<P> After the merger, the Bears finished the 1970 season last place in their division, a repeat of their placing in the 1969 season . In 1975, the Bears drafted Walter Payton from Jackson State University with their first pick . He won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award in the 1977--78 season . Payton would go on to eclipse Jim Brown's NFL career rushing record in 1984 before retiring in 1987, and would hold the mark until 2002, when Emmitt Smith of the Dallas Cowboys surpassed it . Payton's career and personality would capture the hearts of Bear fans, who called him "Sweetness". He died from a rare form of liver cancer in 1999 at the age of 45 . </P> <P> On November 1, 1983, a day after the death of George Halas, his oldest daughter, Virginia McCaskey, took over as the majority owner of the team . Her husband, Ed McCaskey, succeeded her father as the Chairman of the Board . Their son Michael became the third president in team history . Mrs. McCaskey holds the honorary title of "secretary of the board of directors", but the 90 - year--old matriarch has been called the glue that holds the franchise together . Mrs. McCaskey's reign as the owner of the Bears was not planned, as her father originally earmarked her brother, George "Mugs" Halas Jr. as the heir apparent to the franchise . However, he died of a massive heart attack in 1979 . Her impact on the team is well - noted as her own family has dubbed her "The First Lady of Sports", and the Chicago Sun - Times has listed her as one of Chicago's most powerful women . </P> <P> Mike Ditka, a tight end for the Bears from 1961 to 1966, was hired to coach the team by George Halas in 1982 . His gritty personality earned him the nickname "Iron Mike". In the 1985 season the fire in the Bears--Packers rivalry was relit when Ditka used 315 pound defensive tackle "Refrigerator" Perry as a running back in a touchdown play at Lambeau Field, against the Packers . The Bears won their ninth NFL Championship, first since the AFL - NFL merger, in Super Bowl XX after the 1985 season in which they dominated the NFL with their then - revolutionary 46 defense and a cast of characters that recorded the novelty rap song "The Super Bowl Shuffle". The season was notable in that the Bears had only one loss, the "unlucky 13th" game of the season, a Monday night affair in which they were defeated by the Miami Dolphins . At the time, much was made of the fact that the 1972 Dolphins were the only franchise in history to have had an undefeated season and post-season . The Dolphins came close to setting up a rematch in the Super Bowl, but lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC title game . "The Super Bowl Shuffle" was videotaped the day after that Monday night loss in Miami . </P> <P> After the 1985 Championship season, the Bears remained competitive throughout the 1980s but failed to return to the Super Bowl under Ditka . Between the firing of Ditka and the hiring of Lovie Smith, the Bears had two head coaches, Dick Jauron and Dave Wannstedt . While both head coaches led the team to the playoffs once (Wannstedt in 1994 and Jauron in 2001), neither was able to accumulate a winning record or bring the Bears back to the Super Bowl . Therefore, the 1990s was largely considered to be a disappointment . </P>

When's the last time the chicago bears won the superbowl