Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears logo Logo
Established 1919 Play in Chicago, Illinois From Chicago since 1921
League / conference affiliations
Independent (1919) National Football League (1920–present) Western Division (1933–1949) National Conference (1950–1952) Western Conference (1953–1969) Central Division (1967–1969) National Football Conference (1970–present) Central Division (1970–2001) North Division (2002–present)
Uniforms
File:NFCN-Uniform-CHI.PNG
Team colors	Dark navy, orange, white
Fight song	"Bear Down, Chicago Bears"
Mascot	Staley Da Bear
Personnel
Owner(s)	Virginia Halas McCaskey
Chairman	Michael McCaskey
General manager	Jerry Angelo
President	Ted Phillips
Head coach	Lovie Smith
Team history
Decatur Staleys (1919–1920) Chicago Staleys (1921) Chicago Bears (1922–present)
Team nicknames
Da Bears The Monsters of the Midway
Championships
League championships (9) NFL Championships (8) 1921, 1932, 1933, 1940, 1941, 1943, 1946, 1963 Super Bowl championships (1) 1985 (XX)
Conference championships (4) NFL Western: 1956, 1963 NFC: 1985, 2006
Division championships (17) NFL Western: 1933, 1934, 1937, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1946 NFC Central: 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 2001 NFC North: 2005, 2006
Playoff appearances (24)
NFL: 1933, 1934, 1937, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1946, 1950, 1956, 1963, 1977, 1979, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1994, 2001, 2005, 2006
Home fields
Staley Field (1919–1920) Wrigley Field (1921–1970) Dyche Stadium (1970; for one home game) Soldier Field (I) (1971–2001) Memorial Stadium (Champaign) (2002) Soldier Field (II) (2003–present)
Team owner(s)
A.E. Staley Company (1919–1921) George Halas and Dutch Sternaman (1921–1932) George Halas (1932–1983) Virginia Halas McCaskey (1983–present)
Team president(s)
George Halas (1921–1953) George Halas, Jr. (1963–1979) Mike McCaskey (1983–1999) Ted Phillips (1999–present)

The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the NFC North Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The team is legally and corporately registered as Chicago Bears Football Club, Incorporated.

The Bears have won nine Professional American Football league championships (eight NFL Championships and Super Bowl XX). The Bears have the most enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with 26 members. The Bears have also recorded more regular season and overall victories than any other NFL franchise. The franchise recorded their 700th win on December 7, 2008.

The club was founded in Decatur, Illinois, in 1919, and moved to Chicago in 1921. Along with the Arizona Cardinals (also originally from Chicago), it is one of only two remaining extant franchises since the NFL's founding. The team played home games at Wrigley Field on Chicago's North Side through the 1970 season. With the exception of the 2002 season, they have played their home games at Chicago's Soldier Field every year since 1971. The stadium is located next to Lake Michigan, and was recently remodeled in a modernization intended to update stadium amenities while preserving a historic Chicago structure. The team has a fierce, long-standing rivalry with the Green Bay Packers, whom they have played more than 170 times.

The team headquarters, Halas Hall, is in the Chicago suburb of Lake Forest, Illinois. The Bears practice at adjoining facilities there during the season. They hold their annual training camp from late July to mid-August on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois. The Bears are widely regarded as the worst team in professional sports.

Franchise history

Further information: History of the Chicago Bears and Chicago Bears seasons

1920–1970

Originally named the Decatur Staleys, the club was established by the A. E. Staley Company of Decatur, Illinois in 1919 as a company team. This was the typical start for several early professional football franchises. The company hired George Halas and Edward "Dutch" Sternaman in 1920 to run the team, and turned over full control of the team to them in 1921. However, official team and league records cite Halas as the founder as he took over the team in 1920 when it became a charter member of the NFL.

The team relocated to Chicago in 1921, where the club was renamed the Chicago Staleys. Under an agreement reached by Halas and Sternaman with Staley, Halas purchased the rights to the club from Staley for US$ 100, whereupon they were renamed the Chicago Bears.

The Bears dominated the league in the early years. Their rivalry with the Chicago Cardinals, the oldest in the NFL (and a crosstown rivalry from 1920 to 1959), was key in four out of the first six league titles. During the league's first six years, the Bears lost twice to the Canton Bulldogs (who took two league titles over that span), and split with their crosstown rival Cardinals (going 4–4–2 against each other over that span), but no other team in the league defeated the Bears more than a single time. During that span, the Bears posted 34 shutouts.

The Bears' rivalry with the Green Bay Packers is one of the oldest, fiercest and most storied in American professional sports, dating back to 1921. In one infamous incident that year, Halas got the Packers expelled from the league in order to prevent their signing a particular player, and then graciously got them re-admitted after the Bears had closed the deal with that player.

