Former Bears receiver and punt returner Keith Ortego, a member of the famed 1985 Super Bowl championship team, passed away March 2 at the age of 58.
Ortego signed with the Bears in 1985 as an undrafted rookie from McNeese State and appeared in 31 games with 13 starts over three seasons.
After undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery during the preseason of his rookie year, Ortego returned to play in the final seven games, averaging 9.3 yards on 17 punt returns. He also appeared in all three playoff contests, returning two punts for 20 yards in the Bears' 46-10 rout of the Patriots in Super Bowl XX.
Ortego was more involved on offense in 1986, catching 23 passes for 430 yards and two touchdowns while appearing in all 16 games with 13 starts. In the final year of his NFL career in 1987, he played in eight contests, all as a reserve.
In the 34 regular season and playoff games that Ortego played in from 1985-87, the Bears compiled a 29-5 record.
At McNeese State, Ortego was an All-Southland Conference and All-Louisiana receiver who led his team in receptions with 21 (for 340 yards) in 1983 and 32 (for 602 yards) in 1984. He left as the school's second all-time leading receiver with 1,202 yards and was inducted into the McNeese State Hall of Fame in 2016.
