The Super Bowl is going to be a big day for Richard Dent. The MVP of Super Bowl XX in New Orleans will carry the Lombardi Trophy to the stage tonight for the big presentation.

The game on Jan. 20, 1986, capping off the Bears’ legendary season, was a defining moment for Dent. It eventually led to the defensive end’s induction into the Hall of Fame in 2011, an honor that was long overdue.

Dent now tells his entire story in a new book, Blood, Sweat & Bears: Putting a Dent in the Game I Love.

Here’s a Q/A I did with Fred Mitchell, the long-time Chicago Tribune columnist, who is the co-author of the book.

What about Dent’s career stands out for you?

The most remarkable aspect of Richard’s career, from my perspective, was that he quickly integrated himself into the Bears’ defense as an 8th-round draft pick out of tiny Tennessee State in 1983. They don’t even have eight rounds in the NFL draft anymore. Furthermore, Dent amassed 34 1/2 sacks in a two-year stretch (1984-85) en route to becoming the franchise’s all-time leader in sacks (124.5 with the Bears and 137.5 for entire NFL career) and Super Bowl XX MVP.

How did he feel about being perhaps overlooked for so long?

Richard retains some bitterness about the Hall of Fame selection process after being a finalist six times. He feels there should be greater transparency as far as how members of the selection committee voted each year. He also would like former players added to the selection committee. Richard is forever grateful for his HOF selection, but repeatedly says “the numbers are the numbers,” which should have been good enough to get him inducted many years earlier.

Any surprising revelations in the book?

It was surprising and disheartening to learn that Richard and his longtime Bears coach, Mike Ditka, continue to feud after all of these years. Richard said Ditka has yet to congratulate him on his Hall of Fame induction in 2011. The sting remains for Richard that Ditka often referred to him as “Robert” when speaking to the media in a deliberate effort to tweak him. Hopefully the two will reconcile at some point and share the good vibes of being fellow Hall of Famers and a Super Bowl champ.

What was it like working with Richard? What did you learn from him?

Richard has an inspiring story to tell about overcoming the odds of growing up in a modest-at-best home setting in rural Atlanta with seven brothers- a few of whom spent time in jail. I appreciated Richard’s candor in talking about the distrust he felt from the Bears organization, which accused him of selling and using cocaine and ordered him to be tested for drugs early in his career. His legal appeal in 1988 proved to be a landmark case in the NFL and it forced the league to come up with a more comprehensive testing program.