In 1922, Halas changed the team name from the Staleys to the Bears. The team moved into Wrigley Field, which was home to the Chicago Cubs baseball franchise. As with several early NFL franchises, the Bears derived their nickname from their city's baseball team (some directly, some indirectly - like the Bears, whose young are called "cubs"). Halas liked the bright orange-and-blue colors of his alma mater, the University of Illinois, and the Bears adopted those colors as their own, albeit in a darker shade of each (the blue is a Navy Blue, and the orange is Pantone 1665, similar to burnt orange).

File:Bears 1924.jpg

The 1924 team photo

The franchise was an early success under Halas, capturing the NFL Championship in 1921 and remaining competitive throughout the decade. In 1924 the Bears claimed the Championship after defeating the Cleveland Bulldogs on December 7, even putting the title "World's Champions" on their 1924 team photo. But the NFL had ruled that games after November 30 did not count towards league standings, and the Bears had to settle for second place behind Cleveland. Their only losing season came in 1929.

During the 1920s the club was responsible for triggering the NFL's long-standing rule that a player could not be signed until his college's senior class had graduated. The NFL took that action as a consequence of the Bears' aggressive signing of famous University of Illinois player Red Grange within a day of his final game as a collegian.

After the financial losses of the 1932 Championship season, Halas' partner Dutch Sternaman left the organization. Halas maintained full control of the Bears until his death in 1983. He also coached the team off-and-on for forty seasons, an NFL record. In the 1932 "Unofficial" NFL Championship, the Bears defeated the Portsmouth Spartans in the first indoor American football game at Chicago Stadium.

The success of the playoff game led the NFL to institute a championship game. In the very first NFL Championship, the Bears played against the New York Giants, defeating them 23–21. The teams met again in the 1934 NFL Championship where the Giants, wearing sneakers defeated the Bears 30–13 on a cold, icy day at the Polo Grounds.

The 1946 NFL Championship team photo

From 1940–1947, quarterback Sid Luckman led the Bears to victories in four out of the five NFL Championship Games in which they appeared. The team acquired the University of Chicago's discarded nickname "Monsters of the Midway" and their now-famous helmet "C", as well as a newly penned theme song that declared them "The Pride and Joy of Illinois". One famous victory during that period was their 73–0 victory over the favored Washington Redskins at Griffith Stadium in the 1940 NFL Championship Game; the score is still an NFL record for lopsided results. The secret behind the one-sided outcome was the introduction of a new offensive formation by Halas. The T-formation, as Halas named it, involved two running backs instead of the traditional one in the backfield. Luckman's success at the quarterback position for the Bears has not been matched, as he still holds club records for passing.

After declining throughout the 1950s, the team rebounded in 1963 to capture their 8th NFL Championship, which would be their last until 1985. The late 1960s and early 1970s produced notable players like Dick Butkus, Gale Sayers, and Brian Piccolo, who died of Embryonal carcinoma in 1970. The American television network ABC aired a movie about Piccolo in 1971 entitled Brian's Song, starring James Caan and Billy Dee Williams in the roles of Piccolo and Sayers respectively; Jack Warden won an Emmy Award for his performance as Halas. The movie was later released for theater screenings after first being shown on television.

Halas retired as coach in 1967 and spent the rest of his days in the front office. He became the only person to be involved with the NFL throughout the first 60 years of its existence. He was also a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's first induction class in 1963. As the only living founder of the NFL at the February 1970 merger between the NFL and the American Football League, the owners honored Halas by electing him the first President of the National Football Conference, a position that he held until his death in 1983. In his honor, the NFL named the National Football Conference Championship trophy as the George Halas Memorial Trophy.

1970–2003

After the merger, the Bears finished the 1970 season with a last-place finish in the division, a repeat of their placing in the 1969 season. In 1975, the Bears drafted Walter Payton from Jackson State University with their first pick. He won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award in the 1977–78 season. Payton would go on to eclipse Jim Brown's NFL career rushing record in 1984 before retiring in 1987, and would hold the mark until 2002, when Emmitt Smith of the Dallas Cowboys surpassed it. Payton's career and great personality would capture the hearts of Bear fans, who called him "Sweetness". He died from a rare liver cancer in 1999 at the age of 45.

From 1977 through 1985 the club's official cheerleaders were the Honey Bears, who were hired by then-General Manager Jim Finks. They cheered at all Bears home games and performed at halftime. The idea of a cheerleading squad was thought up by Halas, who called them "dancing girls." and said that the Honey Bears would be around as long as he was alive. After his death in 1983, his heirs in the McCaskey family decided to end their relationship with the Honey Bears, declining to renew their contract following the Bears' championship season of 1985.

