Fifteen years ago, Illinois took a stand for that simple idea. Today, thousands of adoptees have access to the records that define the beginning of their lives. But there are still people searching for answers. And as long as that’s true, my work continues.

For me, this has never been just a legislative victory. It’s a deeply personal one. It’s about identity, healing and the power of persistence.

Fourteen years. One law. And a lifetime of knowing who you are.

State Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, represents the 6th District. 

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/30/opinion-adoption-birth-certificate-illinois/