Even as a quarterback, Bob Avellini came to the Bears in the shadow of Walter Payton — he was the Bears’ sixth-round draft pick out of Maryland in 1975, when Payton was the ballyhooed fourth overall pick by general manager Jim Finks. And as Payton’s legendary career quickly blossomed, there was no way Avellini was ever going to escape that immense Payton shadow.
But Avellini, who died of cancer at 70 on Saturday, still had a moment that will live forever in the hearts of Bears fans of that era, one that left an indelible mark on Bears history.