Dan Pompei

You might read Dan’s NFL stories at Bleacher Report. He writes NFL

features for them. Or you might see his stories about the Bears at

The Athletic. You might have read his New York Times best-seller

Fearless: How An Underdog Becomes A Champion, with Doug

Pederson. May­be you remember reading him at Sports on

Earth, in the Chicago Tribune, in The Sporting News or in the

Chicago Sun-Times.

You may have heard him on WSCR. He is one of the station’s football

experts. You may watch him on Pro Football Weekly on TV.

Dan has been covering the NFL for more than 30 years. His first NFL

interview came in 1980 with Doug Plank, who taught him how to lead

with his head. He has covered more than 500 NFL games in more

than 60 stadiums, including venues in London, Germany and Sweden.

He has sat in the press box for 31 Super Bowls. He has come to know

some fascinating people, from Joe DiMaggio to Adrian Peterson. He

has had in-depth strategy talks with many of the game’s most

accomplished coaches, including Bill Belichick, Bill Walsh, Jimmy

Johnson, Jon Gruden, Mike Martz, Pete Carroll, Mike McCarthy, Jim

Harbaugh, Buddy Ryan and Mike Ditka.

Along the way, he served as a pool reporter at five Super Bowls, getting an exclusive look at the participants’ practice weeks prior to the game. He watched two teams run their drafts from inside their war rooms. He went behind the curtain at the Senior Bowl and scouting combine to observe team player interviews. He was named one of 48 members on the Pro Football Hall of Fame board of selectors and one of nine members on the seniors committee. He was elected vice president of the Pro Football Writers of America.

He had a bit role as a reporter in the Mark Wahlberg movie Invincible. He did promotional work for the country band Lonestar.

Dan was given the Dick McCann Memorial award for long and distinguished contributions to pro football in 2013. His name is written on a plaque in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.