Tom Waddle G . Thomas Waddle ( born February 20 , 1967 in Cincinnati , Ohio ) is a former American football wide receiver in the NFL . Waddle is currently a co host of " " Waddle and Silvy " " on " ESPN 1000 " , as well as co - hosting " " The Final Word " " on WFLD FOX Chicago . He also appears on Pro Football Weekly and NFL Network . He spent his entire six - year career with the Chicago Bears . He attended Boston College . Early life . Waddle went to high school at Archbishop Moeller High School in Sycamore Township , Ohio . He aspired to be a professional baseball player but had tremendous difficulty hitting curveballs , and thus decided to focus his attention on football . College career . Tom Waddle was an outstanding receiver for the Boston College Eagles . He is currently third all - time in career receptions with 139 , and amassed 1 , 956 yards and 6 touchdowns for BC . Tom 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 Notre Dame in 1988 . Waddle ' s precise routes and excellent hands made him a standout receiver at the college level , earning him the honor of first - team All - East selection in 1988 and an 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 . He also played alongside Doug Flutie ' s younger brother , Darren Flutie . Professional career . In 1989 , the Chicago 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 . Lacking in size and speed , he fell to the lower rungs of the team ’ s depth chart . Waddle did , however , possess remarkable hands - even by NFL standards . In September 1991 , due to injuries suffered by starters , he got his chance - and he made good on it . Most notably , in a nationally televised Monday night game against the Jets , where he had one of his best games as a pro - making eight catches for 102 yards in a thrilling overtime win . In Chicago ' s wild card playoff loss to Dallas ( 17 - 13 ) , he was the Bears ' sole standout performer on the offensive side of the ball , catching nine passes for 104 yards and a TD . His performance established him as a mainstay in the Bears lineup and clinched him a spot on the famed All - Madden Team . In 1992 , Waddle began the season as a starting wide receiver and became a fan favorite . He had several memorable performances early on that year . In the opener vs Detroit , he caught a last second game - winning touchdown pass from Jim Harbaugh . And in a week 4 victory over the Falcons , he managed to outrun Deion Sanders into the endzone for a score . Later on , he was slowed by injury in what was to be a disappointing year for Chicago . At the conclusion of the unsuccessful 1992 season ( record 5 - 11 ) coach Mike Ditka was fired , and Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt was brought in to replace him . Wannstedt believed that winning football was primarily predicated on team speed , and Waddle was the oil to his water . After leading the Bears in receiving yards and receptions in 1993 , Tom ' s career with the Bears ’ took a turn for the worse in 1994 , when Wannstedt demoted him to third wide receiver . Later that year , he suffered a concussion and a partially torn knee ligament on a highly questionable hit by Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive back Thomas Everett . 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 the Cincinnati Bengals ' training camp , but elected to retire , as he felt that his altered gait ( from multiple leg injuries ) no longer allowed him to compete at the professional level . Broadcasting career . WFLD - TV : Following his retirement , he began working at the Fox Chicago affiliate WFLD doing pre and post game analysis for Bears games . During this time , he also began to work as a weekend and fill - in sports anchor as well doing feature segments that were mostly comedic in nature . Later he began co - hosting shows such as " Chicago Bears Gameday Live " , " Fox Kickoff Sunday " and " The Final Word " on Sunday nights , all of which he is still involved with as of September 2010 . WGN - AM : In 1997 , Tom began co - hosting Sports Central with David Kaplan weeknights from 7 – 9 discussing not just football , but all sports . This partnership ended in 2007 with his move to WMVP ESPN Radio 1000 . While at WGN he was also one of the trio of former Chicago Bears called " The Three Bears " with Glen Kozlowski and Dan Hampton . Waddle and Silvy Show on WMVP - AM : Paired with Marc " Silvy " Silverman , his new show initially aired in the same 7 – 9 pm spot as Sports Central . After 2 months in this timeslot , they were moved to the weekday morning slot 9 am to 12 noon formerly occupied by Steve Rosenbloom and Sean Salisbury . The show was eventually expanded to four hours and to include weekly in - studio one hour segments with WLS - TV sports anchor Mark Giangreco each Tuesday . During football season , " Waddle and Silvy " host " The Jay Cutler Show " with the Bears ' QB , which originates from various bar / restaurants throughout the greater Chicago area on Mondays or Tuesdays following each Bears ' Game . Every Wednesday , a listener is invited to be a contestant in the game " Wife or Radio Partner " where Tom Waddle reads three statements and the contestant must decide whether they were made by his wife , Cara , or his radio partner , Silvy . Two out of three correct guesses wins the listener a prize from one of the show ' s sponsors ( though prizes are often awarded for scores of zero or one . ) NFL Network : In 2007 , he began working at the NFL network in Los Angeles as gameday analyst paired with retired offensive lineman Jamie Dukes . In the 2010 season , he contributed as an analyst on NFL GameDay Scoreboard and NFL Total Access . His NFL analyses are notable for being concise and cogent . Other Media : In addition to his duties at WFLD , WMVP , and the NFL Network , Tom appears weekly during the football season on Pro Football Weekly . Also during the season he writes a weekly column for the Northwest Herald of McHenry County , IL . He is also seen an analyst for Sprint Exclusive Entertainment , providing content on all sports for cell phones . On several occasions in 2008 and 2009 , he appeared as a fill - in host , alongside Mike Greenberg , on " Mike and Mike in the Morning " on ESPN Radio . He and radio partner Marc Silverman have also hosted " The Scott Van Pelt Show " . He has also done color commentating during CSN Chicago broadcasts of NIU Huskies Football and for a limited number of Chicago Rush games aired on the NFL Network . Personal life . Tom lives in Lake Forest with his wife , Cara and 4 daughters . Tom ' s wife Cara is the daughter of former Boston Patriots [ RB ] and AFL Hall of Famer Gino Cappelletti . His oldest daughter Georgia is a member of the Northwestern Wildcats soccer team . In 2010 , Waddle competed in the Illinois Open at Hawthorn Woods Country Club in Hawthorn Woods . After one round , he was tied for 146th after shooting a 17 - over 86 . He missed the cut after the second round after shooting another 86 , finishing in a tie for 148th . External links . huh yOu