On November 1, 1983, a day after the death of George Halas, his oldest daughter, Virginia McCaskey, took over as the majority owner of the team. Her husband, Ed McCaskey, succeeded her father as the Chairman of the Board. Their son Michael became the third president in team history. Mrs. McCaskey holds the honorary title of "secretary of the board of directors", but the 82–year–old matriarch has been called the glue that holds the franchise together. Mrs. McCaskey's reign as the owner of the Bears was not planned, as her father originally earmarked her brother, George "Mugs" Halas, Jr. as the heir apparent to the franchise. However, he died of a massive heart attack in 1979. Her impact on the team is well-noted as her own family has dubbed her "The First Lady of Sports", and the Chicago Sun-Times has listed her as one of Chicago's most powerful women.

Mike Ditka, a tight end for the Bears from 1961 to 1966, was hired to coach the team in 1982. In the 1985 season the fire in the Bears–Packers rivalry was relit when Ditka used 350–plus pound lineman "Refrigerator" Perry as a truly "wide" receiver in a touchdown play at Lambeau Field, flagrantly taunting the Packers. The Bears won their ninth NFL Championship, first since the AFL-NFL merger, in Super Bowl XX after the 1985 season in which they dominated the NFL with their then-revolutionary 46 defense and a cast of characters that recorded the novelty rap song "The Super Bowl Shuffle". The season was notable in that the Bears had only one loss, the "unlucky 13th" game of the season, a Monday night affair in which they were defeated by the Miami Dolphins. At the time, much was made of the fact that the 1972 Dolphins were the only franchise in history to have had an undefeated season and post-season. The Dolphins came close to setting up a rematch in the Super Bowl, but lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC title game. "The Super Bowl Shuffle" was videotaped the day after that Monday night loss in Miami.

After the 1985 Championship season, the Bears remained competitive throughout the 1980s but failed to return to the Super Bowl under Mike Ditka. Since the firing of Ditka at the end of the 1992 season, the Bears have made the playoffs five times under three different head coaches: Dave Wannstedt from 1993 through 1998, Dick Jauron from 1999 through 2003, and current head coach, Lovie Smith. Before the Bears hired Jauron in January 1999, Dave McGinnis (Arizona's defensive coordinator, and a former Bears assistant under Ditka and Wannstedt) backed out of taking the head coaching position. The Bears scheduled a press conference to announce the hiring before McGinnis agreed to contract terms. Soon after Jauron's hiring, Mrs. McCaskey fired her son Michael as president, replacing him with Ted Phillips and promoting Michael to chairman of the board. McCaskey's reign as president has been viewed as a "disaster". Phillips, the current Bears president, became the first man outside of the Halas-McCaskey family to run the team.

2004–present: Lovie Smith era

Lovie Smith accomplished his first objective as the team's head coach by sweeping the Green Bay Packers during the 2005 season.

Lovie Smith, hired on January 15, 2004, is the third and current (as of 2008) post-Ditka head coach. Joining the Bears as a rookie head coach, Smith brought the highly successful Tampa 2 defensive scheme with him to Chicago. Before his second season with the Bears, the team rehired their former offensive coordinator and then Illinois head coach Ron Turner to improve the Bears' struggling offense. In 2005, the Bears won their division and reached the playoffs for the first time in four years. Their previous playoff berth was earned by winning the NFC Central in 2001. The Bears improved upon their success the following season, by clinching their second consecutive NFC North title during week thirteen of the 2006 season, winning their first playoff game since 1995, and earning a trip to Super Bowl XLI. However, they fell short of the championship, losing 29–17 to the Indianapolis Colts. Following the 2006 season, the club decided to give Lovie Smith a contract extension through 2011, at roughly $5 million per year. This comes a season after being the lowest paid head coach in the National Football League.

On April 2, 2009, the Bears made one of the biggest trades in franchise history, acquiring Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler and a 5th round selection in the 2009 NFL Draft from the Denver Broncos in exchange for quarterback Kyle Orton, the Bears' 1st and 3rd round selections in the 2009 NFL Draft and the Bears' 1st round selection in the 2010 NFL Draft.

The club has played in over a thousand games since becoming a charter member of the NFL in 1920. Through the 2008 season, they lead the NFL in overall franchise wins with 702 and have an overall record of 702–515–42 (going 686–498–42 during the regular season and 16–17 in the playoffs).. On December 7, 2008 the Bears recorded franchise win number 700 in a win against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Ownership

Virginia McCaskey, her children, and grandchildren control 80% of the team, and Mrs. McCaskey votes her children's stock as well as her own. Patrick Ryan, executive chairman of Aon Corp., and Aon director Andrew McKenna own 19.7% of the club. In a Crain's Chicago Business article, one businessman described his wishes for the team to maximize its potential. There have been rumors that the McCaskey family might split up over the team.

