What Do You Think About This Mike Ditka-William Perry Super Bowl Prop Bet Theory?
By Kyle Koster
A good portion of the greater Chicago area is perpetually stuck in January 27, 1986, the day after Mike Ditka’s Bears crushed New England in Super Bowl XX. To this day it’s the high point of their lives and they love everything about it — except that Walton Payton didn’t score a touchdown because Ditka famously opted to put in William Perry for a one-yard score in the lopsided affair.
The decision has been a point of contention for over three decades. And the plot surrounding the circumstances changed significantly last week when Jim McMahon, quarterback of the ’85 Bears, was presented with the theory that Ditka may have had additional interest in getting Perry into the end zone.
" EXCLUSIVE — QB Jim McMahon thinks coach Mike Ditka BET on #Bears Super Bowl!! pic.twitter.com/LEIvNFcCon — RJ Bell (@RJinVegas) February 12, 2018"
The idea is that one of the Super Bowl props — which were in their infancy — was Perry scoring a touchdown. Betting opened at 50-1 and moved as high as 75-1. Then, bettors forced it all the way down to 5-1. Rumor had it that Ditka was upset with Vegas for instilling the Bears as such mammoth underdogs against the San Francisco 49ers, which he believed demoralized his team.
And he was looking for a way to get revenge.
Steve Cofield presented this information to McMahon on radio recently and here was Ditka’s former quarterback’s response:
“I think he made a bet. I’m not positive but I know he likes to gamble. Everybody likes to gamble every once in a while. I’m sure he probably put some money down.
Surely someone will be getting Da Coach on the blower to ask about this soon. For now, though, it’s an interesting little theory — and one McMahon did nothing to shoot down.