Hiroaki Nishikawara enjoys sports and follows NFL football with particular enthusiasm. Growing up in the Chicago suburbs, he fondly recalls the 1985 season capped by a Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots. The road to Super Bowl victory began in 1982, when Bears owner George Halas hired Mike Ditka as coach. Being one of the original founders of the NFL in 1920, George Halas had a long history in football, and he valued Ditka’s loyalty to the Bears, the team on which Ditka had played as tight end from 1961 to 1966.
Ditka had a revitalizing effect on the organization, quickly reversing the Bears’ record of only two winning seasons in the previous nineteen. This was partly due to Ditka’s fine-tuning of the offense, and partly to defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan’s development of the innovative 46 formation. This defensive system placed intense pressure on opposing teams’ quarterbacks by using a four-man rush. This was made possible by defensive linebacker Mike Singletary’s unique ability to dominate the middle of the field. Ryan’s defensive unit dominated the NFL in 1985, when the Bears fielded what many football historians consider the best defensive unit ever. The Bears entered Super Bowl XX holding an almost perfect 18-and-1 record. From the beginning of Super Bowl play against the New England Patriots, the Bears dominated, holding the Patriots to negative yardage in the first half and 123 total yards for the game. Patriots’ rushing yards in the Super Bowl totaled seven. This matched the number of sacks the Bears achieved against Patriot quarterback Tony Eason. Singletary stood out among an outstanding defensive unit, managing three sacks, one interception, and three fumble recoveries single-handedly. The Bears offense also shone behind young quarterback Jim McMahon and veteran running back Walter Payton, who was, at the time, the NFL’s leading all-time rusher. The outcome of Super Bowl XX was never in doubt, with the Bears winning 46 to 10. Notably, players broke with tradition in carrying both Ditka and Ryan off the field after victory, recognizing the outstanding work of their defensive coordinator. Unfortunately for the Bears’ defense, Ryan joined the Philadelphia Eagles as head coach the next season. Hiroaki Nishikawara today lives in Indianapolis and works as part of Barnes & Thornburg LLP’s Global Services Practice Group. Now a fan of the Colts, he retains strong memories of the Bears’ Super Bowl season in 1985, their first since 1963.
About Me
- Hiroaki Nishikawara
- Attorney Hiroaki Nishikawara is counsel in both the Labor and Employment Law department and the Business department at Barnes & Thornburg LLP in Indianapolis, Indiana. There, he undertakes a large number of responsibilities that includes conducting legal research, drafting motions and memoranda, reviewing employment policies, corresponding with clients regarding all facets of employment decisions, interfacing with the firm’s Japanese clients, providing training to clients in a variety of legal topics, and defending clients against lawsuits regarding discrimination, wrongful discharge, retaliation, and other employment claims. Before Hiroaki Nishikawara started at Barnes & Thornburg in 2004, he worked as a Legal Assistant at a New York City international law firm, where he prepared immigrant and non-immigrant visas for multinational corporations. Hiroaki Nishikawara graduated from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago.