Former Bears quarterback Bob Avellini dies at 70

Even as a quarterback, Bob Avellini came to the Bears in the shadow of Walter Payton — he was the Bears’ sixth-round draft pick out of Maryland in 1975, when Payton was the ballyhooed fourth overall pick by general manager Jim Finks. And as Payton’s legendary career quickly blossomed, there was no way Avellini was ever going to escape that immense Payton shadow.

But Avellini, who died of cancer at 70 on Saturday, still had a moment that will live forever in the hearts of Bears fans of that era, one that left an indelible mark on Bears history.

With the Bears’ 1977 season on the brink at 3-5 and the Bears 10 seconds away from a loss to the Chiefs at Soldier Field that would all but end their playoff hopes, Avellini heaved a 37-yard touchdown pass to inexplicably wide open tight end Greg Latta at the goal line with three seconds left that gave the Bears a miraculous 28-27 victory.

In the aftermath of the delirious celebration that followed, the Bears thought they were a team of destiny, and — against the odds — it turned out that they were. Avellini’s winning pass to Latta sparked a mad-dash six-game winning streak to send the 9-5 Bears into the playoffs for the first time since 1963.

“Gritty, gutty”

Even then, Avellini’s part in the victory over the Chiefs was downplayed amid other heroes — like Payton, who rushed for 192 yards that day, including a highlight-reel 18-yard run where he escaped tackles and bulled over defenders. Until the pass to Latta, Avellini had completed 10 of 22 passes for 156 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions (a 31.6 passer rating) and had his play-calling responsibilities take away by the coaching staff at halftime.

But that didn’t stop Avellini. Not much did. A gritty, gutty overachiever from Queens, N.Y. who was 23-27 as a starter and threw more interceptions (69) than touchdown passes (33) in his 10-year career, Avellini provided stability at quarterback in 1975-77 when much of his role was staying out of Payton’s way.

But he made plays at key moments, especially in the glorious 1977 season. He threw three touchdown passes against the Rams — including 70 and 72 yards to speedster James Scott — as he out-dueled Joe Namath on Monday Night Football.

And in a climactic moment in the season-finale against the Giants on a frozen field in the Meadowlands — with the Bears needing to win to make the playoffs — Avellini provided a much-needed steady hand in a frantic last-ditch effort in the final 1:22 of overtime. He threw a 19-yard pass to Latta and in the face of pressure dumped a pass to Payton for 14 yards to set up Bob Thomas’ 28-yard field goal as time expired for a thrilling and exasperating 12-9 victory that set off yet another delirious celebration.

A salute from the Bears

The Bears noted Avellini’s part in that memorable run to the playoffs in a statement following Avellini’s death:

“Bob was one of a kind, a fierce and tough competitor. He’s perhaps best remembered for leading the Bears on an improbable run in 1977 to our first postseason appearance in fourteen years. He will be missed.”

At that point, Avellini was as close to an established quarterback as the Bears had had in years. Avellini started 42 consecutive games from 1975-78 — still the longest streak for a Bears quarterback in franchise history. He started every game in 1976 and 1977 — no Bears quarterback has started every game of back-to-back seasons since.

Avellini threw for 2,004 yards, 11 touchdowns and 18 interceptions in 1977 — at the time he was of seven Bears quarterbacks to throw for 2,000 yards in a season. He never reached even those modest heights again. He struggled in 1978 — throwing five touchdowns and 16 interceptions — before losing his starting job to Mike Phipps and then Vince Evans and was a spot starter in six games in his final five seasons with the Bears.

Avellini was the starting quarterback to open Mike Ditka’s first season as head coach in 1982. But he was benched in Week 2 in favor of Evans in the second quarter — and then rookie Jim McMahon in the second half — of a 10-0 loss to the Saints at Soldier Field.

Avellini became a real estate broker in the Chicago area after his football career ended, but also struggled in retirement. In 2012 he filed for bankruptcy protection. In 2014, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to felony DUI — his sixth arrest for DUI since 2002. He claimed that head injuries he suffered during his career contributed to depression and drinking problems.

But Avellini also was a popular and supportive former teammate who was active in the Chicago area at charity events and golf outings — most recently at a 69th birthday celebration for former teammate Revie Sorey, a fellow New Yorker also drafted by the Bears in 1975, who suffered a stroke in 2012.