Ortego reflects on Super Bowl XX

On Jan. 26, 1986 in New Orleans the Chicago Bears defeated the New England Patriots 46–10 in Super Bowl XX.
Former Eunice High and McNeese wide receiver Keith Ortego was a rookie that season for the Bears.
“I was at the right place at the right time,” Ortego said of his three-year pro career. “
Ortego was an undrafted free agent and talked to six or seven teams including Detroit and Dallas before landing in Chicago.
The Bears wide receiver was a team mate of the Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera.
“He played all three linebacker positions at one time or another,” Ortego said. “Ron was a student of the game and knew football inside and out.
“You can’t predict that you are going to a Super Bowl,” Ortego said. “But we knew he would be a good coach.”
With their then-revolutionary 46 defense, Chicago led the league in several defensive categories, outscored their opponents with a staggering margin of 456–198, and recorded two postseason shutouts.
In their victory over the Patriots, the Bears set or tied Super Bowl records for sacks (seven), fewest rushing yards allowed (seven), and margin of victory (36 points).
The Patriots were eventually held to negative yardage (-19) throughout the entire first half, and finished with just 123 total yards from scrimmage, the second lowest total yards in Super Bowl history, behind the Minnesota Vikings (119 total yards) in Super Bowl IX.
“I was on injured reserve early in the season,” Ortego said. “That turned out to be a good thing as I became a punt returner and made it on the field at the Super Bowl.”
Ortego’s best season was in 1986 when he started 13 games and finished with 23 catches for 430 yards and two touchdowns.
“I had shoulder surgery after my second year and didn’t play much in my third season,” Ortego said of the end of his pro career.
Ortego said the Bears had a reunion on Jan. 26 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of that Super Bowl victory.
“It was a great time,” he said. “Only about five guys who are still living did not attend the reunion.
“Coach Rivera couldn’t be there nor was Rams coach Jeff Fisher,” he said. “But I had a great conversation with quarterback Jim McMahon.”
NFL Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton and defensive back David Duerson are the only two deceased players from that team.
The 1985 Bears were remembered for their “Super Bowl Shuffle” music video, and Carolina quarterback Cam Newton has been critized for his dance moves after a touchdown.
“We had a unique group of guys with Walter and Jim who liked to have fun and then there was Mike Singletary who was serious - but it all worked out fine.”
“There are quite a few characters on the Carolina team and the coach lets them have fun,” Ortego said. “We had fun with Coach Ditka and still got the job done.
“There is nothing wrong with having fun while playing the game as long as you are getting the job done,” he said.
“Everybody looks at Cam’s dancing and getting the crowd fired up, but the thing that thrills me the most is when you see him hand a football to the kids after a score and see their reaction as their faces light up.”

Super Bowl footballs
As part of the Super Bowl 50 celebration, the NFL sent footballs to recognize schools and communities that contributed to Super Bowl history and positively impacted the game of football.
Eunice High received a commemorative Wilson Golden Football for two players who were on an active Super Bowl roster.
A 1981 EHS graduate, Keith Ortego played for the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX.
Tharold Simon is a member of the Seattle Seahawks, who beat Denver 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014 and lost to New England (28-24) in Super Bowl XLIX last year.
“It is amazing that a school like ours in a small town like Eunice would have two guys who played in a Super Bowl,” Eunice High principal Mitch Fontenot said. “I bet that hasn’t happened very often around the country.”
According to the NFL, nearly 3,000 players and head coaches, and more than 2,000 high schools, were recognized nationwide.
The Wilson Golden Footballs were delivered in specialty packaging with a stand and letter.
Wilson Golden Footballs feature the school's name and location, honoree's name and the Super Bowl(s) the honoree appeared in. Players and coaches honored are from both teams that competed in the Super Bowl.
Wilson has provided the Official Football of the NFL since 1941 and has been on the field for every Super Bowl.