Cubs History: Two franchises that took the same route to glory and back

The 2016 Chicago Cubs and 1985 Chicago Bears dominated their leagues in their championship year.  Ironically their rise and decline followed the same path.

That wasn’t supposed to happen for either the Chicago Cubs or Bears.  Almost everyone expected dynasties to arise from franchises long mired in mediocrity and failure.

Rebuilds from 1981-1983 and 2011-2014

The Bears playoff appearance in 1979 was not dissimilar to the Cubs 2007-2008 playoff appearances.  Easy come; easy go.  By 1981 the Bears were headed back to oblivion. So were the Cubs by 2010.  Changes were in the air.

The Bears hired Mike Ditka in 1982, who promised a new approach and a winning culture.  In 2011 the Cubs fired General Manager Jim Hendry and hired Theo Epstein, who also spoke of long-term success.

Right off, things got worse. The Bears went 3-6 in Ditka’s first season. The Northsiders lost a combined 196 games in 2012 and 2013.  The 1983 season wasn’t much better for the Bears, 8-8, nor the 2014 season for the Cubs at 73-89.

But during those last rebuild years, pieces were starting to show up that became part of the winning seasons ahead and for the dynasties that were expected.

For the Bears, Willie Gault, Richard Dent, Jimbo Covert were coming of age, joining veterans like Dan Hampton, Gary Fencik, and Steve McMichael.  For the Cubs, Javier Baez, Jorge Soler, and Kyle Hendricks began to appear alongside Anthony Rizzo, Jake Arrieta, and Starlin Castro.

In 1983 the Bears won five of their last six games. In 2014 the Cubs went a game over .500 in August and September and would have been even better but for a seven-game losing streak against playoff-bound Pittsburgh and a tough Toronto team.  Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, and Addison Russell lurked in the minors.

Chicago Cubs: Reaching the pinnacle from1984-1986, 2015-2016

We’re all familiar with the rise to the top for both franchises—a division title for the Bears in1984 and a playoff win against Washington before losing to San Francisco.  For the Cubs in 2015, a Wildcard spot and romp through the postseason until the Mets pitching shut down the bats, and Daniel Murphy went full-on Reggie Jackson.

It all came together for the 1985 Bears and 2016 Cubs.  The Bears 15-1 record was the best since 1963, and the best except for 1942 if you go by winning percentage.  The Cubs 103-win season was a franchise record.  The Bears postseason was almost a foregone conclusion, especially when Miami lost to New England in the AFC Championship game.

For the Cubs, it was more exciting, and the World Series was a dog fight, right up until the last out.  These were heady days for Chicago sports fans and especially for Bears and Cubs fans.  We all saw dynasties lasting years before us.

The championship plateaus that never happened

The final seasons at the top came up short for both the Bears and Cubs, though the Bears’ descent was certainly more gradual.  The Bears would win the NFC Central four of the next five years but fail to reach the Super Bowl.  In 1991 they lost the Wild Card game, and in 1992 they went 5-11. Mike Ditka was fired.

With the team at 1060 W. Addison, the descent has been precipitous. A division win and playoff appearance in 2017 was cut short in the NLCS against the Dodgers.  In 2018 they managed only a Wild Card spot because of a Game163 loss to the Brewers, then lost the Wild Card game to the Rockies.  In 2019 they failed to make the playoffs altogether.  Joe Maddon and the team parted ways.  In 2020, after a 13-3 start, they stumbled to a 21-23 rest of the season and an early exit from the postseason, scoring one run and being swept by the Marlins.