Nearly a quarter of a century has passed since Richard Dent collected most valuable player honors in Super Bowl XX, but the memories of the Chicago Bears' 1985 Super Bowl season still live for the all-pro defensive end.

Dent made the first of two Quad-Cities appearances this weekend at Friday's Quad-Cities River Bandits game. He also will appear at tonight's Quad-City Steamwheelers game, signing autographs to benefit his Make a Dent Foundation.

Before throwing out a ceremonial first pitch Friday, Dent shared his opinions on a variety of topics:

Q: What is the most vivid memory of your Super Bowl experience?

A: "As strange as it sounds, it wasn't the game itself - that was about routine and trying to get through it as I would any other game. It seemed that way. It was a game we were supposed to win and on the field against a team we had already beaten (New England). The approach was all business. The craziness of the days leading up to the game, the days after it, those are the things you hold onto. That was what made it unique."

Q: Chicago held the Patriots to seven rushing yards in that Super Bowl game. Did it seem that lopsided?

A: "That is something I appreciate more over time. I was part of a great defense, a competitive group. The defensive linemen, the linebackers, the corners and the safeties, we were all pretty locked in and at each position, guys made plays. There were bragging rights at stake every time we took the field."

Q: Are you surprised about the passion people still have for that Bears team?

A: "The people in Chicago will never let that season go. Anybody who had anything to do with that town at that time still hangs onto it. It's amazing how far it goes. I was on a flight sitting next to a lady from Australia who didn't know who she was talking to and she went on and on. I just sat back and soaked it in."

Q: What is your foundation involved in?

A: "It's a program I started to help fund scholarships to a sports management program at Columbia College. ... We try to help people either get an education or finish an education. It's a way for me to help.''

Q: What type of reaction do you get when you appear at events like this?

A: "Chicago is a big market and its reach goes a long way. I can remember going to Dubuque to check out the dogs (at the greyhound races) when we were training in Platteville and the people in Iowa were always nice. There are a lot of good Bears fans around here.''

Q: You're at a baseball stadium tonight. Is there any baseball in your past?

A: "I always thought baseball was a somewhat easy sport. I felt like it was something I could be good at with good hand and eye coordination. I've never had many chances to go up there and hit a fastball and when I have, I usually get thrown a curve and get blindsided by it. I always enjoyed baseball, played it when I was young. I just knew I wasn't going to go far in it.''

Q: Were you ever around a better role model than Walter Payton?

A: "Walter was a great guy, the rock of our team. I've never been around a guy with a bigger heart. It was a pleasure to be there and have the opportunity to watch him do his thing, watch him perform with the ease that he did. I was glad he was on our side. Walter coming from Jackson State and myself from Tennessee State, two traditionally black colleges, we had a bond that only added to our friendship.''

Q: What changes do you see in football from when you played?

A: "It's not physical at all. There are three things people want to see. They want to see the ball in the air, they want to see touchdowns and they want to see the quarterback dropped. When I played, you could actually rush the quarterback. If he didn't have his shoulder pads up, I would always go for the strip. Today, guys can't even put a facemask on the quarterback. If things continue in the direction we're headed, we might as well go back to wearing leather helmets."