Neill Armstrong was hired as the eighth Head Coach in Chicago Bears history in 1978. Armstrong had been the defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings, and was hired by General Manager Jim Finks, who had worked with Armstrong there. Armstrong took over for previous Bears coach Jack Pardee, who had left to coach the Washington Redskins. Armstrong came in to Chicago in an unenviable situation-the Bears had made the playoffs for the first time in 14 years the previous season. Anything less than making the playoffs again would be a disappointment. The Bears lost eight straight games after winning the first three, then finished strong by winning four of the last five. 1979 was the pinnacle of Armstrong's coaching career with the Bears, as the team snuck into the playoffs, much as they did in 1977. Again, the team flopped in their lone playoff game, losing in Philadelphia 27-17. The 1980 and 1981 seasons led to Armstrong's demise. Coming off the playoffs in 1979, 1980 began with high expectations and ended in disappointment. The team finished 8-8, suffering from the ills of the never-ending Chicago quarterback controversey and a horrible offensive line & receiver corps. 1981 was the last straw for Armstrong; the team finished 6-10. Players were beginning to tire of his lack of discipline, which led to the hiring of a coach that certainly did not lack discipline. Click on the links below to enter the Neill Armstrong era season pages.

Mike Ditka was hired as the ninth coach in Chicago Bears history on January 20, 1982. Ditka was hand-picked by an ailing George Halas, who was desparate to bring back the tradition of hard-hitting Chicago Bears football. (SIDENOTE, WHY CAN'T THIS BE DONE IN 2001?!?!) The first statement Mike Ditka made to his team at a minicamp in Tempe, Arizona was that he was going to take this team to the Super Bowl. Not everyone would be there, he said, and those that didn't want to get there should just leave. That first year, Iron Mike made good on his promises, cutting several veteran players that had attitude problems. Ditka's hiring was seen as a major gamble by some members of the media-but the gamble paid off as the team made the playoffs for the first time in five years in 1984, then became world champions in 1985. Halas died in 1983, and with his death began the demise of the Bears organization that continues to this day. In 1987, team President Michael McCaskey fired General Manager and Ditka ally Jerry Vanisi, and began to refuse to pay several of the team's all-world players what they were worth. By 1990, there was more of McCaskey's mark on the team than Ditka's. The team President refused to match free-agent offers to Wilbur Marshall, Willie Gault, and others. Luckily, in that era of free agency, the team was compensated with three first-round draft picks for losing the players. However, the team's scouting and personnel department was dramatically understaffed, and they did not draft well enough to replace the superstars. In 1992, after only his third losing season out of eleven, Mike Ditka was dismissed as Bears coach in January 1993, and all of Chicago mourned. Relive the last fond memories of Bears football below.

Dave Wannstedt, to this day probably the second most hated man in Chicago behind the previously mentioned Michael McCaskey. To McCaskey's credit, Wannstedt was the most highly sought-after coaching prospect in January of 1993. He was at the time Defensive Coordinator of the Super Bowl Champion Dallas Cowboys, in charge of the number one defense in the league. That Cowboys defense featured zero pro bowlers, so one could figure that regardless of talent, Wannstedt would assemble a tough, highly-ranked defensive unit in Chicago regardless of talent. This obviously never occurred. McCaskey barely was able to hire Wannstedt away from the New York Giants by promising control of personnel. This personnel control was the "Titanic" of the Wannstedt regime. It was never given to Ditka even though he sought it, Wannstedt was terrible at it, and even though he negotiated for it, to this day, he denies ever wanting control. Possibly many people in Chicago could forgive him at this point if he would only fess up to the damage he caused. He continually denies major responsibility for fiascos such as Rick Mirer, John Thierry, Marcus Spears, Bob Sapp, Patrick Riley, the list goes on. Much as he is doing in Miami right now, Wannstedt started fairly strong in Chicago. His team went 7-9 in 1993, and won a playoff game in 1994 with many of the same players Ditka had assembled. By 1995, there were fewer than 10 Ditka players left on the roster, and the "Wannstedt death spiral" began. The team endured three losing seasons from 1996 to 1998, after which year Wanny was finally released. During the press conference held to announce his firing, Wannstedt attributed his lack of success to "bad personnel moves made by "everyone", and the fact that he "hung on to Ditka's players too long". This last comment was interesting in that he wouldn't have won his single playoff game if it weren't for Ditka's players.

Although the jury is very much still out on Dick Jauron, 2000 turned out to be a very disappointing year both in the win-loss record as well as many fan's impression of the current coach. Jauron was hired in January 1999 after Michael McCaskey botched the hiring of Dave McGinnis, defensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals. Jauron led the 1999 Bears to an improved record of 6-10, motivated them to come only a few missed field goals away from the playoffs, and seem to exorcise the ghost of Dave Wannstedt with his no-nonsense approach. After the '99 season, many fans became ultra-optimistic as the team had a strong draft and signed several big-ticket players to shore up their porous defense. Then came the decision that would end all hopes for winning in 2000-the decision to insert Cade McNown as the default starter going in to training camp. McNown looked strong through the preseason, and into opening day at Minnesota. Cade threw two touchdowns, ran for another, and racked up 290 passing yards. Then, in the next week's 41-0 loss at Tampa, McNown began to again show his tendencies to shuffle around the pocket, throw without setting his feet, and flutter balls as erraticly as they come. Next came Jaurons pivotal statement of the 2000 campaign, the statement that would alienate fans and teammates-"Cade McNown remains the starter because he gives us the best chance to win." Week after week as McNown regressed, this statement became more and more ludicrous. Jauron has now admitted after a disasterous 5-11 season that he was incorrect in his belief that McNown was capable of handling the starting job. What frustrates fans is the fact that he continued to state this belief throughout the season even though it was incorrect. It is my prediction that Jauron will retain his job through 2001 no matter how poorly the team plays, although I do sincerely hope the team plays well as Jauron believes they will.