Jim McMahon deserves consideration for being the toughest quarterback ever to play the game. It is incredible to hear some of the injuries he played through during his NFL career. Concussions, a lacerated kidney, back issues, a bad shoulder, and so on. It is among the greatest what-ifs in Chicago Bears history. How far would the team have gone in the 1980s if McMahon had stayed healthy? Nobody will know. Sadly even today, the poor guy can’t avoid scary health issues.
Everybody knows about McMahon’s ongoing battle with dementia. Now it appears he flirted with the possibility of losing his foot. Yes, really. According to Daniel Brown of The Athletic, the former Bears QB was dealing with a bothersome bone spur that had gotten to a point he needed surgery to fix it. Most such procedures are routine. However, complications can arise from time to time. That proved to be the case for McMahon when an infection developed. One that could’ve threatened his life.
Undaunted, he refused the most straightforward measure, which was to amputate the foot. Not just because he wanted to keep the appendage, mind you. It was more that he didn’t want to miss a golf tournament.
Yes, really.
Bone spur surgery in November left him with lingering complications, including an infection so gnarly that doctors approached him about amputation. On this day, the former Super Bowl-winning quarterback can barely walk…
…Still, the Chicago Bears icon will tee it up at the American Century Championship that runs Friday through Sunday. Of course he will. And in doing so, McMahon and actor/singer Jack Wagner will remain the only two players to compete in this tournament every year since its inception 33 years ago…
“If I gotta crawl down the fairway, I’m not missing this event,’’ McMahon said. “I have too much fun. Met a lot of great people up here. Get to take a lot of great boat rides when I’m done. We go over and go bar-hopping across the lake, have a good time.”
Jim McMahon is still gutting it out. He can barely walk after bone spur surgery gone wrong, but watch him crush this drive. This is his 33rd straight @ACChampionship “I’d crawl down the fairway if I had to. I’m not missing it.” #chicagobears #DaBears pic.twitter.com/z95GuldGTG
— Daniel Brown (@BrownieAthletic) July 7, 2022
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Jim McMahon will forever be an absolute legend.
People can critique his career and mull over what he did or didn’t achieve. Nothing changes the fact he gutted it out for longer than he probably should have because he loved the game. All one can do is wish his body didn’t take such an egregious pounding over the years. Then he wouldn’t be suffering as much as he is these days. Yet it is nice to see the competitor inside him is hotter than ever. Most guys his age wouldn’t put themselves through that much pain for a golf tournament.
It further proves that Jim McMahon holds many things dear, especially his charity work. The fun part about the American Century Championship is that fellow Chicago legend Michael Jordan co-founded it. It must be a source of pride that McMahon, not MJ, holds the record for playing in every tournament since its inception.
Love Jim McMahon! DaBears! 1985-86 Forever!
Tough guy no doubt , however looking at what Cutler had against him injury wise and health issues like full on needle pushing diabetic that nearly died once during a game due to diabetes ! Well my guy would be Cutler !
pete it was Charles Martin, Packers linebacker. Harvey Martin was a Cowboys defensive end.
Harvey Martin. One of the few whose death cheered me.