Chicago has
collected nine NFL titles and ranks behind only the Green Bay Packers
in overall league crowns. The Bears were the NFL’s most dominant
team during the 1930s and 1940s, earning six league titles. George
Halas, a cofounder of the NFL, collected 324 career victories during
his 30 seasons as Chicago’s head coach. He coached many future
Hall of Fame members, including quarterback Sid Luckman and running
backs Red Grange and Bronko Nagurski. Chicago made eight trips to
the playoffs from 1984 to 1994 and won the Super Bowl in 1986. Running
back Walter Payton, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher with
16,726 yards, produced ten 1,000-yard seasons in these 11 years.
The Bears franchise
was founded as the Decatur Staleys in 1920 by A. E. Staley of the
Staley Starch Company. He hired George Halas to organize, coach,
and play on the team. On September 17, 1920, Halas and representatives
from 11 other teams met in Canton, Ohio, and organized the American
Professional Football Association—the precursor to the NFL.
Halas assumed ownership of the team in 1921 with his co-head coach,
Dutch Sternaman. They moved the team to Chicago’s Cubs Park
(renamed Wrigley Field in 1926). The club won the new league’s
first title in 1921, and a year later Halas and Sternaman renamed
the team the Bears.
Halas and Sternaman
guided the Bears to eight consecutive winning records from 1921
to 1928. Their many stars included running backs Paddy Driscoll
and Red Grange. Chicago’s offensive line was anchored by center
George Trafton, who knocked four opposing linemen out of commission
in the first 12 plays during a 1920 contest.
A new era began
in 1930 when another star running back, Bronko Nagurski, joined
the team. Chicago earned back-to-back NFL titles in 1932 and 1933.
Under Halas, the team strung together an NFL-record 18 consecutive
victories from 1933 through 1934. The Bears went undefeated in the
1934 regular season as rookie running back Beattie Feathers became
the first player ever to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a single
season. After holding all 13 regular-season opponents to 16 or fewer
points, the Bears fell to the New York Giants in the NFL Championship
Game, 30-13.
From 1939 to
1950 quarterback Sid Luckman directed Chicago to four league crowns.
The Bears defeated the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins
twice each in championship games. In 1940 the Bears’ new T-formation
offense, which depended on the quarterback to call plays and distribute
the ball with passes, pitches, and options, demolished Washington
73-0 in what remains the most lopsided championship victory in NFL
history. In 1942 Chicago compiled its second undefeated season.
Chicago fell
out of championship contention from 1951 to 1962, reaching the playoffs
in only one season. The Bears rebounded in 1963 when assistant coach
George Allen designed a zone defense that starred future Hall of
Fame members defensive end Doug Atkins, linebacker Bill George,
and tackle-guard Stan Jones. George, originally a lineman, is credited
with inventing the position of middle linebacker, and Jones helped
pioneer the use of weights in training regimens. On offense, Mike
Ditka revolutionized the tight end position, becoming one of the
league’s best pass receivers. The 1963 Bears posted a 9-3
win-loss record and defeated the New York Giants 14-10 for the NFL
title.
In 1965 the
Bears drafted linebacker Dick Butkus and running back Gale Sayers.
Both were eventually elected to the Hall of Fame, but Chicago failed
to reach the playoffs during their careers. Halas retired as head
coach in 1968, and a year later the franchise posted its worst record
ever at 1-13. The team moved to Soldier Field in 1971, but the Bears
posted losing seasons from 1970 through 1975.
In 1977 the
Bears made their first playoff appearance in 14 years. Walter Payton
won the second of five consecutive NFC rushing titles, gaining a
career-high 1,852 yards. Ditka returned to the club as head coach
in 1982 and drove the Bears to six Central Division titles from
1984 to 1990. In 1985 the team achieved a 15-1 win-loss record,
shut out the Giants and the Los Angeles Rams (now St. Louis Rams)
in the playoffs, and defeated the New England Patriots in the Super
Bowl, 46-10.
Ditka’s
Bears led the league in defense three times during the 1980s, led
by linebacker Mike Singletary and ends Richard Dent and Dan Hampton.
In addition to Payton, Ditka’s offense also starred running
back Neal Anderson, wide receiver Willie Gault, and quarterback
Jim McMahon. Payton retired in 1987 with 16,726 yards and 110 rushing
touchdowns.
Ditka coached
Chicago to three more Central Division titles before leaving the
team in 1992. Former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt
took over as head coach and rebuilt the team during the mid-1990s.
In 1994 he guided the Bears to the playoffs, where they upset the
Minnesota Vikings before falling to the San Francisco 49ers in the
second round. The Bears struggled during the late 1990s, and Wannstedt
was fired after the 1998 season.
1986 Super Bowl
XX Defeated New England Patriots, 46-10
2006 Super Bowl XLI Lost to Colts, 29-17
