Now a senior writer for The Athletic, Dan Pompei has helped elect numerous players to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the selection committee. Then, in 2013, he himself was elected. “I never thought I would win the award. I was stunned by it. That’s a lifetime achievement award.” Pompei discusses that milestone, covering the 1985 Bears, and more in an interview with George Ofman on this week’s “Tell Me A Story I Don’t Know” podcast.
Pompei’s first year covering the Bears was during the team’s “Super Bowl Shuffle” run in 1985. “The (Chicago) Sun-Times needed some help on the beat so I was recruited. I was sent to New Orleans for Super Bowl 20. I’ve been to 33 of them but that’s my most memorable. … There was never anything like it, never has been like it, never could be anything like it. It was a perfect storm.” The Bears of course, went on to crush New England for the title.
Pompei has been in the process of making a case for Steve “Mongo” McMichael to be elected to the Hall of Fame. The push has been accelerated as the former member of those ‘85 Bears is battling ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. “He’s been criminally overlooked in the Hall of Fame process. He wound up with 95 sacks and if you back to 1960 he’s 8th all time.”
He has also dealt with a traumatic experience far too many families have faced, the loss of a child. His daughter Anna passed away in 2018 at the age of 21. “My family has coped with it about as well as you can cope with something like that. While I always will miss my daughter and wish she was still with us, my cup overflows with other blessings. That attitude has been helpful in the healing process.”
