Super Bowl XXVII : THROUGH THE YEARS : Footnotes To History : XX : HENRY WAECHTER : CHICAGO BEARS

By THOMAS BONK

Jan. 27, 1993 12 AM PT

There are only five players who have scored Super Bowl safeties--and Henry Waechter is one of them.

A backup defensive lineman from Nebraska known by the nickname of “Hayseed,” Waechter provided the punctuation mark in the Bears’ 46-10 demolition of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX at the Superdome in New Orleans, earning a place in the Super Bowl history books, if not eternal football folklore.

Fame is fleeting. Last week in Chicago, former Bear defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan was doing a radio interview and referred to Waechter as “Haystack.”

Hayseed, Haystack, hey, what’s the difference? Ryan’s shaky memory cannot detract from Waechter’s day in the dome.

This was a Chicago victory that at one time seemed destined to be overshadowed by quarterback Jim McMahon’s headbands, his acupuncture and his bare derriere, which he displayed to a television crew in a helicopter circling above practice during the week.

But once the game began, it was a mismatch, pure and simple. By the time Waechter and Mike Hartenstine had entered the game, it was pretty much over already. At the end of the third quarter, Chicago led, 44-3.

New England scored a fourth-quarter touchdown on an eight-yard pass from Steve Grogan to Irving Fryar, leaving the Patriots a mere five touchdowns from the lead. Against such a backdrop, Waechter went to work.

Grogan took a snap and retreated into the end zone, hotly pursued by Waechter, who took advantage of a blocking mistake.

“Their guard wasn’t there when I came round the center,” Waechter said. “Usually, there is a guard there to pick up the nose tackle right away.”

Waechter caught Grogan from behind and pulled him down in the end zone with a waist-high tackle.

“It was just bizarre,” Waechter said. “It was just there. I just jumped up and saw Hartenstine. We kind of looked at each other like we couldn’t believe it. I’m not sure I still do.”

* 1986 AT NEW ORLEANS

Chicago 13 10 21 2 -- 46 New England 3 0 0 7 -- 10

NE--FG Franklin 36

Chi--FG Butler 28

Chi--FG Butler 24

Chi--Suhey 11 run (Butler kick)

Chi--McMahon 2 run (Butler kick)

Chi--FG Butler 24

Chi--McMahon 1 run (Butler kick)

Chi--Phillips 28 interception return (Butler kick)

Chi--Perry 1 run (Butler kick)

NE--Fryer 8 pass from Grogan (Franklin kick)