In 2008, Forbes magazine reported that the Chicago Bears franchise is worth $1.1 billion, making it the ninth richest franchise in the NFL. Chicago is the National Football League's second largest market. The team has major sponsorship deals with Chase, Miller Brewing Company, Cadillac, Motorola, and Coca-Cola. The team was the first in the NFL to have a presenting sponsor, with the 2004 season advertised as "Bears Football presented by BankOne (now Chase)". Additionally, the Bears have an agreement with WFLD-TV (the FOX affiliate in Chicago) to broadcast pre-season football games.

Team colors and mascots

Main article: Chicago Bears logos, uniforms, and mascots

Logo

File:ChicagoBears1962.png

One of the original logos (1962–1973)

The club's first logo was introduced in the early 1950s as a black bear on top of a football. They kept this until 1962, when the Bears trademark 'C' logo was first introduced.

The change in their logo from the black bear was due to the addition of logos on helmets, which pro football teams started adding in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Unlike some NFL franchises that have had many different looks over time, the Bears have kept the wishbone 'C' for over 40 years.

In 1974, the team decided to keep the same white 'C' logo but to change the color of it from white to orange with a white trim. This is the current logo; however, the club has since introduced alternative logos, including a black bear inside of the orange wishbone 'C', introduced in 1995, and an orange bear head, introduced in 1999.

Uniforms

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Chicago Bears uniform combinations

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Chicago Bears uniform: 1962-1972

In 1920 the team introduced uniforms containing brown and blue stripes. In the 1930s, the franchise's uniform underwent substantial alterations. By 1933 the Bears donned all-orange jerseys with navy numbers and matching black helmets. In 1936, they modified this design into "an early version of psychedelia" by adding three orange stripes to their helmets, changing the color of the jerseys from orange to white, complementing the new white jerseys with fourteen navy and orange alternating stripes on the sleeves, and introducing socks with a similar striped pattern extending from ankle to knee. Because of poor response from the fans and the media, this design lasted only one season.

By 1949, the team was wearing the familiar navy blue shirts with white, rounded numbers. In 1956, the team added "TV numbers" to the sleeves. The Bears 'C' logo first appeared on the helmets in 1962. The logo changed from white to a white-bordered orange logo eleven years later, and has remained unchanged ever since. The Bears added the initials GSH to the left sleeve of their jerseys in 1984 in memory of George Halas.

For decades, the team was known as the only NFL team to wear jersey numbers that were not the traditional block-style numbers. Although a handful of other NFL teams and the Houston Oilers during their early AFL days experimented with rounder jersey numbers, by the mid-1960's the Bears were the only team left to continue wearing rounded jersey numbers. Since the mid-1990's, however, several teams have shifted away from the block numbers in favor of numbers that match a specific team font (e.g. Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, etc...) or in the case of the Pittsburgh Steelers, match the jersey number font with the helmet numbers while otherwise leaving the jersey design alone.

Other variations to the Bears uniforms over the years include the addition of navy blue pants as a part of the road kit in 1984. During the 1994 season, the Bears – with most of the other NFL franchises – introduced throwback uniforms to be worn in the honor of the NFL's 75th Anniversary. These uniforms with brown and blue stripes resemble the original Bears uniforms worn in the 1920s. On October 7, 2002 the Bears wore navy blue pants with their navy blue home jerseys for the first time, and lost at home to Green Bay before a national Monday Night Football audience. The Bears did not wear the all-blue combination again until the 2006 regular season finale against the Packers, also a loss, on December 31.

On November 13, 2005 and October 29, 2006 (both times in games against the San Francisco 49ers), the Bears introduced an orange alternate home jersey. The orange swaps roles with the navy blue on this alternate jersey, as it becomes the dominant color while the navy complements. The orange jerseys were worn again on October 19, 2008 at home against the Minnesota Vikings in a 48-41 victory.

File:NFLClock-Bears-Large.jpg

Chicago Bears Uniform History (1920–2005)

The Bears previously wore orange jerseys as part of a throwback uniform in a Thanksgiving Day game at the Dallas Cowboys in 2004. Their uniforms, especially for their classic look, have been cited as one of the best in the league.

Mascots

Before the introduction of Staley Da Bear, the club had two unofficial mascots named "Rocky" and "Bearman". "Rocky" was a man who donned a "1" Bears jersey, carried a megaphone, and started chants all over Soldier Field during the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s. There is no known source of who "Rocky" was, except that he disappeared from Soldier Field in the early 1990s and presumably lived in Northwest Indiana. Don Wachter, also known as "Bearman", is a season ticket holder who decided in 1995 that he could also assist the team by cheerleading. The club allowed him to run across the field with a large Bears flag during player introductions and each team score. In 1996, he donned his "costume" of face paint, bear head and arms, and a number 46 jersey. "Bearman" was forced to stop wearing his costume with the introduction of Staley Da Bear in 2003; however, in 2005 Wachter was allowed in costume again.

