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SENATE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to 
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learn of the death of former Chicago Bears Coach Jim Dooley of 
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Lake Forest, who passed away on January 8, 2008; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Jim Dooley presided over four difficult years in 
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Bears history as head coach from 1968 through 1971; he was the 
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first coach after George Halas' permanent retirement; he came 
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to the job as the culmination of a Bears career that began as 
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the team's first-round draft choice in 1952 and featured major 
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contributions as an assistant to Coach Halas on offense and 
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defense; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Jim Dooley was an outstanding defensive back and 
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receiver on the Hurricanes at the University of Miami in his 
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native city; he lettered at the University in 1949-1951 and was 
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All-America his senior year; he intercepted four passes in the 
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Gator Bowl; he was inducted into the University of Miami's Ring 
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of Honor in 1997 and his jersey number 42 has never been worn 
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since his induction; and
 
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    WHEREAS, He led the Bears in interceptions as a rookie and 
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led the team in pass receptions his second year; his main 
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playing contributions came as a receiver in tandem with Harlon 
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Hill; when he retired, Jim Dooley  was third on the Bears' 
 


 






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career receiving list with 211 catches despite missing two 
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seasons while serving in the Air Force; and
 
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    WHEREAS, His first coaching assignment under Coach Halas 
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was to help defensive coach George Allen incorporate the 
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strategy the New York Giants employed under defensive 
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coordinator Tom Landry; for the first time, pass coverage by 
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linebackers became coordinated with defensive backs; Coach 
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Allen popularized the "nickel" defense of substituting a fifth 
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defensive back for a linebacker, called the "Dooley Shift"; he 
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also experimented with zone blitzes, dropping linemen into pass 
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coverage, a tactic considered revolutionary when other teams 
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adopted it in the 1990s; after the Bears won the 1963 NFL title 
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with a stifling defense, Dooley switched to offense and helped 
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coach the high-scoring 1965 team featuring league-leading 
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passer Rudy Bukich, rookie Gale Sayers, fullback Andy 
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Livingston, and receivers Mike Ditka, Dick Gordon, and Johnny 
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Morris; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Jim Dooley returned to the Bears at Coach Halas' 
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request in 1981 as an assistant coach and remained with the 
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Bears until 1990; he had the good fortune to coach Hall of 
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Famers Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus, and the bad fortune of 
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seeing both go down with knee injuries that would shorten their 
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careers; and


 
 


 






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    WHEREAS, He proudly displayed a replica 1985 Super Bowl 
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trophy in his apartment that was presented by Bears' owner 
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Virginia McCaskey; late in his life he gathered some of his old 
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Bears pictures to raise money for a soup kitchen at his 
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family's church, Our Lady of Lourdes, on Chicago's North Side; 
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and

 
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    WHEREAS, Jim Dooley is survived by his wife of 56 years, 
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Elaine; his children, Jim Jr., Patrick, Tim, Bill, and Lisa; 
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and his sixteen grandchildren; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL 
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ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with 
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his family and friends, the passing of Jim Dooley; and be it 
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further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to the family of Jim Dooley as a symbol of our 
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sincere sympathy.