National Football League
Chicago Bears
NFC/North
(Opens a New Window)
Bears History
On September 17, 1920, Owner/player George Halas organized a meeting of the 13 Midwestern football teams to form a league that would be called the American Professional Football Association. The name would last about a month and was changed to the American Professional Football League. The original teams were: The Akron Pros, The Buffalo All-Americans, The Canton Bulldogs, The Chicago Tigers, The Cleveland Indians, The Columbus Panhandles, The Dayton Triangles, The Decatur Staleys, The Detroit Heralds, The Hammond Pros, The Muncie Flyers, The Racine Cardinals, The Rochester Jeffersons and the Rock Island Independents. On June 24, 1922, the league again reorganized and changed their name to the National Football League.
In the 30’s the Bears won 3 NFL Championships:
1932- Bronco Nagurski and Red Grange led the Bears over the Portsmouth Spartans 9-0.
In 1933 Player/Coach George Halas along with Grange and kicker Jack Manders managed to edge the New York Giants 23-21 in a nail biting game.
In the 40’s, the Bears won 4 NFL Championships:
1940 – The year that Coach Halas develops the T formation specifically for the championship game against the Washington Redskins (who had defeated the Bears 3 seasons earlier) and totally routed the Skins 71-0 which still stands as the biggest win/loss margin in NFL history.
1941 - The Bears continued their winning ways as they again found themselves in the big game against the New York Giants which the Bears dispatched 37-9.
1943 – After a year absence, the Bears again found themselves competing for the NFL Championship. It was a game marked with record a breaking performance by QB Sid Luckman, who torched the Washington Redskins for 5 TD’s as the Bears beat the Skins 41-21.
1946 – The Championship pitted the Bears (w/George Halas back from serving in WW II) against the New York Giants in front of a record breaking crowd of 58,346 spectators at the Polo Grounds in New York. The Bears whipped the Giants 24-14.
Prior to the June 8, 1966 announcement of the AFL/NFL merger, the Bears won 1 more NFL Championship in 1963 where the Bears were pitted against the New York Giants. Prior to the game, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle asked Bears Coach and Owner George Halas to move the Game to his stadium at Soldier Field. Halas refused and the game was moved up to noon and was played in temperatures between 9-11 degrees Fahrenheit. The Bears won the game 14-10.
The 1965 season was significant for a couple of reasons. Firstly the drafting of Gayle Sayers out of the University of Kansas (he was the #1 draft choice in both the NFL and AFL. The AFL Kansas City Chiefs also drafted Sayers but Sayers chose Chicago). Sayers went on to win the Rookie of the Year award averaging 5.1 yards per rush, 17.5 yards per reception, 14.9 punt return yards and 31.4 yards per kickoff return. Sayers would continue to dominate the NFL until a season ending injury in the 9th week of the 1968 season.
Room mate and backup RB Brian Piccolo would help Sayers return to the starting lineup in the 1969 season and Sayers would win the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award as he rushed for 1000 yards. Later that year, Piccolo, a team and city favorite, would be diagnosed with Lung Cancer and would never return to the field as he passed away 7 months after being diagnosed leaving behind wife Joy and daughters Lori, Traci and Kristi.
The next time the Bears would make it into the playoffs would be the 1985 season in which the team would finish 15-1. The Bears would face the New England Patriots routing them 46-10 in front of 73,818 fans.
11 years later in 2006, the Bears got back to the Super Bowl and were matched up against Indianapolis Colts. The matchup would be historic as the Bears, led by African American Lovie Smith and the Colts, led by African American Tony Dungy were the 1st black coaches in Super Bowl history. The Bears lost to the Colts 21-17.
The Bears have made the Playoffs 24 times in 89 years. They have been Division Champions 24 times (1921, 1932, 33, 34, 37, 1940, 41, 42, 43, 46, 1956, 1963, 1984, 85, 86, 87, 88, 1990, 2001, 05 and 2006). The team has been NFL/NFC Champions 4 times (1984, 85, 88 and 2006) were NFL Champions 8 times (1921, 1932, 33, 1940, 41, 43, 46 and 1963) and Super Bowl Champions 1 time (1985).
The Bears have had 31 Hall of Famers on their rosters: Doug Atkins (1955-1966), Dick Butkus (1965-1973), George Blanda (1949-1958), Guy Chambers (1920-1921), George Connor (1948-1955), Jimmy Conzelman (1920), Mike Ditka (1961-1966), Paddy Driscoll (1920, 1926-29), GM Jim Finks (1974-1983), Danny Fortmann (1936-1943), Bill George (1952-1965), Red Grange (1925, 1929-1934), George Halas (1920-1929- as Coach 1920-29, 1933-1942, 1946-1955, 1958-1967 – as Owner 1920-1983), Dan Hampton (1979-1990), Ed Healy (1922-1927), Bill Hewitt (1932-1936), Stan Jones (1954-1965), Walt Kiesling (1934), Bobby Layne (1948), Sid Luckman (1939-1950), Link Lyman (1928-28, 1930-31, 1933-34), George McAfee (1940-41, 1945-1950), George Musso (1933-1944), Bronco Nagurski (1930-37, 1943), Allan Page (1978-1981), Walter Payton (1975-1987), Gale Sayers (1965-1971), Mike Singletary (1981-1992), George Trafton (1920-1932) and Clyde Turner (1940-1952).
The Bears have retired 13 jerseys: #3 Bronco Nagurski, #5 George McAfee, #7 George Halas, #28 Willie Galimore, #34 Walter Payton, #40 Gayle Sayers, #41 Brian Piccolo, #42 Sid Luckman, #51 Dick Butkus, #56 Bill Hewitt, #61 Bill George, #66 Clyde Turner and #77 Red Grange.
Team Awards include 4 Coach of the Year Awards (1963 George Halas, 1985 Mike Ditka, 2001 Dick Jauron and 2005 Lovie Smith), 3 Defensive Rookie of the Year Awards (1973 Wally Chambers, 1990 Mark Carrier and 2000 Brian Urlacher), 4 Offensive Rookie of the Year Awards (1961 Mike Ditka, 1962 Ron Bull, 1965 Gayle Sayers and 2001 Anthony Thomas), 2 Defensive Player of the Year Awards (1985 Mike Singletary, 1988 Mike Singletary and 2005 Brian Urlacher), 1 Offensive Player of the Year (1977 Walter Payton) and 2 NFL MVP Awards (1943 Sid Luckman and 1977 Walter Payton).
| Stadium Seating Chart |
|---|
Soldier Field
|
ALL NFL TEAMS
AFC