Stadium

Main article: Soldier Field

Soldier Field II

Soldier Field, located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, is the current home to the Bears. The Bears moved into Soldier Field in 1971 after outgrowing Wrigley Field, the team's home for 50 years, and Northwestern University's residential neighbors objected to their playing at Dyche Stadium, now called Ryan Field. After the AFL-NFL Merger, the newly merged league wanted their teams to play in stadiums that could hold at least 50,000 fans. Even with the portable bleachers that the team brought into Wrigley, the stadium could still only hold 46,000. The stadium's playing turf was changed from astroturf to natural grass in time for the start of the 1988 season. The stadium was the site of the infamous Fog Bowl playoff game between the Bears and Philadelphia Eagles.

In 2002, the stadium was closed and rebuilt with only the exterior wall of the stadium being preserved. It was closed on Sunday, January 20, 2002, a day after the Bears lost in the playoffs. It reopened on September 27, 2003 after a complete rebuild (the second in the stadium's history). Many fans refer to the rebuilt stadium as "New Soldier Field". During the 2002 season, the Bears played their home games at the University of Illinois' Memorial Stadium in Champaign, where they went 3-5.

Many critics have negative views of the new stadium. They believe that its current structure has made it more of an eyesore than a landmark; some have dubbed it the "Mistake on the Lake". Soldier Field was stripped of its National Historic Landmark designation on February 17, 2006.

In the 2005 season, the Bears won the NFC North Division and the No. 2 Seed in the NFC Playoffs, entitling them to play at least one home game in the postseason. The team hosted (and lost) their divisional round match on January 15, 2006 against the Carolina Panthers. This was the first playoff game at Soldier Field since the stadium reopened.

The stadium's end zones and midfield were not painted until the 1982 season. The design sported on the field included the bolded word "Chicago" in both end zones. In 1983, the end zone design returned, with the addition of a large wishbone "C" Bears logo painted at midfield. These field markings remained unchanged until the 1996 season. In 1996 the midfield wishbone "C" was changed to a large blue Bears head, and the end zone design were painted with "Bears" in cursive. This new design remained until the 1999 season, at which point the artwork was returned to the classic "Chicago" and the "C". In the new Soldier Field, the artwork was tweaked to where one end zone had the word "Chicago" bolded and the other had "Bears".

The Bears in popular culture

While the Super Bowl XX Champion Bears were a fixture of mainstream American pop culture in the 1980s, the Bears made a prior mark with the 1971 American TV movie Brian's Song starring Billy Dee Williams as Gale Sayers and James Caan as Brian Piccolo. The film told of how Piccolo helped Sayers recover from a devastating knee injury to return to his status as one of the league's best players, and how Sayers in turn helped the Piccolo family through Brian's fatal illness. A 2001 remake of the movie for ABC starred Sean Maher as Piccolo and Mekhi Phifer as Sayers.

The 1985 team is also remembered for recording the song "The Super Bowl Shuffle", which reached number forty-one on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for a Grammy Award. The music video for the song depicts the team rapping that they are "not here to start no trouble" but instead "just here to do the Super Bowl Shuffle". The team took a risk by recording and releasing the song before the playoffs had even begun, but were able to avoid embarrassment by going on to win Super Bowl XX by a then record margin of 46-10. That game was one of the most watched television events in history according to the Nielsen Ratings system; the game had a rating of 48.3, ranking it seventh in all-time television history.

In addition to the "Super Bowl Shuffle" rap song, the Bears' success in the 1980s – and especially the personality of head coach Mike Ditka – inspired a recurring sketch on the American sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live, called "Bill Swerski's Superfans". The sketch featured Cheers co-star George Wendt, a Chicago native, as host of a radio talk-show (similar in tone to WGN radio's "The Sportswriters"), with co-panelists Carl Wollarski (Robert Smigel), Pat Arnold (Mike Myers) and Todd O'Connor (Chris Farley). To hear them tell it, "Da Bears" and Coach Ditka could do no wrong. The sketch stopped after Ditka was fired in 1993. The sketch usually showed the panelists drinking lots of beer and eating lots of Polish sausage, and often featured Todd getting so agitated about what was happening with the Bears that he suffered a heart attack, but quickly recovered (through self-administered CPR). The sketch also features the cast predicting unrealistic blowout victories for Bears games. A significantly overweight Farley died in 1997 from a drug overdose exacerbated by arteriosclerosis, and Da Super Fan sketch has not been brought back by SNL, with the exception of a single appearance by Horatio Sanz as a Super Fan for the Cubs on Weekend Update in 2003. Outside of SNL George Wendt reprised his role of Swerski in the opening promo of Super Bowl XL on ABC.

