Dan Hampton Popular Books

Dan Hampton Biography & Facts

Daniel Oliver Hampton (born September 19, 1957) is an American former football defensive tackle who played for twelve seasons with the Chicago Bears from 1979 to 1990 in the National Football League (NFL). He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002. He currently hosts the Bears postgame show on WGN Radio in Chicago. High school The son of Robert and Joan Hampton, he 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 Woods". Doug Matthews of Jacksonville filled his large shoes in that band after he left. Whenever he was in town he would come to where they were playing and sit in with them. He never forgot his roots. He was always just like he had never left. 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 to 1990. The alumni from the group include Walter Payton (drums), Otis Wilson (lead vocalist), Shaun Gayle (sax & voice), Gary Nylund (guitar & voice), Curt Fraser (guitar & voice), drummers Graham Watson, Steve Cobb, and keyboardists John Redfield, Larry Harris and Jeffrey Abbott (Keytarjeff). 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, Hampton answered, "Coach Holtz said the first 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 scrimmage). 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 selected by the Bears in the first round of the 1979 NFL draft and on June 27, 1979, he signed a four-year $470,000 contract with the club that included a $60,000 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 Bowls and was a key defensive member of the Bears' Super Bowl XX win against the New England Patriots in 1986. 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 in 1984 and he was part of the 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 Vikings 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 1.... Discover the Dan Hampton popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Dan Hampton books.