Chicago Bears History

The Chicago Bears are one of only two charter teams of the National Football League still in existence, the other being the Arizona Cardinals. Started in 1919 in Decatur, Illinois as a company team by the A. E. Staley Company, it was named the Decatur Staleys.

George Halas was hired to run the team, along with Edward “Dutch” Sternamen, in 1920. In 1921, Halas is credited with taking over the team, although NFL records show that he is credited with founding the team in 1920 when it became a charter member of the NFL.

The team was moved to Chicago in 1921 and was renamed the Chicago Staleys. Playing their home games at Wrigley Field, the Bears quickly became one of the most dominate teams of the 1920′s, winning the championship game of 1921. That same year, Halas bought the team for $100.00 and in 1922, changed the name to the Chicago Bears.

In 1925, the Bears signed future Hall of Famer Red Grange, igniting a controversy when the signing took place a day before Granges’ final game at the University of Illinois. This action led to the NFL’s policy of teams not being able to sign a player until after the player graduated from college.

While playing for the Bears during the 1925 season, Grange, nicknamed the Galloping Ghost, is credited with helping professional football become a legitimate force in sports

The Bears won the 1932 championship when Grange caught the game winning touchdown from quarterback Bronko Nagurski and the in 1933, made the game winning tackle to ice the game for the Bears.

The Bears, led by Hall of Famers, Sid Luckman, Clyde Turner, Joe Stydahar and George McAfee, started the 1940′s with four straight NFL championships appearances while winning three of them.

The team acquired the nickname “Monsters of the Midway”. One famous victory during that period was their 73-0 victory over the heavily favored Washington Redskins at Griffith Stadium in the 1940 championship game.

In the 50′s, the Bears won 60% of their games but the didn’t win a title. Playing for the Bears were Hall of Famers Stan Jones, George Conner and Bill George,

The Bears of the 1960′s were led by Hall of Fame greats such as Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers. In 1963, the Bears won their 8th NFL championship, which would be their last until 1985.

In 1965 Sayers scored a record-tying six touchdowns against the San Francisco 49ers.

Legendary coach George Hallas retired in 1967, and at that time he ranked as the all-time leader in coaching victories with 324.

In 1971, the Bears opened at Soldier Field. The team selected running back, Walter Payton in 1975 and in 1977, Payton set an NFL record by rushing for 275 yards in one game.

In 1982 coach Neil Armstrong was replaced by Mike Ditka, a former Bears tight end from 1961-1966.

The Bears returned to the NFL’s elite in 1984 when Payton broke Jim Browns all-time rushing record. In 1985 the Bears had one of the fiercest defenses the league had ever seen, led by Mike Singletary and Dan Hampton. The Bears Stormed their way to Super Bowl XX and defeated the Patriots 46-10.

The Bears made play-off appearances in 1990 and 1991. The 1992 season was marked by the retirement of Mike Singletary, and the end of the Mike Ditka era.

On August 1, 1998, Mike Singletary became the 24th Bear inducted into the Hall of Fame, the most of any franchise.

In 2004 Lovie Smith became the 13th head coach in Bears history. In 2006, the Bears ended their regular season with a 13-3 record and stormed their way to the Super Bowl XLI but lost to the Indianapolis Colts.

The 2006 Bears were led by linebacker Brian Urlacher who, in 2005, was named Defensive Player of year. The Bears also had two-time Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs, quarterback Rex Grossman, kick re turner Deven Hester, and running back Cedric Benson. The 2006 season marked the teams 87th year and because of their 13-3 record, they made the postseason for the 25th time. The Bears retained their NFC North title and advanced to Super Bowl XLI were they lost to the Indianapolis Colts 29-17.

One of the Bears biggest stories of the off season was Tank Johnson’s jail sentence. In December of 2006, Johnson’s house was raided by local authorities and found several weapons. To make matters worst for Johnson, his friend William Pose was murdered outsider a nightclub defending Johnson. On the field. Chicago didn’t far so well as in their previous season ending the year with a disappointing 7-9 record, finishing 4th in the NFC North.

Following the 2007 season, the Bears focused much of their attention on their quarterbacks as they resigned Rex Grossman and traded Brian Greese to Tampa Bay in exchange for sixth round pick in 2009. Cedric Benson was another troubled player and was released by the Bears after two run-ins with the police. In one off season, Chicago lost their offensive leaders and gained very little and as a result of that, they ended the season with a 9-7 record, missing the playoffs for the second straight season.

The Chicago Bears started their 90th season looking to do better than the previous two seasons, but found themselves in the same position. To make matters worst, their best defensive player, Brian Urlacher broke his wrist and was lost for the season. The team finished third in their division with a 7-9 record and looked to add to their defense by adding Major Write to their secondary.