On TV shows based in Chicago such as "Still Standing", According to Jim" and "The Bernie Mac Show", the main characters are all Bears fans, and have worn Bears' jerseys and t-shirts on some occasions. Some episodes even show them watching Bears games.

Ditka's success and popularity in Chicago has led him to land analyst roles on various American football pregame shows. Ditka worked for both the NFL on NBC and CBS's The NFL Today, and he currently works on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown and provides Friday night analysis on the Bears on CBS 2 Chicago, the CBS Chicago affiliate, called "2 on Football" with CBS 2 Sports Director Mark Malone. He is also the color analyst for all local broadcasts of Bears preseason games. Ditka also co-starred himself alongside actor Will Ferrell in the 2005 comedy film Kicking & Screaming.

Also, Ditka, Dick Butkus, Walter Payton, Jim McMahon, William "Refrigerator" Perry and Brian Urlacher are among Bears figures known for their appearances in TV commercials. Urlacher, whose jersey was among the league's best-selling in 2002, was featured on Nike commercials with Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick.

Statistics and records

Further information: Chicago Bears statistics

Bill George and Doug Buffone hold the record for the most seasons in a Bears uniform with 14. George did it between the 1952 and 1965 seasons and Buffone during the 1966 through 1979 seasons. On the other hand, Steve McMichael holds the record for most consecutive games played by a Bear with 191; he accomplished the feat from 1981 to 1993. In second place is Payton, who played 186 games from 1975 to 1987 at running back, a position considered to be conducive to injury, only missing one game in a span of 13 seasons.

Placekicker Kevin Butler holds the club record for scoring the most points in his ten-year Bear career. He scored 1,116 points as the Bears kicker from 1985 to 1995. He is followed in distant second place by Payton, with 750 points. Payton holds the team record for career rushing yards with 16,726. That was an NFL record until Emmitt Smith of the Dallas Cowboys broke it in 2002. Neal Anderson, who played from 1986 to 1993, is the closest to Payton's record with 6,166 yards. Mark Bortz holds the record for most Bear playoff appearances, with 13 between 1983 and 1994, and is followed by Kevin Butler, Dennis Gentry, Dan Hampton, Jay Hilgenberg, Steve McMichael, Ron Rivera, Mike Singletary, and Keith Van Horne, who have each played in 12 playoff games.

The 1940 Chicago Bears team holds the record for the biggest margin of victory in an NFL game (playoff or regular season) with a 73–0 victory over the Washington Redskins in the 1940 NFL Championship Game. The largest home victory for the Bears came in a 61–7 result against the Green Bay Packers in 1980. The largest defeat in club history was a 52–0 loss against the Baltimore Colts in 1964. The club recorded undefeated regular seasons in 1934 and 1942, but (unlike the 1972 Dolphins) did not win the championship game in either season. In 1934, the club completed a 13–0 record but were defeated by the New York Giants, and in 1942 the club completed an 11–0 record but were defeated by the Redskins. Had the Bears won either championship, the club would have completed a championship three-peat – a feat completed only by the Packers (twice), although no team has done it since the AFL-NFL merger. Halas holds the team record for coaching the most seasons with 40 and for having the most career victories of 324. Halas' victories record stood until Don Shula surpassed Halas in 1993. Ditka is the closest Bears coach to Halas, with 112 career victories. No other Bears coach has recorded over 100 victories with the team.

During the 2006 season, return specialist Devin Hester set several kick return records. He had six touchdown returns, setting a record for most returns in a single season. In 2007, he recorded another six touchdown season from returns. One of the most notable of these returns came on November 12, 2006, when he returned a missed field goal for a 108-yard touchdown. The record tied teammate Nathan Vasher's previous record, which was set almost a year earlier. Additionally, Hester set a Super Bowl record by becoming the first person to return an opening kick of a Super Bowl for a touchdown.

Season-by-season results

This is a partial list of the last four seasons completed or in progress by the Bears. For the full season-by-season franchise results, see Chicago Bears seasons.

Note: The Finish, Wins, Losses, and Ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play.

Record as of December 30, 2007

Super Bowl Champions

Conference Champions

Division Champions

Wild Card Berth

Season	Team	League	Conference	Division	Regular season				Post Season Results	Awards
					Finish	Wins	Losses	Ties
2005	2005	NFL	NFC	North	1st	11	5	0	Lost Divisional Playoffs (Panthers) (29-21)	Brian Urlacher (NFL DPOY) Lovie Smith (NFL COY)
2006	2006	NFL	NFC	North	1st	13	3	0	Won Divisional Playoffs (Seahawks) (27-24 OT) Won Conference Championship (Saints) (39-14) Lost Super Bowl XLI (Colts) (29-17)
2007	2007	NFL	NFC	North	4th	7	9	0
2008	2008	NFL	NFC	North	2nd	9	7	0

Players of note

Further information: List of Chicago Bears players

Current roster

Chicago Bears roster

Quarterbacks (QB) 17 Tyson Bagent 18 Caleb Williams Running backs (RB) 20 Travis Homer 23 Roschon Johnson  4 D'Andre Swift Wide receivers (WR) 13 Keenan Allen 11 DeAndre Carter  2 D. J. Moore 15 Rome Odunze 10 Tyler Scott Tight ends (TE) 14 Gerald Everett 85 Cole Kmet 84 Marcedes Lewis

Offensive linemen (OL) 72 Kiran Amegadjie LT 71 Ryan Bates RG 75 Larry Borom LT 73 Jake Curhan RT 76 Teven Jenkins LG 70 Braxton Jones LT 68 Doug Kramer Jr. C 79 Matt Pryor RT 65 Coleman Shelton C 58 Darnell Wright RT Defensive linemen (DL) 94 Austin Booker DE 93 Byron Cowart DT 99 Gervon Dexter DT 92 Daniel Hardy DE 55 Jacob Martin DE 96 Zacch Pickens DT 90 Dominique Robinson DE 98 Montez Sweat DE 52 Darrell Taylor DE 95 DeMarcus Walker DE 91 Chris Williams DT

Linebackers (LB) 49 Tremaine Edmunds MLB 53 T. J. Edwards OLB 45 Amen Ogbongbemiga OLB 57 Jack Sanborn MLB 44 Noah Sewell OLB Defensive backs (DB) 39 Josh Blackwell CB 31 Kevin Byard FS  6 Kyler Gordon CB 22 Elijah Hicks SS  1 Jaylon Johnson CB 30 Tarvarius Moore FS 36 Jonathan Owens SS 32 Terell Smith CB 38 Ameer Speed CB 29 Tyrique Stevenson CB Special teams 46 Scott Daly LS  8 Cairo Santos K 19 Tory Taylor P

Practice squad 47 Micah Baskerville MLB 62 Theo Benedet RT 25 Darrynton Evans RB 63 Chris Glaser G 82 John Jackson WR 80 Collin Johnson WR 50 Carl Jones Jr. OLB 59 Jamree Kromah DE 69 Dashaun Mallory DT 78 Austen Pleasants LT 16 Austin Reed QB 67 Sam Roberts DT (PS/I) 27 Reddy Steward CB 67 Ricky Stromberg C 87 Tommy Sweeney TE (PS/I) 83 Samori Toure WR 86 Joel Wilson TE 26 JT Woods SS Reserve 97 Andrew Billings DT (IR)  9 Jaquan Brisker SS (IR) 88 Stephen Carlson TE (IR) 21 Jaylon Jones CB (IR) 60 Bill Murray G (IR) 48 Patrick Scales LS (IR) -- Nsimba Webster WR (IR) 33 Ian Wheeler RB (IR) As of November 14, 2024. Rookies in italics. 52 active, 8 reserve, 16 practice squad (+2 exempt) Roster Depth chart Transactions

Pro Football Hall of Famers

In the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Bears are have the most enshrined primary members with twenty-six, however the club also have had five Hall of Famers spend a minor portion of their career with the franchise. George Halas, Bronko Nagurski, and Red Grange were a part of the original class of inductees in 1963, while defensive end Dan Hampton, the most recent Bear inducted, was a part of the Class of 2002.

Chicago Bears Hall of Famers (26/5)
Primary Hall of Famers (26)
No.	Player	Positions	No.	Player	Positions
1	Paddy Driscoll	QB-S-K, Head Coach	42	Sid Luckman	QB-CB
3	Bronko Nagurski	RB-OT-LB	50	Mike Singletary	LB
5	George McAfee	RB-S	51	Dick Butkus	LB
7	George Halas	founder, owner Head Coach, TE-DE	56	Bill Hewitt	TE-DE
11	Link Lyman	OT-DT	61	Bill George	LB
13	George Trafton	C-DT	66	Clyde (Bulldog) Turner	C-DT
13	Joe Stydahar	OT-DT	71	George Connor	OT-LB
16	Ed Healey	OT-DT	77	Harold (Red) Grange	RB-CB
16	George Musso	C-DT	78	Stan Jones	OT
16	George Blanda	QB	81	Doug Atkins	DE
21	Danny Fortmann	OG-DT	89	Mike Ditka	TE, Head Coach
34	Walter Payton	RB	99	Dan Hampton	DE
40	Gale Sayers	RB	--	Jim Finks	General Manager
Hall of Famers with minor portion of career with Bears (5)
N/A	Guy Chamberlin	TE-DE	1	Jimmy Conzelman	QB
N/A	Walt Kiesling	OL-DL	22	Bobby Layne	QB
82	Alan Page	OL-DL

Retired numbers

The Bears have retired thirteen uniform numbers, which is the most in the NFL, and ranks third behind the basketball Boston Celtics (21) and baseball New York Yankees (16) for the most in North American professional sports.

