Fencik Says He’s Wronged

A couple of years ago, the Washington Redskins, polled by the Washington Post, voted Chicago Bear safety Gary Fencik as the second-dirtiest player in the league. The entire Raider team was voted first.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Fencik told Gary Pomerantz of the Post, adding that one of the problems was that he and former Bear safety Doug Plank had lookalike numbers. Plank wore No. 46. Fencik wears No. 45.

Fencik said that in 1983, the year after Plank left the Bears, a referee once cautioned him during a game, “Watch the late hitting, Plank.”

However, Plank says, “From what I have seen from the games since I left, Gary certainly takes advantage of every opportunity he gets to hit somebody.”

He then recalled a hit Fencik made in 1977 on New York Giant receiver Jimmy Robinson.

“Robinson’s feet left the ground, and he was instantly placed in the twilight zone,” Plank said. “His head was out of tune. The TV camera zoomed in on his face, and his eyes were rolling. The kid was lost. It was the first time I realized Gary had impact power.”

If you haven’t been able to understand Chicago’s 46 defense, here’s how New England’s John Hannah explains it: “They have four down linemen. They take their backers and put them in an underlook. They introduce the end over on the strong guard. Instead of having outside backers on the weak side, they put two backers outside the tight end on the strong side and overshift the safety--only it’s an outside backer, and they put the safety on the weak side. It’s pretty simple, really.”

Of course.

Add 46: Says Bear safety Dave Duerson: “It takes two years to learn it, and even the 10-year guys haven’t mastered it. You never master it because Buddy Ryan keeps changing it.”

Could a team of Yale, Harvard and Caltech men make it work?

“They could,” Duerson said, “if they could hit.”

For What It’s Worth: Mike Ditka’s basketball coach at Aliquippa (Pa.) High School was Press Maravich, father of Pete Maravich. Another product of the town was Tony Dorsett, who went to Hopewell High School in Aliquippa.

Note: Maravich is still the NCAA all-time career scorer in basketball, while Dorsett is still the NCAA all-time career ground gainer in football.

Dept. of Incidental Information: Zina Mitchell of Wilson Sporting Goods, which makes the uniforms for the Bears, said William Perry’s size 52 jersey took 2 1/2 yards of material compared to the normal one yard for a size 42.

“Perry’s is about the largest thing we’ve ever made in our history, except for a softball player once who wanted a size 64,” she said.

Quotebook

Gary Fencik of the Chicago Bears, recalling a trip to Spain when he ran with the bulls in Pamplona: “The fastest 40 yards I ever ran.”