Doug Buffone: Monster of the Midway

Few athletes become as synonymous with their town as Doug Buffone was with Chicago. Though he came from the hard hills of Pennsylvania, he came to embody everything Chicagoans love. 

 

Doug was taken too young, passing away suddenly on April 20, 2015, shortly after finishing this book with famed sportscaster Chet Coppock. Doug’s was a life well-lived—he was tough enough for Papa Bear George Halas and never afraid to speak his mind. Doug Buffone lived life his way and pulled no punches. 

 

He grew up in Yatesboro, Pennsylvania, and found his way to the Chicago Bears by way of the Louisville Cardinals. And even though he played with Hall of Famers like Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers, Doug never experienced championships as he battled through the brutal NFL of the 1970s. But in many ways it was after his career that Doug achieved greatness, because that’s when the radio introduced us to the fiery, hilarious “Uncle Doug” that we all came to love. 

 

He felt each Bears win and loss with to-the-bone passion. He lived his life fully and in his book you will find unbelievable stories of celebrities and superstars, of fights and camaraderie and crazy nights, of a man who lived his life his way.

Doug Buffone, a former All American linebacker at Louisville, played 14 stellar seasons for the Chicago Bears after rejecting a larger contract offer from the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League. Buffone earned the respect and reverence of the NFL’s toughest critic, Papa Bear George Halas. Doug’s success went far beyond the gridiron. He had interest in numerous restaurants over the years, most notably, Gibson’s on Rush Street in Chicago. Doug was with radio station WSCR for over two decades. His Sunday show following Bears games with his longtime teammate, Ed O’Bradovich, was nothing if not “appointment radio.” Chet Coppock is an Emmy Award winning sportscaster who was inducted into the Chicago Sports Hall of Fame in 2014 while receiving the Jack Brickhouse Lifetime Achievement Award. Coppock, a sought-after speaker and commercial announcer, has hosted Notre Dame Football on WLS Radio for the past decade. He also hosts the Chicago Blackhawks “Heritage Series.” Coppock has authored two previous books, Fat Guys Shouldn’t Be Dancin’ at Halftime and Chet Coppock: Laying It on the Line.