 Waddle atNavy Pier in June 2012 | |||||||||
| No. 87 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1967-02-20)February 20, 1967 (age 58) Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 185 lb (84 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) | ||||||||
| College: | Boston College | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 1989 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Gregory Thomas Waddle (born February 20, 1967) is an American former professionalfootball player who was awide receiver in theNational Football League (NFL). Waddle is currently a co-host of"Waddle and Silvy" onESPN 1000, and a football analyst forWLS-TV in Chicago.[1] He also appears onPro Football Weekly andNFL Network. He spent his entire six-year career with theChicago Bears. He attendedBoston College.
Waddle was a receiver for theBoston College Eagles. He is sixth all-time in career receptions with 139, and amassed 1,956 yards and six touchdowns. Waddle finished his collegiate career first on the school's all-time list for receptions in a season with 70 in 1988, and is tied for first in all-time receptions in a single game with 13 against TCU in 1988. Waddle was a first-team All-East selection in 1988 and made appearance in the Japan Bowl. His achievements at BC resulted in his induction into the Boston College Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.[2] He also played alongsideDoug Flutie's younger brother,Darren Flutie.
In 1989, theChicago Bears signed Waddle as an undrafted free agent. During his first two years with the Bears, he struggled to make an impact as a receiver. Waddle lacked the size and speed to distinguish himself from other Bears wide receivers and remained on the lower rungs of the team's depth chart. He received a chance to start in 1991 after the Bears lost starters due to injuries. In a nationally televised Monday night game against the Jets, he made eight catches for 102 yards in an overtime win.[3] In Chicago's wild card playoff loss to Dallas (17–13), Waddle was the Bears' sole standout performer on the offensive side of the ball, catching nine passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. His performance established him as a mainstay in the Bears lineup and clinched him a spot on the famedAll-Madden team.[4][5]
In 1992, Waddle began the season as a starting wide receiver and became a fan favorite. In the opener against theDetroit Lions, he caught a last second game-winning touchdown pass fromJim Harbaugh. Later in a week 4 victory over the Falcons, he managed to outrunDeion Sanders into the endzone for a score. Waddle missed the final four games of the season because of injury.
After finishing the 1992 season with a record of 5–11, coachMike Ditka was fired andDallas Cowboys defensive coordinatorDave Wannstedt was brought in to replace him.[4] After leading the Bears in receiving yards and receptions in 1993,[6] Wannstedt demoted Waddle in favor of faster receivers.[7] Later that year, he suffered a concussion and a partially torn knee ligament from an illegal hit byTampa Bay Buccaneers defensive backThomas Everett.[8] The following off-season, the Bears offered Waddle a choice between a guaranteed contract at the league minimum salary, and a more lucrative deal that would be dissolved if he were cut. He instead attended theCincinnati Bengals' training camp, but elected to retire, as he felt that his lingering leg injuries no longer allowed him to compete at the professional level.[7]
After retiring from football, Waddle began working onWFLD FOX 32 as the host of weekend football-oriented programs. Waddle covered previews and post-game shows for Bears games. During this time, he also began to work as a weekend and fill-in sports anchor. He later worked withCorey McPherrin to host and theChicago Bears Gameday Live,Fox Kickoff Sunday andThe Final Word.[9][10]
Waddle's joinedWLS ABC 7 in August 2013 after his contract expired with WFLD.[1] Waddle is a regular contributor on the station's morning show, and continues to provide analysis on Bears-themed programming.[9]
Waddle also began working with theNFL Network inLos Angeles as a gameday analyst in 2007.[11] In 2013, he began working as a guest analyst for Colin Cowherd's "Colin's New Football Show.[12]
In 1997, Waddle began co-hosting Sports Central withDavid Kaplan on weeknights. This partnership ended in 2007 with his move to WMVP ESPN Radio 1000.[9]
Waddle was paired with Marc "Silvy" Silverman and their show was expanded to four hours to include weekly, one-hour in-studio segments withWLS-TV sports anchorMark Giangreco. During football season, Waddle and Silverman hosted "The Jay Cutler Show" withChicago Bears quarterbackJay Cutler on Mondays or Tuesdays following each Bears game until Cutler's departure from Chicago.[13]
On several occasions in 2008 and 2009, Waddle appeared as a fill-in host, alongsideMike Greenberg, onMike and Mike in the Morning onESPN Radio. He and Silverman have also hostedThe Scott Van Pelt Show.
Waddle appears weekly during the football season on Pro Football Weekly. He writes a weekly article about the Bears for theNorthwest Herald of McHenry County, Illinois.[14]
He is also a color commentator during CSN Chicago broadcasts ofNorthern Illinois Huskies football games and for a limited number ofChicago Rush games aired on the NFL Network.[15]
Waddle lives inLake Forest with his wife, Cara and 4 daughters. Waddle's wife Cara is the daughter of formerBoston Patriotswide receiver andAFL Hall of FamerGino Cappelletti. His oldest daughter Georgia was a member of the Northwestern Wildcats soccer team.[16]
Tom Waddle appears from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays through Fridays on the "Waddle and Silvy Show" on WMVP AM-1000. He writes a weekly column on the Bears for the Northwest Herald.
Saturday's game will be carried on The Score and the remainder of the Huskie Radio Network, and will be televised by Comcast SportsNet with Dave Kaplan and Waddle providing the play-by-play and color analysis, respectively.