Dan Hampton
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. | |||||||
Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||
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Weight: | 264 lb (120 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Jacksonville (Jacksonville, Arkansas) | ||||||
College: | Arkansas | ||||||
NFL draft: | 1979 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||
Daniel Oliver Hampton (born September 19, 1957) is an American former football defensive tackle who played for twelve seasons with the Chicago Bears from 1979 to 1990 in the National Football League (NFL). He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002. He currently hosts the Bears postgame show on WGN Radio in Chicago.
High school
The son of Robert and Joan Hampton, he graduated from
College
Hampton played
As a senior Hampton was an All-American as he logged 98 tackles (18 behind the line of scrimmage). He was also named the Southwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 1978. In addition, that same season, Hampton was named by the Houston Post the SWC Player of the Year.[2] As a junior, he had 70 tackles (8 for a loss). In 1976, as a sophomore, Hampton made 48 tackles (2 for losses) and recovered two fumbles. As a freshman, he had 21 tackles (4 for a loss). In his career, he made a total of 237 tackles with 32 being behind the line of scrimmage and recovered six fumbles. He was a four-year letterman, a three-year starter at Arkansas and a two-time All-Conference selection. He was also a member of the Razorback All-Decade team of the 1970s. During his time at Arkansas Hampton played alongside Ron Calcagni, Steve Little and Ben Cowins.
In 1991, he was elected to the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor and the following year he was voted to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame. In 1994 Hampton was voted to the All-Century team of the University of Arkansas. Hampton was named one of the state of Arkansas' Top 50 greatest athletes in the 20th century.[3]
Mike Ditka remembers scouting Hampton while a member of the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff: "I watched Dan when he came out of Arkansas," Ditka said. "I remember Coach [Tom] Landry saying what a great football player he was going to be."[4]
NFL
Hampton was selected by the Bears in the first round of the
He was selected to four
During Hampton's tenure in Chicago (1979–90), the Bears defense ranked #1 in the NFL in allowing the fewest rushing yards, the fewest rushing touchdowns, the fewest total yards, the fewest points and inflicted the most sacks.[7]
"A lot of times in football, it's not so much the stat, but how you play the game. If that's the measuring stick, then Dan Hampton played the game as well as anybody."[4] |
Coach Mike Ditka |
In 1982, he had a tremendous year while playing defensive tackle, recording 9 sacks in the 9-game, strike-shortened season. He was also named NFL defensive player of the year by Pro Football Weekly. He played out his option after that season and became a free agent. On July 15, 1983, Hampton signed a deal that made him the Bears' second highest-paid player (behind Walter Payton). Hampton signed three one-year contracts worth about $1 million (including bonuses), an average of about $333,000 per year. "Dan will be the highest paid defensive lineman in the league this year," said Jim Steiner, Hampton's agent. "I'm very happy," said Hampton. "I'm glad to have the contract behind me so I can concentrate on training camp. I'm optimistic about this season and I didn't want to miss any of the fun."[8]
Hampton didn't miss out on the fun. He was voted the
During the middle of the Bears 1985 Super Bowl run, Hampton signed a 4-year contract extension. On November 8, 1985, he signed a four-year deal worth $2.7 million. Hampton became the fifth highest-paid defensive lineman in the NFL when the contract began in 1986 with an estimated salary of $625,000. Hampton was making $325,000 during for the 1985 season. Also in the middle of 1985 Hampton moved from right defensive tackle to left defensive end, allowing
Hampton remained at left defensive end in 1986 and was a First-team All-Pro. However, in the Bears 46 defense he would line up as a nose tackle and when the Bears lined up in a nickel defense, Hampton would play right tackle. Late in the 1987 season, Mike Ditka moved Hampton back to defensive tackle (where he played from 1982 to 1984), where he remained throughout the rest of his career.
In his 1987 book "Fatso"[12] Hall of Fame defensive tackle Art Donovan called Dan the best defensive lineman in the NFL and "the closest thing to Gino Marchetti I've seen". Hampton's play also caught the eye of John Madden, who named Hampton to his All-Madden team six times and to the 10th Anniversary All-Madden team.
