SR0513 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0513 LRB095 18650 KXB 44737 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of former Chicago Bears Coach Jim Dooley of Lake Forest, who passed away on January 8, 2008; and

WHEREAS, Jim Dooley presided over four difficult years in Bears history as head coach from 1968 through 1971; he was the first coach after George Halas' permanent retirement; he came to the job as the culmination of a Bears career that began as the team's first-round draft choice in 1952 and featured major contributions as an assistant to Coach Halas on offense and defense; and

WHEREAS, Jim Dooley was an outstanding defensive back and receiver on the Hurricanes at the University of Miami in his native city; he lettered at the University in 1949-1951 and was All-America his senior year; he intercepted four passes in the Gator Bowl; he was inducted into the University of Miami's Ring of Honor in 1997 and his jersey number 42 has never been worn since his induction; and

WHEREAS, He led the Bears in interceptions as a rookie and led the team in pass receptions his second year; his main playing contributions came as a receiver in tandem with Harlon Hill; when he retired, Jim Dooley was third on the Bears' career receiving list with 211 catches despite missing two seasons while serving in the Air Force; and

WHEREAS, His first coaching assignment under Coach Halas was to help defensive coach George Allen incorporate the strategy the New York Giants employed under defensive coordinator Tom Landry; for the first time, pass coverage by linebackers became coordinated with defensive backs; Coach Allen popularized the "nickel" defense of substituting a fifth defensive back for a linebacker, called the "Dooley Shift"; he also experimented with zone blitzes, dropping linemen into pass coverage, a tactic considered revolutionary when other teams adopted it in the 1990s; after the Bears won the 1963 NFL title with a stifling defense, Dooley switched to offense and helped coach the high-scoring 1965 team featuring league-leading passer Rudy Bukich, rookie Gale Sayers, fullback Andy Livingston, and receivers Mike Ditka, Dick Gordon, and Johnny Morris; and

WHEREAS, Jim Dooley returned to the Bears at Coach Halas' request in 1981 as an assistant coach and remained with the Bears until 1990; he had the good fortune to coach Hall of Famers Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus, and the bad fortune of seeing both go down with knee injuries that would shorten their careers; and

WHEREAS, He proudly displayed a replica 1985 Super Bowl trophy in his apartment that was presented by Bears' owner Virginia McCaskey; late in his life he gathered some of his old Bears pictures to raise money for a soup kitchen at his family's church, Our Lady of Lourdes, on Chicago's North Side; and

WHEREAS, Jim Dooley is survived by his wife of 56 years, Elaine; his children, Jim Jr., Patrick, Tim, Bill, and Lisa; and his sixteen grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Jim Dooley; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Jim Dooley as a symbol of our sincere sympathy.