The Bears handed top draft pick Brad Muster his game jersey Monday. That`s No. 39 in your program.
In his heart, Muster said, he has been a Bear most of his life.
”How many guys get to play for their favorite team when they grow up?”
said Muster, the 6-foot-3-inch, 231-pound fullback from Stanford who was the 23d player selected in the first round. ”Not many. I`m fortunate to be one of them. I respected Walter Payton and to me he was the ultimate running back. I missed him by a year, but hopefully I`ll get to meet him some day.”
Muster was a surprise first pick of the Bears, who thought he was too good to pass up in favor of defensive help.
The Bears hope they got some of that Monday, when they drafted two cornerbacks and two linebackers in the final seven rounds of the draft.
Lemuel Stinson, a 5-9, 165-pound cornerback from Texas Tech, was the Bears` sixth-round pick and Colorado cornerback David Tate (6-0, 178) was their eighth-round selection. The Bears selected no cornerbacks in the first five rounds, held Sunday.
”When we talked about it, we felt there isn`t a cornerback in the draft better than (veteran) Mike Richardson,” said coach Mike Ditka. ”Our job right now is to get Mike Richardson to play like he did two years ago. That`s something we`re going to work on this week. We`re going to talk to him and try to get him signed and happy. I understand what`s going on, but if we can get him back to the level he played at two years ago, then we will have accomplished something.
”No cornerback other than (Rickey) Dixon (first-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals from Oklahoma) jumped out at us. We would have sniffed at Terry McDaniel (first-round pick of the Raiders from Tennessee) if he had been there,” said personnel director Bill Tobin.
Other Bear draft picks Monday were Oklahoma offensive tackle Caesar Rentie (6-3, 293) in the seventh round; Howard running back Harvey Reed (5-11, 181) in the eighth; Louisiana State wide receiver Rogie Magee (6-2 1/2, 203)
in the ninth; Baylor guard Joel Porter (6-3, 268) in the 10th; Nebraska linebacker Steve Forch (6-2, 240) in the 11th; and Arizona State linebacker Greg Clark (6-0, 221) in the 12th.
While the Bears were making their second-day selections, Muster arrived from California to meet the press. And he didn`t fumble a question.
He said he can hardly believe he is in position to line up in the same backfield with quarterback Jim McMahon and other rich and famous Bears.
”I can`t wait. I hope it happens. Seeing (McMahon) on all the commercials really gets me going,” said Muster. ”It`s going to be fun. This is a cast of characters I`ve been following for a long time. It`s kind of weird to be a part of it. It feels like I`m coming back to something rather than starting new.
”I`m excited about the way the draft went, and I can`t be any happier.” Neither can LSU wide receiver Wendell Davis, whom the Bears made their second first-round selection Sunday with the 27th pick.
Davis also was handed his jersey (No. 82) from the Bears, and he might have slept with it Monday night.
”This is like a dream come true,” said Davis. ”Since I was a kid I have been dreaming about playing pro football.
”I`m basically a possession-type receiver, but I can go deep on you. I try to make the spectacular catch and I also try to be consistent.”
The Bears like Davis as a complete football player, not just as a pass-catcher.
”You`re not a complete receiver unless you block,” said Davis, who thinks he`ll fit in quite well with the Bears, on and off the field.
”They have a lot of characters on this team. I`m the solid type. I don`t showboat; I just do my job.”
Even in the cold of a Chicago winter?
”I`m going to learn how to play in the snow and the cold. I`ll get used to it,” said Davis.
Muster, whose mother is from Chicago, says he can`t wait to get used to playing for team that has ”a tradition for great running backs. To be part of that and learn from this organization is a tremendous thrill.”
An economics major who graduated in December, Muster was accompanied Monday by his fiance, Vicki Chiamparino. The former childhood next-door neighbors plan a May 28 wedding.
Muster talked about being the son of a high school football coach.
”I have three brothers and we all played against my father`s (Robert)
team,” said Muster. ”We were never forced to play football. But we all started out in Pop Warner. Dad was always there to help, but he never pushed us. What I got from my dad was the emphasis on the team over the individual. Not much is going to happen without everybody focusing on team goals.”
Muster opened the eyes of scouts with his pass-catching ability as well as his running. He caught 71 passes as a junior.
”It`s more the desire to catch the ball than just having the ability,”
said Muster. ”You just think about it and you`re going to catch the ball.”
Easy for him to say.
Muster said he is willing to work on his blocking, though.
”I feel comfortable with my blocking, but, sure I can improve,” he said. ”I think I have a comfortable base to work from.”
Muster said he was rooting for the Bears last fall at Candlestick Park when the San Francisco 49ers demolished the Bears 41-0 and Ditka tossed a wad of chewing gum, splattering a fan.
”I have a lot of respect for him,” Muster said of Ditka. ”You don`t see too many coaches like that, caught up with all the emotion in the game. I`m really excited about playing for Coach Ditka. That (gum-throwing incident) was blown so far out of proportion in the Bay Area it was ridiculous.”
A severe ankle injury limited Muster`s playing time last season. He played in 7 of 11 games, starting in six of them. The ankle was injured in a no-contact fall practice when he tried to make a cut on a sweep after his blocker fell down in front of him. He reinjured the ankle in the season-opener.
”They took X-rays and everything. All they told me pretty much was that it wasn`t broken,” said Muster. ”As far as ligament damage or whether I tore or ripped tendons, it wasn`t explained to me. The doctors told me the best thing at the time was to work through it. I`ve heard other reports afterwards that maybe I should have immobilized it. But that`s all in the past.”
Muster is pleased the Bears are replacing the artificial turf at Soldier Field with natural grass.
”I love natural grass. That`s a big thing with me,” said Muster. ”Most of the West Coast teams have natural turf, and that was one of the reasons I wanted to stay in the West. Now that I`m coming to Chicago with the natural turf, I feel real comfortable.”
And so do the Bears.
