Dan Hampton Daniel Oliver Hampton also known as " Danimal " ( born September 19 , 1957 ) is a retired Hall of Fame American football defensive tackle who played twelve seasons for the Chicago Bears from 1979 to 1990 in the National Football League . He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002 . Previously hosted pre - and post - game shows for the Bears on WGN Radio in Chicago . High school . The son of Robert and Joan Hampton , Dan graduated from Jacksonville High School in Jacksonville , AR , in 1975 . Hampton played football his junior and senior year . He suffered a disabling fall from a tree that kept him out of organized sports from grades 7 - 10 . He participated in band , playing saxophone and five other instruments . He also played bass guitar and sang for a local band named " Sanctuary Wood . " Jacksonville High School coach Bill Reed is credited for " rescuing " him from the band . - Dan was also the bassist and vocalist for the band created by " Chicago Sports Profile Magazine " editor Lisa Levine after the success of the " Super Bowl Shuffle . " The band " The Chicago Six " played " off season " from 1987 - 1990 . The alumni from the group includes Walter Payton ( drums ) , Otis Wilson ( lead vocalist ) , Shaun Gayle ( sax & voice ) , Gary Nylund ( guitar & voice ) , Curt Fraser ( guitar & voice ) , Graham Watson ( drums ) , and Jeffrey Abbott ( keyboards ) . The band also performed on both local and national television . College . Hampton played college football at Arkansas and was drafted in the first round of the 1979 NFL Draft by the Bears . He was part of a Razorback team that thumped the highly favored Oklahoma Sooners in the 1978 Orange Bowl by a score of 31 - 6 . Several key Razorback players had been suspended for the game by Arkansas Head Coach Lou Holtz which left the team short - handed . The fired up Razorbacks charged from the locker room in a fashion that the media noticed . When asked why the team came out of the locker room in such a hurry the wry Hampton answered , " Coach Holtz said the last eleven out of the locker room will start . " As a senior Hampton was an All - American as he logged 98 tackles ( 18 behind the line of scrimmige ) . He was also named the Southwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 1978 . In addition , that same season , Hampton was named by the " Houston Post " the SWC Player of the Year . As a junior he had 70 tackles ( 8 for a loss ) . In 1976 , as a sophomore , Hampton made 48 tackles ( 2 for losses ) and recovered two fumbles . As a freshman he had 21 tackles ( 4 for a loss ) . In his career he made a total of 237 tackles with 32 being behind the line of scrimmage and recovered six fumbles . He was a four - year letterman , a three - year starter at Arkansas and a two - time All - Conference selection . He was also a member of the Razorback All - Decade team of the 1970s . During his time at Arkansas Hampton played alongside Ron Calcagni , Steve Little and Ben Cowins . In 1991 he was elected to the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor and the following year he was voted to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame . In 1994 Hampton was voted to the All - Century team of the University of Arkansas . Hampton was named one of the state of Arkansas ' Top 50 greatest athletes in the 20th century . Mike Ditka remembers scouting Hampton while a member of the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff : " I watched Dan when he came out of Arkansas , " Ditka said . " I remember Coach [ Tom ] Landry saying what a great football player he was going to be . " NFL . Hampton was drafted by the Bears in the first round of the 1979 draft and on June 27 , 1979 , he signed a four - year $ 470 , 000 contract with the club that included a $ 160 , 000 signing bonus . In 1979 he was voted All - Rookie by the Pro Football Writers Association . The following year he was a Second - team All - Pro selection and was voted to his first Pro Bowl after recording 11½ sacks which lead the Bears . His fierce style of play earned him the nickname of " Danimal " . He was selected to four Pro Bowl s and was a key defensive member of the Bears ' Super Bowl XX win against the New England Patriots in 1985 . Hampton was a versatile defensive lineman , making All - Pro at both defensive end and defensive tackle . In all , Hampton was 1st or 2nd team All - Pro in 1980 , 1982 , 1984 , 1985 , 1986 , and 1988 . His versatility likely cost him several post - season honors , for example , in 1986 he was an alternate for the Pro Bowl at both defensive end and defensive tackle . His playing both positions likely split the votes of his NFC peers . Hampton was also a 1st alternate for the Pro Bowl in 1988 and graded out as the top defender on the Bears that season , even though Mike Singletary was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year . During Hampton ' s tenure in Chicago ( 1979 – 90 ) , the Bears defense ranked # 1 in the NFL in allowing the fewest rushing yards , the fewest rushing touchdowns , the fewest total yards , the fewest points and inflicted the most sacks . In 1982 he had a tremendous year while playing defensive tackle , recording 9 sacks in the 9 - game , strike - shortened season . He was also named NFL defensive player of the year by " Pro Football Weekly " . He played out his option after that season and became a free agent . On July 15 , 1983 , Hampton signed a deal that made him the Bears ' second highest - paid player ( behind Walter Payton ) . Hampton signed three one - year contracts worth about $ 1 million ( including bonuses ) , an average of about $ 333 , 000 per year . " Dan will be the highest paid defensive lineman in the league this year , " said Jim Steiner , Hampton ' s agent . " I ' m very happy , " said Hampton . " I ' m glad to have the contract behind me so I can concentrate on training camp . I ' m optimistic about this season and I didn ' t want to miss any of the fun . " Hampton didn ' t miss out on the fun . He was voted the NFLPA NFC Defensive Lineman of the Year in 1984 along with being consensus All - Pro and made his third Pro Bowl . Hampton also tied his own career - best of 11½ sacks in 1984 . The Bears ' defense was the tops in the league and he was part of 1984 Bear defense that set the NFL record for most sacks in a season , with 72 , and is the co - holder of the record for most sacks in a game with 12 . The latter occurred against the Detroit Lions on December 16 , 1984 . Earlier in that season the Bears sacked Minnesota Viking quarterback Archie Manning 11 times , to tie the record for the second - most sacks in a game . During the middle of the Bears 1985 Super Bowl run , Hampton signed a 4 - year contract extension . On November 8 , 1985 , he signed a four - year deal worth $ 2 . 7 million . Hampton became the fifth highest - paid defensive lineman in the NFL when the contract began in 1986 with an estimated salary of $ 625 , 000 . Hampton was making $ 325 , 000 during for the 1985 season . Also in the middle of 1985 Hampton moved from right defensive tackle to left defensive end , allowing William Perry to move into the starting lineup . Also that season , Hampton , feeling the " Bears Super Bowl Shuffle " was too cocky , declined involvement . " Sports Illustrated " ' s Paul Zimmerman relates an anecdote that when he picked fellow Bear DT Steve McMichael for his All - Pro team in 1985 he was chided a year later by Buddy Ryan , then the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles . Ryan told Zimmerman that he was disappointed in him and that he thought Zimmerman knew football . He then pulled out Bears films and showed Zimmerman that " Hampton was the cornerstone to our 46 defense by drawing constant double teams " . That year he also was credited for inventing the ' Gatorade dump " in which a coach is drenched with the drink after a victory , which was often credited with Harry Carson . Hampton remained at left defensive end in 1986 and was a First - team All - Pro . However , in the Bears 46 defense he would line up as a nose tackle and when the Bears lined up in a nickel defense , Hampton would play right tackle . Late in the 1987 season , Mike Ditka moved Hampton back to defensive tackle ( where he played from 1982 – 1984 ) , where he remained throughout the rest of his career . In his 1987 book " Fatso " Hall of Fame defensive tackle Art Donovan called Dan the best defensive lineman in the NFL and " the closest thing to Gino Marchetti I ' ve seen " . Hampton ' s play also caught the eye of John Madden , who named Hampton to his All - Madden team six times and to the 10th Anniversary All - Madden team . Injuries . During his football career Hampton endured 10 knee surgeries ( five on each knee ) and had two more just after finishing his 12th NFL season in 1990 . He is credited by the Chicago Bears as having 82 career sacks . He had a career high of 11½ in both 1980 ( as a DE ) and 1984 ( as DT ) . After his contract expired after 1989 , Hampton signed a 1 - year deal for $ 850 , 000 to play the 1990 season for the Bears . The final contract was incentive based , if Hampton played he got paid , if an injury forced him to the sidelines we would not . Hampton played 14 games — had he played all 16 he would have earned the full $ 1 million value of the contract . After the 1990 season Hampton was voted to the NFL All - Decade team of the 1980s . Hampton , who missed 23 games in his career due to severe knee injures , was a positive force on the Bear defense . From 1983 - 90 , in games Hampton missed the Bears only won 33 % of the time . In games he played they won 75 % . When he was in the lineup the Bears sacked the quarterback 3 . 6 times a game and only 2 . 3 times a game without him . When Hampton played the defense gave up an average of 14 points a game and allowed 23 points a game in the games he missed , all seemingly remarkable statistics . Retirement . Dan Hampton retired from the Chicago Bears after the 1990 season . In 1990 Hampton was the recipient of the George S . Halas Courage Award by the Pro Football Writers Association which is given to the player or coach who " has performed with abandon despite injury . " Other winners over the years have been Robert Edwards , Dick Butkus , as well as others . Hampton was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002 . He was inducted with Washington Redskins head coach George Allen , Oakland Raiders tight end Dave Casper , Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver John Stallworth . Post - NFL . Hampton is a co - host for the syndicated " Pro Football Weekly " television show which is approaching its 20th season on the air . The show is hosted by a panel , " Pro Football Weekly " publisher / editor Hub Arkush as well as Chicago sportscaster Pat Boyle , and former Bear Tom Waddle . Hampton was also a color commentator for NFL games on NBC in the early 1990s , and called XFL games for the network in 2001 . On May 22 , 2002 , Hampton was sentenced in Arkansas for his third DWI in six years . He received a sentence of one week in jail , a $ 1 , 000 fine , and was ordered to attend alcohol education courses . Hampton is part of a Miller Lite and Gridiron Greats promotion to raise funds for retired NFL players in need . He also participates in " One for the Kids " Annual Golf Tournament that raises funds for various charities that support children in the Chicago area . Hampton has also been a spokesperson for companies such as Chevrolet and Firestone . Hampton is also renowned for coining various catch phrases , such as : " " de facto " cream - of - the - class , if you will , " " throw it against the pallet to see what sticks , " and " hit that town like Hurricane Katrina . " Hampton later apologized for his Katrina comment .