FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 22nd, 2015
COMCAST SPORTSNET LOOKS BACK AT ONE OF THE WINDIEST DAYS IN NFL HISTORY ON THE NEXT INSTALLMENT OF “BEARS CLASSICS”
‘Bears Classics’ presented by Knauz Automotive Group season premiere to debut Wednesday, October 28 at 7:00 PM CT — Exclusively on Comcast SportsNet
Narrated by Chicago Bears/Pro Football Hall of Fame legend DICK BUTKUS
Chicago, IL (October 22, 2015) – Comcast SportsNet and the Chicago Bears will debut a brand new installment of its partnered Bears Classics presented by Knauz Automotive Group documentary series when the network will once again go back in time to highlight one of the more unique meteorological occurrences in NFL history that produced an unforgettable, record-setting play by a Bears defensive back.
In its third season premiere, debuting Wednesday, October 28 at 7:00 PM CT exclusively on Comcast SportsNet, Bears Classics will turn back the clock to November 13, 2005 when the Bears hosted the San Francisco 49ers at a blustery (to say the least) Soldier Field. Chicago is no stranger to strong winds coming off Lake Michigan, but conditions were extreme throughout this game, as peak gusts reached levels of over 50 mph. However, the winds played in the Bears favor on the very last play of the first half.
With :02 left on the clock, 49ers kicker Joe Nedney lined up for a 52-yard field goal attempt that caught one of the those strong gusts, forcing the football to go wide right. At that moment, an alert Bears cornerback – Nathan Vasher – was eight yards deep in the end zone when he caught the football, hesitated for a moment…then simply went for it. Combined with Vasher’s speed and some key sideline blocks from linebacker Lance Briggs and safety Chris Harris, Vasher tore up the field to make NFL history with a record-setting 108-yard play.
This 17-9 Bears win over the 49ers gave the team its fifth-straight victory and a 6-3 record at that point in the ’05 season. The team finished with an NFC North best 11-5 record, which ultimately fell to the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Divisional Playoffs.
This edition of Bears Classics, subtitled Winds of Change, takes an in-depth look back at that game featuring candid interviews with players and coaches from both teams, along with those who covered that historic game ten years ago. Plus, this hour-long documentary will also breakdown the key plays and moments from the game, which included a devastating injury to the Bears first-round draft pick, running back Cedric Benson.
This edition of CSN’s Emmy-nominated Bears Classics documentary series will be narrated by Chicago Bears legend/Pro Football Hall of Famer Dick Butkus. Butkus played for the Bears from 1965-1973 and is credited for redefining the middle linebacker position. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979. Comcast SportsNet’s Sarah Lauch is the Executive Producer of Bears Classics, Willie Parker is the Producer, and Kevin Cross is the network’s Senior Director of News & Original Content.
In addition to the documentary narration by Butkus, among the numerous players/media/execs interviewed in this edition of Bears Classics include exclusive interviews with the following individuals:
NATHAN VASHER
Bears Cornerback (2004-09)
REX GROSSMAN
Bears Quarterback (2003-08)
THOMAS JONES
Bears Running Back (2004-06)
LANCE BRIGGS
Bears Linebacker (2003-14)
TOMMIE HARRIS
Bears Defensive Tackle (2004-10)
BERNARD BERRIAN
Bears Wide Receiver (2004-07)
ADEWALE OGUNLEYE
Bears Defensive End (2004-09)
ISRAEL IDONIJE
Bears Defensive Tackle/End (2004-12)
ROBBIE GOULD
Bears Kicker (2005-present)
JERRY AZUMAH
Bears Cornerback (1999-2005)
ANTHONY ADAMS
49ers Defensive Tackle (2003-06); Bears Defensive/Nose Tackle (2007-11)
JOE NEDNEY
49ers Kicker (2005-10)
LAURENCE HOLMES
WSCR AM 670 “The Score” host
PEGGY KUSINSKI
NBC 5 Chicago Bears beat reporter
JOHN “MOON” MULLIN
CSNChicago.com Bears “Insider”
LARRY MAYER
ChicagoBears.com Senior Writer
SCOTT HAGEL
Bears Vice President of Communications
Please note the following quotes from Comcast SportsNet’s premiere airing of Bears Classics: Winds of Change, debuting Wednesday, October 28 at 7:00 PM CT:
NATHAN VASHER (on returning a 49ers’ missed field goal for a 108-yard touchdown, setting an NFL record): “The hardest part was to be able to catch it, you know, leaning back and not to go out of bounds, but I mean it was right before halftime so there wasn’t any time left…let’s take it out and see how it goes. And the rest is history.”
ANTHONY ADAMS (as a 49ers defender watching Vasher’s historic run): “Vasher runs right past me…right past. I remember this like I remember my kids being born…he ran right past me and I wanted to trip him!”
TOMMIE HARRIS (on the extreme weather conditions at Soldier Field): “I’ve never played a game that windy. I mean the pylons were rolling off…you could barely stand up as a player.”
REX GROSSMAN (on returning to action in 2005 after missing 13 games with an injury): “My leadership as a whole, I felt like I was just totally trying to be me…to be who I was…smile, have a good time, be intense when I needed to be, and do my job.”
THOMAS JONES (on the competition with top draft choice Cedric Benson for lead running back): “It’s one thing when you’re competing on the field. It’s another thing when you’re competing off the field, so we really never had a relationship. I tried to in the beginning, but once I realized that wasn’t going to work, I just focused on doing what I was doing on the field.”
Comcast SportsNet will also re-air this episode of Bears Classics on Tue, Nov. 10 at 7pm – and again on Wed, Nov. 18 at 7pm. Details regarding November’s premiere episode of Bears Classics will be announced in the coming weeks.
In addition, fans can also get interactive prior and during every airing of Bears Classics with their thoughts, memories and comments by utilizing the Twitter hashtag #BearsClassics. Plus, CSNChicago.com will provide additional, online exclusive interviews and commentary write-ups from a variety of Comcast SportsNet on-air talent members and from CSNChicago.com’s Bears “Insider” John ‘Moon’ Mullin.
Comcast SportsNet Chicago, a partnership between the Chicago Blackhawks (NHL), Chicago Bulls (NBA), Chicago Cubs (MLB), Chicago White Sox (MLB) and the NBC Sports Group, features over 275 live pro games in high definition each year. In addition, CSN delivers extensive pre/post-game coverage for its core pro team partners, as well as the Chicago Bears, along with Emmy Award-winning regional sports news and analysis via SportsNet Central and SportsTalk Live. Through the network’s growing digital platform, CSNChicago.com, Chicago sports fans tap into the most comprehensive and dedicated 24/7 online destination for breaking news, up-to-the-minute game previews/recaps, highlights, multimedia video clips, blogs and standout coverage from CSNChicago.com’s team of “Insiders.” Follow the network on Twitter via @CSNChicago.
NBC Sports Regional Networks, part of the NBC Sports Group, consist of 11 regional networks that deliver more than 2,400 live sporting events annually, along with award-winning breaking news, comprehensive analysis, digital content and original programming to more than 43 million homes. The NBC Sports Regional Networks are: Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Comcast SportsNet California, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, which serves Baltimore and Washington D.C., Comcast SportsNet New England, Comcast SportsNet Northwest, The Comcast Network, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia and SportsNet New York. For more information, visit ComcastSportsNet.com. For more information about NBC Sports Group properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com.
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