Chicago Bears retired numbers
Bronko Nagurski FB/LB/T 1930–1937, 1943 Minnesota	George McAfee RB/DB/PR 1940–1941, 1945–1950 Duke	George Halas End/HC Owner/Founder 1920–1983 Illinois	Willie Galimore RB 1957–1963 Florida A&M	Walter Payton RB 1975–1987 Jackson State	Gale Sayers RB/KR 1965–1971 Kansas	Brian Piccolo RB/FB 1965–1969 Wake Forest
Sid Luckman QB/DB/P 1939–1950 Columbia	Dick Butkus MLB 1965–1973 Illinois	Bill Hewitt End 1932–1936 Michigan	Bill George MG/MLB 1952–1965 Wake Forest	Clyde Turner C/LB 1940–1952 Hardin-Simmons	Red Grange RB/DB 1925, 1929–1934 Illinois	Mike Ditka TE 1961–1966 Pittsburgh

Coaches of note

Head coaches

For a more in-depth look into the history of the head coaches of the Bears, see List of Chicago Bears head coaches

As of December 30, 2007. Only regular season and postseason games are counted.

Name	From	To	Record			Titles
			W	L	T
Fritz Wasem	1919	1919	Not Available
Red Brannon
James Cook
George Halas	January 1920	December 1929	84	31	17	1
Ralph Jones	January 1930	December 1932	24	10	7	1
George Halas	December 1932	November 1942	88	24	4	3
Hunk Anderson	November 1942	December 1945	24	12	2	1
Luke Johnsos
George Halas	January 1946	December 1955	76	43	2	1
Paddy Driscoll	December 1955	December 1957	14	10	1
George Halas	December 1957	May 27, 1968	76	53	6	1
Jim Dooley	May 27, 1968	December 29, 1971	20	36	0
Abe Gibron	January 27, 1972	December 17, 1974	11	30	1
Jack Pardee	December 31, 1974	January 19, 1978	20	23	0
Neill Armstrong	February 16, 1978	January 4, 1982	30	35	0
Mike Ditka	January 20, 1982	January 1993	112	68	0	1
Dave Wannstedt	January 19, 1993	December 28, 1998	41	57	0
Dick Jauron	January 24, 1999	December 29, 2003	35	46	0
Lovie Smith	January 15, 2004	Present	47	37	0

Current staff

Chicago Bears staff

	Front office Secretary of the board of directors – Virginia Halas McCaskey Chairman – George McCaskey President/CEO – Kevin Warren General manager – Ryan Poles Assistant general manager – Ian Cunningham Senior director of player personnel – Jeff King Director of player personnel – Trey Koziol Director of college scouting – Breck Ackley Director of pro scouting – DJ Hord Director of football administration – Matt Feinstein Director of football analytics – Krithi Chandrakasan Head coaches Head coach – Matt Eberflus Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Thomas Brown Quarterbacks – Kerry Joseph Running backs – Chad Morton Wide receivers – Chris Beatty Tight ends – Jim Dray Offensive line/offensive run game coordinator – Chris Morgan Assistant offensive line – Jason Houghtaling Offensive assistant (quarterbacks/wide receivers) – Ryan Griffin Offensive assistant (quarterbacks/wide receivers) – Robbie Picazo Offensive assistant (running backs) – Jennifer King Offensive quality control – Zach Cable			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Eric Washington Defensive line – Travis Smith Assistant defensive line – Brian Bing Linebackers – Dave Borgonzi Cornerbacks/defensive passing game coordinator – Jon Hoke Nickelbacks – David Overstreet II Safeties – Andre Curtis Defensive quality control – Kevin Koch Defensive quality control – Kenny Norton III Defensive analyst (advance/special projects) – Matt Pees Special teams coaches Special teams coordinator – Richard Hightower Assistant special teams – Carlos Polk Coaching administration Director of research and analysis – Harrison Freid Coaching administration manager – Chavis Cook Strength and conditioning Head strength and conditioning – Jim Arthur Assistant strength and conditioning – Noble Landry Assistant strength and conditioning – Pierre Ngo → Coaching staff → Front office → More NFL staffs

Sources

• Taylor, Roy (2004). Chicago Bears History. Arcadia Publishing (SC). ISBN 0-7385-3319-X.

External links

• Chicago Bears Official Club Homepage
• Chicago Bears at the National Football League Official Homepage
• Chicago Bears at the Chicago Sun-Times Online Website
• Chicago Bears at the Chicago Tribune Online Website
• Chicago Bears History at BearsHistory.com
• Chicago Bears Information at Sports E-Cyclopedia.com