Rare Photos from the 1985 NFL Season

SI Staff | May 15, 2013

Rare Photos from the 1985 NFL Season /

Rare Photos from the 1985 NFL Season

Joe Montana completed 63.2 % of his passes during a 13-year Hall of Fame career. That accuracy might explain why this snowball appears destined for the photographer's lens the day before the 49ers loss to the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football. Send comments to siwriters@simail.com

Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts takes off his helmet during the Chargers 40-34 overtime win against the L.A. Raiders.

Before he was head coach of the Tennessee Titans, Jeff Fisher (center) was an assistant coach along with Buddy Ryan (left) for the 1985 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears.

L.A. Raiders cornerbacks Mike Haynes and Lester Hayes talking before a game against the Atlanta Falcons.

Ronnie Lott taking a moment of peace before helping the 49ers hand the Los Angeles Rams their first loss of the season. Lott had an interception in the game.

New York Jets defensive tackle Joe Klecko during a dominant performance by his team over the Green Bay Packers in a 24-3 win.

"Sweetness," as the late Walter Payton will forever be remembered, combined finesse with power and raw, unbridled violence when he carried the ball. He crushed blitzing linebackers and made defensive backs grasp for air in the open field, playing with a style more symphonic than multi-dimensional. In 1985, the Hall of Fame back rushed for 1,551 yards on 324 carries.

Steve Young had an inauspicious beginning to his Hall of Fame career with the 49ers. He started his career on the abysmal 1985 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, throwing three touchdowns in five games to go along with eight interceptions. The Bucs allowed 154 more points than they scored that season.

Lyle Alzado of the Los Angeles Raiders pauses for a moment during the Sept. 22 regular season matchup with the San Francisco 49ers at the L.A. Coliseum.

John Stallworth showed his flair for the dramatic with an acrobatic catch in a 36-28 win over the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.

Stallworth finished his Hall of Fame career with the Pittsburgh Steelers two years later, in 1987, with 8,723 receiving yards, and 63 TD catches. The four-time Pro Bowl receiver is shown here on the sideline during a 24-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins in '85. Stallworth was held to four catches for 41 yards and did not find the end zone.

Marcus Allen of the L.A. Raiders rushed for 1,759 yards and 11 touchdowns on 380 carries in '85. That total was far and away his greatest workload, and likely as a result, his greatest output. Allen never again rushed for over 1,000 yards in any of his remaining 12 NFL seasons.

In one of the most gruesome injuries in the violent history of the NFL, Joe Theismann's career came to an end when Giants' linebacker Lawrence Taylor snapped Theismann's leg. The injury was so bad that the fearsome Taylor, who made a living from his desire to pummel quarterbacks, immediately ran towards the Redskins sideline yelling for help.

Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann held a press conference along with girlfriend and actress Cathy Lee Crosby to talk about his injury. He suffered a compound multiple fracture of his right leg that doctors operated on. Theisman never played in the NFL again.

Legendary Cowboys coach Tom Landry led Dallas to a 10-6 regular season to win the NFC East, but the 'Boys were shut out by the L.A. Rams 20-0 in the first round of the playoffs. The 1985 season was the last in a string of 20 consecutive winning seasons by Landry's team.

Tony Dorsett of the Cowboys talks to linebacker Otis Wilson of the Bears after Chicago's 44-0 drubbing of the Cowboys at Texas Stadium.

Eric Dickerson rushed for the wonderfully symmetrical 1,234 yards in 1985, seen here wearing the uber-fashionable Rec-Specs during a 13-10 win over the Vikings.

Bum Phillips, father of current Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips, pacing the field at Candlestick Park before a game against the 49ers in his trademark cowboy hat.

Steve Largent spent his entire 14-year career with the Seattle Seahawks after being drafted in the 4th round by the Houston Oilers. In 1985 Largent was first team All-Pro and led the league in receiving yards.

Bengals wide receiver Cris Collinsworth makes a move to get around Raiders defender Mike Haynes. Collinsworth's contract with the USFL Tampa Bay Bandits was voided that year when he failed a physical. He went on to have the third of his four 1,000-yard receiving seasons with Cincinnati.

Third-year quarterback Dan Marino was too much for Buddy Ryan's vaunted 46 defense in a Monday Night Football game that set ratings records. The Dolphins defeated the Bears 38-24, keeping the undefeated 1972 Miami team as the only one with a perfect regular season. The Bears finished the year 15-1.

Raiders defensive end Howie Long and Chargers tight end Kellen Winslow exchange pleasantries during the Chargers' 40-34 overtime win.

Raiders owner Al Davis shunned the luxury box for the sidelines during this early December matchup with the Denver Broncos. Davis has never shied away from the limelight during his tumultuous tenure as owner of the Silver and Black.

Bill Parcells on the sidelines during a 28-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Giants Stadium.

Lawrence Taylor had 13 sacks in 1985, shown here during a 21-0 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty Images

New York Jets sack specialist Mark Gastineau sucks down some oxygen during a 16-13 Jets win over the New England Patriots. Gastineau finished 1985 with 13.5 sacks after setting an NFL record with 22 the season before.

After being taken in the 1st round of the 1984 supplemental draft, "The Minister of Defense" burst onto the NFL scene in 1985 with a 13-sack rookie season for the Philadelphia Eagles. He wore No. 91 that first season because Smiley Creswell was wearing No. 92. Smiley wasn't on the '86 team and Reggie went back to No. 92. White played eight seasons in Philadelphia before adding his name to a lawsuit against the NFL that resulted in NFL players being granted free agency in 1992. He moved to Green Bay for the 1993 seasons and won Superbowl XXXII in 1997.

Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan talks to linebacker Wilber Marshall during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

William "The Refrigerator" Perry, a defensive tackle by trade, was used as a goal line fullback during the 1985 Super Bowl run by the Chicago Bears. Here Perry celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Packers at Soldier Field.

Gary Fencik and Mike Singletary, part of the ferocious 1985 Chicago Bears defense, plows over Eddie Lee Ivory of the Green Bay Packers in a 23-7 Bears win.

Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett tries to get the handle on a Ray Guy fumble on a punt attempt during New England's 35-20 loss to the Raiders in Foxboro. Tippett recovered the fumble and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown.

When the NFL announced its All Decade team of the 1980s, Ozzie Newsome made second team behind fellow Hall of Fame tight end Kellen Winslow. Here Newsome is taken down by New England Patriots safety Roland James during a 24-20 Browns victory on October 6, 1985, at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. (Send comments to siwriters@simail.com)

Published May 15, 2013

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