Injuries
During his football career Hampton endured 10 knee surgeries (five on each knee) and had two more just after finishing his 12th NFL season in 1990. He is credited by the Chicago Bears as having 82 career sacks.[13] He had a career-high of 11½ in both 1980 (as a DE) and 1984 (as DT). After his contract expired after 1989, Hampton signed a 1-year deal for $850,000 to play the 1990 season for the Bears. The final contract was incentive based, if Hampton played he got paid, if an injury forced him to the sidelines he would not. Hampton played 14 games—had he played all 16 he would have earned the full $1 million value of the contract. After the 1990 season Hampton was voted to the NFL All-Decade team of the 1980s.
Hampton, who missed 23 games in his career due to severe knee injures, was a positive force on the Bear defense. From 1983 to 1990, in games he missed the Bears only won 33% of the time. In games he played they won 75%. When he was in the lineup the Bears sacked the quarterback 3.6 times a game and only 2.3 times a game without him. When Hampton played the defense gave up an average of 14 points a game and allowed 23 points a game in the games he missed, all seemingly remarkable statistics.[1][14]
Retirement
Dan Hampton retired from the Chicago Bears after the 1990 season. In 1990, he was the recipient of the
Hampton was selected to the
Post-NFL
Hampton is a co-host for the syndicated Pro Football Weekly television show which is approaching its 20th season on the air. The show is hosted by a panel, Pro Football Weekly publisher/editor Hub Arkush as well as Chicago
On May 22, 2002, Hampton was sentenced in
Hampton is part of a Miller Lite and Gridiron Greats promotion to raise funds for retired NFL players in need.[20] He also participates in "One for the Kids" Annual Golf Tournament that raises funds for various charities that support children in the Chicago area.[21] Hampton has also been a spokesperson for companies such as Chevrolet and Firestone.[22]
Hampton is also renowned for coining various catch phrases, such as: "de facto cream-of-the-class, if you will," "throw it against the pallet to see what sticks," and "hit that town like Hurricane Katrina."[23] He later apologized for his Katrina comment.[24]
References
- ^ a b "Football History - Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site". www.profootballhof.com.
- ^ "Hogwired.com" (PDF).
- ^ "CNNSI.com".
- ^ a b "CNNSI.com".
- ^ "Bears Trounce Patriots, 46-10, in Super Bowl". Los Angeles Times. January 27, 1986. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
- ^ a b "ibid".
- ^ "NFL football news, rumors, analysis". Pro Football Weekly. Archived from the original on May 13, 2006. Retrieved April 21, 2007.
- Chicago Daily Herald, July 16, 1983
- ^ ESPN.com Archived June 9, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Canton Repository.com". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved April 21, 2007.
- ^ "Hampton happy that historic Gatorade dump about to get its due -- Daily Herald". www.dailyherald.com.
- ISBN 0-688-07340-9.
- ^ "The Official Website of the Chicago Bears". Archived from the original on December 8, 2008. Retrieved April 18, 2007.
- ^ "Canton Repository.com". Archived from the original on January 3, 2005. Retrieved March 9, 2008.
- ^ "Comcast Sportsnet.com". Archived from the original on April 5, 2007. Retrieved April 21, 2007.
- ^ "Dan Hampton". IMDb.
- ^ CNN Archived November 3, 2011, at the Wayback Machine June 5, 2002
- ^ DeVore, Molly (November 26, 2021). "Ex-Chicago Bears lineman Dan Hampton arrested on OWI charge in NWI". nwi.com. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ Reese, Sarah (December 17, 2021). "Ex-Bears lineman's blood alcohol content was 0.189 after OWI arrest, records show". nwi.com. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ "Earth Times: show/miller-lite-and-gridiron-greats-partnering-to-raise-money-for,256671.shtml". www.earthtimes.org.
- ^ "One for the Kids.org". Archived from the original on November 11, 2007. Retrieved January 16, 2008.
- ^ "Dan Hampton - Speakers Bureau and Booking Agent Info". www.allamericanspeakers.com.
- ^ nbcsports.com Katrina comment 2010/09/06
- ^ cbsnews.com NFL Analyst Dan Hampton Apologizes for Katrina Analogy