Chicago Bears Super Bowl XX champion Dave Duerson (#22) was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest Thursday night in his Miami home.
Dave Duerson was an outstanding Safety for the Super Bowl XX Champion Chicago Bears.
Chicago Bears (1983-1989)
New York Giants (1990)
Phoenix Cardinals (1991-1993)
David Russell Duerson (born November 28, 1960 in Muncie, Indiana) was a former safety in the National Football League who played for the Chicago Bears (1983–1989), the New York Giants (1990), and the Phoenix Cardinals (1991–1993).
Duerson played football, basketball, and baseball at Muncie Northside High School. He was given an opportunity to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers as a pitcher and outfielder in 1979, but declined. Duerson received many honors during his high school years, including the 1979 Indiana Mr. Football, and was part of the National Honor Society and The Musical Ambassadors All-American Band.
Duerson played college football at the University of Notre Dame from 1979 to 1982. He graduated with honors, with a BA in Economics. He started all four years, and earned recognition as an All-American in 1981 and 1982. He was named as his team’s MVP in 1982, and a Captain. Years after graduating, Duerson won the Notre Dame Monogram Club, which honors the school’s most distinguished alumni. Until recently, he was a member of the Notre Dame Board of Trustees.
Duerson was selected to four consecutive Pro Bowls from 1986-1989 in his career, and won two championship rings with the Bears (Super Bowl XX) and with the Giants (Super Bowl XXV).
During the 1986 season, Duerson set an NFL record (later broken in 2005 by Adrian Wilson of the Arizona Cardinals) for most sacks in a season by a defensive back, with seven. He also intercepted six passes for 139 yards with a long return of 38 yards. At season’s end, Duerson was named first team All-Pro by Pro Football Weekly, the Pro Football Writers Association and The Sporting News and second team All-Pro by AP. In 1987, Duerson was the recipient of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. In his 11 seasons, Duerson recorded 20 interceptions, which he returned for 226 yards, and 16 quarterback sacks. He also recovered five fumbles, returning them for 47 yards and a touchdown.
Duerson found Success in business, too. Deurson owned three McDonald’s restaurants in Louisville, Kentucky for six months, in late ’94-April of ’95, then moved to the supply-side, purchasing the majority interest in Brooks Sausage Company. The name was changed to Fair Oaks Farms, LLC and Duerson grew the company from $23M to over $63.5M in six years. In February of 2002 Duerson sold Fair Oaks to build a State-Of-The-Art meat production plant (Duerson Foods, LLC).