Quarterback Bob Avellini, who led the Chicago Bears to their first NFL playoff berth in 14 seasons in 1977 and handed off to Walter Payton during the running back’s greatest seasons, died Saturday. He was 70.
Avellini’s death was announced by a Bears team official, the Chicago Tribune reported. He had been battling cancer.
Born on Aug. 28, 1953, in Queens, New York, Avellini was selected in the sixth round of the 1975 NFL draft by the Bears, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com. That was the same class that produced Payton, the future Pro Football Hall of Famer who was Chicago’s first-round pick (and fourth overall).
Avellini started the final four games of his rookie season, passing for 268 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-17 victory at New Orleans to close the 1975 campaign, the Tribune reported.
Avellini came into his own as a starter in 1977, leading the Bears to a 9-5 record and the team’s first playoff berth since Chicago’s NFL championship season in 1963.
The Bears were 3-5 and 10 seconds away from losing to the Kansas City Chiefs when Avellini threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Greg Latta to give Chicago a stunning 28-27 victory, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. That sparked a six-game winning streak that landed the Bears into the postseason, according to the newspaper. They lost 37-7 to Dallas in the first round.
Avellini threw for a career-high 2,004 yards with 11 touchdowns and 18 interceptions during the 1977 season, while Payton also had a career-best rushing total of 1,852 yards and 14 touchdowns, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com
After a 4-8 start in 1978, Avellini was replaced by Mike Phipps, the Tribune reported.
Avellini started 42 consecutive games from 1975 to 1978 and remains the last Bears quarterback to start every game in back-to-back seasons (1976-77), according to the Sun-Times.
He played nine seasons in the NFL, all with the Bears, and threw for 7,111 yards and 33 touchdowns while directing a ground-oriented offense centered around Payton, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com. He also threw 69 interceptions.
Avellini became a real estate broker in the Chicago area after his NFL career ended but struggled in retirement, the Sun-Times reported.
He filed for bankruptcy protection in 2012 and two years later was sentenced to 18 months in prison by a DuPage County judge after pleading guilty to felony DUI, according to the newspaper. It was his sixth arrest for DUI since 2002, and Avellini claimed that head injuries he suffered during his playing career contributed to depression and his drinking issues, the Sun-Times reported.