When the Bears were in the process of replacing head coach Neill Armstrong in 1982, veteran players Gary Fencik and Alan Page wrote a letter that was signed by several of their teammates imploring owner George Halas to retain defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan.
Moved by their gesture, Halas obliged, telling new head coach Mike Ditka that he had to keep Ryan and the rest of his defensive staff in place. The following is a copy of the letter:
