Welcome to the latest installment of my weekly "Lunch with Larry," which features wide-ranging conversations with Bears-related guests about their lives and careers.

This week my special guest is former safety Gary Fencik, who played 12 seasons with the Bears from 1976-87 and remains the franchise's all-time leader with 38 interceptions. Gary grew up in Barrington, played receiver at Yale University and was the leading tackler on the Bears' 1985 Super Bowl XX championship team.

Every week I will select the best "Lunch with Larry" fan question, with the winner receiving a Connie's Pizza gift card. The question of the week can be found at the bottom of this article.

Gary was selected in the 10th round of the 1976 draft by the Dolphins, who planned to convert him from college receiver to NFL safety. But he ruptured a lung during a preseason scrimmage with the Saints and was released by Miami. Gary was planning to take a job as a banker in New York City when the Bears signed him.

Gary joined Doug Plank with the Bears to form one of the NFL's hardest-hitting safety tandems. Gary credits Doug with taking him under his wing and teaching him how to play the position, though Doug was mostly a special teams contributor at Ohio State and has told me that he treated every defensive play in the NFL like he was covering a kickoff.

Gary knew that the Bears were on the path to a Super Bowl title in 1984 when they went to Washington and upset the Redskins in the divisional playoffs. The turning point came when safety Todd Bell blew up running back Joe Washington after a short reception, a play that changed the Bears' mindset and proved to them that they were capable of becoming a championship team.

Gary reflects on his participation in the Super Bowl Shuffle, a video the Bears did for charitable purposes that blew up into an international phenomenon that sold more than 500,000 copies and was nominated for a Grammy Award. The video was filmed Dec. 3, 1985, the day after the 1985 Bears suffered their only loss of the season in a Monday night game against the Dolphins in Miami. Gary appeared in the video, then went out on a first date later that night with his future wife, Sandy, whom he married in 1991.

Nearly 40 years later, the 1985 Bears remain one of the most iconic teams in professional sports history. Their talent was unmistakable, but what set them apart was their collection of personalities with nicknames such as "Sweetness," "The Refrigerator," "The Punky QB," "Samurai," "Mongo" and "Danimal."

The relationship between head coach Mike Ditka and Ryan, his defensive coordinator, was a complex one. The two would openly bicker. But Gary is convinced that they needed one another to win a championship, which Ditka later acknowledged.

Here's this week's "Lunch with Larry Fan question of the week, submitted by Tom G., who asks: Other than winning the Super Bowl, what was your most favorite memory of the 1985 season?

Gary's answer: "It had to be when Wilber Marshall took the fumble recovery for a [game-clinching] touchdown in the NFC Championship Game against the Rams. I was chasing him, and it had started to snow and you knew that you were going to the Super Bowl. You knew, 'This is it, we're going, no doubt about it!' That was a great moment."

In closing, I'd like to thank Gary for joining me on "Lunch with Larry." I loved hearing his stories about his playing days, especially about the Bears' unforgettable ascension to their Super Bowl XX championship and all the characters on that team. Gary has always been extremely generous with his time over the years when I've asked him to do interviews and I appreciate that very much!