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_(cropped).jpg) Dent in 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Defensive end | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1960-12-13)December 13, 1960 (age 64) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 265 lb (120 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||
| High school | J. C. Murphy (Atlanta, Georgia) | ||||||||||||||||||
| College | Tennessee State (1979–1982) | ||||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1983: 8th round, 203rd overall pick | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||||
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Richard Lamar Dent (born December 13, 1960) is an American former professionalfootball player who was adefensive end in theNational Football League (NFL), primarily for theChicago Bears. He was theMVP of theSuper Bowl XX. He was elected to thePro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
After playing four years atTennessee State University and graduating in 1983, Dent was selected in the eighth round by the Bears, with the 203rd overall pick in the1983 NFL draft. At 6 ft 5 in, 265 lb (120 kg), Dent was a great pass rusher who beat offensive tackles with his speed and thrived in defensive coordinatorBuddy Ryan's aggressive46 defense. He was part of the core of great players who made the Bears' defenses of the 1980s legendary. Between1984 and1985, Dent recorded 34.5 sacks while recording a then team-record 17.5 sacks in the former season.[1]
When the Bears went on to defeat theNew England Patriots in a 46–10 landslide in Super Bowl XX,[2] Dent was selected as the game's MVP. During the game, he had 1.5 sacks, forced two fumbles, and blocked a pass. Dent made a mere $90,000 in base salary for his efforts in 1985[3] ($263,000 in 2024 dollars).[4] He was a featured soloist of the "Shuffling Crew" in the video, the "Super Bowl Shuffle" in 1985.
Dent would remain with the team until the end of the1993 season, after the Bears had won just one playoff game since their loss to theSan Francisco 49ers in the1988NFC Championship Game, and head coachMike Ditka had been replaced byDave Wannstedt.
Dent won another Super Bowl ring after spending the 1994 season under contract with the 49ers, though he spent almost the whole year injured. Injuries would continue to hamper Dent after his return to Chicago in1995. He would spend1996 and1997 with theIndianapolis Colts andPhiladelphia Eagles, respectively, playing the so-called designated pass rusher for them.
Dent retired after the 1997 season. His lifetime statistics included 137.5 sacks and eight interceptions; he returned thesepicks for 89 yards and one touchdown. He also recovered 13 fumbles, returning them for 56 yards and one touchdown. He had 124.5 sacks during his first stint with the Bears, from1983 to 1993. At the time of his retirement, his 137.5 sacks ranked him third in NFL history behindReggie White andBruce Smith.
DuringSuper Bowl XLIV, Dent joined other members of the 1985 Chicago Bears in resurrecting the "Super Bowl Shuffle" in aBoost Mobile commercial.[5]
Dent was nominated numerous times for thePro Football Hall of Fame and in 2005–2009 he was among the top 15 finalists in the selection process. After several years of unsuccessful nominations, he was finally selected for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on February 5, 2011.[6] His induction speech was notable for omitting any mention of both Ditka and Ryan.[7] Since his retirement Dent has had a difficult relationship with Ditka because he publicly blamed Ditka for the Bears' inability to repeat as Super Bowl champions. In a 2012 interview onWSCR, Dent argued that the Bears would have won at least three Super Bowls if they had been able to find any consistency at quarterback.[8]
In addition to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Dent was also inducted into theGeorgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2008 and theBlack College Football Hall of Fame in 2015.[9]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Super Bowl MVP | |
| Won theSuper Bowl | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Int | Yds | TD | FF | FR | ||
| 1983 | CHI | 16 | 3 | 12 | – | – | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1984 | CHI | 16 | 10 | 39 | – | – | 17.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 1985 | CHI | 16 | 16 | 38 | – | – | 17.0 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 2 |
| 1986 | CHI | 15 | 14 | 75 | – | – | 11.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 1987 | CHI | 12 | 12 | 34 | – | – | 12.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| 1988 | CHI | 13 | 12 | 61 | – | – | 10.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 1989 | CHI | 15 | 15 | 70 | – | – | 9.0 | 1 | 30 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 1990 | CHI | 14 | 14 | 81 | – | – | 12.0 | 3 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 1991 | CHI | 16 | 16 | 84 | – | – | 10.5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1992 | CHI | 16 | 16 | 82 | – | – | 8.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| 1993 | CHI | 16 | 16 | 64 | – | – | 12.5 | 1 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1994 | SF | 2 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | CHI | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | IND | 16 | 1 | 15 | 13 | 2 | 6.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1997 | PHI | 15 | 0 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | 203 | 150 | 677 | 31 | 6 | 137.5 | 8 | 89 | 1 | 37 | 13 | |
According to a DNA analysis, he descended mainly fromMende people ofSierra Leone andBalanta people ofGuinea Bissau.[10] He is the godfather of football playerAhmaad Smith.[11]
Richard lives in Chicago and has four children: Mary, Sarah, R.J., and Shiloh. His son R.J. is a football player who played WR at Stevenson High School, and now plays at Miami University Ohio.[12]
Media related toRichard Dent at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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