After moving as a young boy, Jim McMahon settled into high school and played his junior and senior football seasons at Roy High School in Roy, Utah.
McMahon stayed in-state, attending Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
Initially finding time on the field as the team's punter, McMahon split quarterback duties with starter Marc Wilson. Showing flashes of brilliance, McMahon became the main signal caller in 1980 after Wilson graduated and headed to the NFL.
That 1980 BYU football season was a magical one as McMahon set 32 NCAA passing records, including single-season records for total offense, passing yards, touchdown passes and a host of other categories.
McMahon had another standout season as a senior in 1981. He was named WAC Player of the Year, a first-team All-American by five organizations and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting. He won the Davey O'Brien Award and the Sammy Baugh trophy, both awarded to the nation’s top quarterback. Mac left college with over 70 NCAA records and entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999.
The legendary Chicago Bears drafted McMahon with the fifth overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft.
The punky QB wasted no time making an impact on and off the field as his colorful persona was showcased early on. On the field he was named the Bears starter as a rookie and, with his performance, named to several all-rookie teams as well as garnering NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
During his time in The Windy City, McMahon became a media magnet and cultural icon.
In 1985 the Bears put together a season so dominant that it will go down as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, in the history of professional football, winning their first 12 games and finishing the regular season 15-1. McMahon's personality was on full display throughout the dominating playoff run and eventual Super Bowl championship, where the Monsters of the Midway defeated the helpless New England Patriots by a then-record 46-10 drubbing in Super Bowl XX. The Bears Super Bowl team shuffled its way into NFL history.
From a dominating Super Bowl championship, the perfectly styled 80s sunglasses, the personalized headbands and so much more, Jim McMahon will always be an icon in Chicago.
After his time with the Bears, McMahon bounced around the league, spending time with the Eagles, Chargers, Vikings, Cardinals, Browns and the Packers before retiring in 1996.
The two-time Super Bowl champion, NFL Comeback Player of the Year and Pro Bowler spoke exclusively to Tony Reid about signing autographs, his own trading cards, Costacos Brothers NFTs and behind-the-scenes details about that iconic Super Bowl Shuffle.
