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The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They currently belong to the Northern Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Originally called the Decatur Staleys, the team was established by the A.E. Staley Company of Decatur, Illinois in 1919. One year later, George Halas took over the team and it became a charter member of the NFL. The team relocated to Chicago in 1921, where it was called the Chicago Staleys before being renamed the Bears in 1922. The Bears have won 9 total league titles (trailing only the Green Bay Packers, who have 12), including 8 NFL Championships and Super Bowl XX. The Bears have the most enshrinees (26 members) in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The team also has a fierce rivalry with the Green Bay Packers, which is the longest rivalry in the NFL with over 170 meetings between the two clubs. Since 1971, the team has played its home games at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. The stadium is located right next to Lake Michigan and was recently remodeled to resemble the other newer stadiums being built around the league.
Franchise history
Since becoming a charter member of the league in 1920, the Bears have played in over 1,000 games. Through the 2005 season, they led the NFL in overall franchise wins with 671 and have an overall record of 671-495-42 (going 657-479-42 during the regular season and 14-16 in the playoffs). They were founded in 1919 by the A.E. Staley Company in Decatur, Illinois as the Decatur Staleys, originally as the company team, a typical start for several of the classic NFL franchises. Staley hired George Halas and Edward "Dutch" Sternaman in 1920 to run the team and turned control of the team over to them in 1921. However, official team and league records call George Halas 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 it was called the Chicago Staleys under an agreement that was reached by Halas and Sternaman with Staley. At the time when the franchise moved to Chicago, Halas purchased the rights for $100. 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). As with several early NFL franchises, the Bears derived their nickname from that of their landlords, in this case the Chicago Cubs. The Bears's rivalry with the Green Bay Packers is one of the oldest and fiercest in professional sports, dating back to 1921. In one infamous incident in 1921, Halas got the Packers expelled from the league in order to prevent them signing a particular player, and then graciously got them re-admitted after the Bears had closed the deal with that player. In the 1985 season, Coach Mike 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 Packers have also one-upped the Bears from time to time over the years, such as the "Instant Replay Loss" game of 1989.[1] The Bears were responsible for triggering the NFL's long-standing rule that a player could not be signed until his senior class had graduated. The NFL took that action as a consequence of the Bears' aggressive signing of famous U of I player Red Grange, within a day after his final game as a collegian.[2] The Bears became a dominant team in the early 1940s, reaching the NFL Championship Game 5 times during a 7 season span, and winning 4 of them. The team acquired the University of Chicago's discarded nickname "Monsters of the Midway" 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. That score is still an NFL record for lopsided results.[3] The Bears declined in the late 1940's and continued to be on a down trend throughout the 1950's. The team did rebound in 1963 to capture their 8th NFL Championship under Halas. The late 1960's and early 1970's gave way to notable players like Dick Butkus, Gale Sayers, and the tragic story of Brian Piccolo. After his partner Dutch Sternaman left the organization, Halas maintained control of the Bears until his death in 1983. Halas also coached the team off-and-on for forty seasons, an NFL record. For the most part, the Bears have stayed in the Halas family. The team is currently owned by Halas' daughter Virginia McCaskey and has been run on a day-to-day basis since 1999 by President and CEO Ted Phillips. The Bears have won a total of 9 league championships, including 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 Dolphins are the only franchise in history (through the 2005 season) to have 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. Ironically enough, "The Super Bowl Shuffle" was videotaped the next day after that Monday night loss. Since the 1985 Championship season, the Bears have been on a downward slide. Since 1992, the Bears have made the playoffs only three times--winning only one game. They have been defeated at home in the playoffs twice in the new millennium. The Bears have not played in the NFC Championship Game since 1988, when the San Francisco 49ers blasted the Bears 28-3 at Soldier Field. Logo historyBears Logo: 1962-1974 The current Bears logo since 1974Throughout the team history, the Chicago Bears have had a few official team logos. The first was introduced in the early 1950's as a black bear with a football. The team kept this until 1962, when the Bears trademark 'C' logo was first used by the team.[4] The change in logo was due to the addition of a logo on the helmets, which pro football teams started adding in the late 1950's early 1960's. 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 to color of it from white to orange with a white trim. The current verison of the logo which is the orange wishbone C has been around since 1974. Uniforms/ColorsThe traditional "Home" and "Away" uniform kitsCurrent Uniform Colors:
In the 1930s, the Chicago Bears' team uniform underwent some substantial alterations. After many subtle and not-so-subtle changes, 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 psychodelia" by adding three orange stripes to their helmets, changing the color of the jerseys from orange to white, complementing the new white jerseys with 14 navy and orange alternating stripes on the sleeves, and introducing socks with a similar striped pattern extending from ankle to knee. Mercifully, this design lasted only one season[5]. Chicago Bears Uniform History (1920-2005)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 11 years later, and has remained unchanged ever since. The Bears added the initials GSH to the left sleeve of their jerseys in 1984 in honor of the late founder/owner/player/head coach 'Papa Bear' George S. Halas who passed away on October 31, 1983. 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. On October 7, 2002 the Bears wore navy blue pants with their navy blue home jerseys for the first and so far only time in team history. On November 13, 2005, 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. Stadium
Soldier Field, located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago Illinois, is the current home to the Bears. 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 Soldier Field II. The Bears moved into Soldier Field in 1971 after Wrigley Field became too small to hold an NFL event. The stadium's playing turf was changed to astroturf in the early 1980's. But due to player complaints, the turf was replaced by natural grass. In 2002, the stadium was closed and rebuilt with only the exterior wall of the stadium being preserved. Some people viewed the remodeling as a mistake. They believed that the current structure of the stadium has made the stadium more of an eyesore than landmark. People have dubbed the stadium such names as the "Mistake on the Lake".[6] In 2006, since the Bears won the NFC North and the No. 2 Seed in the NFC Playoffs, the team hosted a playoff game on January 15 at Soldier Field against the Carolina Panthers. This was the first playoff game there since the stadium reopened. Some Famous Bears Games at Soldier Field: The Bears in popular cultureThe '85 Bears doing the Super Bowl ShuffleThe 1971 TV-movie Brian's Song starred 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. It became one of the best-loved sports films of all time. A remake of the movie starred Sean Maher as Piccolo and Mekhi Phifer as Sayers. In addition to the Super Bowl Shuffle[7] rap song, the Bears' success in the 1980s, especially 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, with co-panelists Karl (Robert Smigel), Pat (Mike Myers) and Todd (Chris Farley). To hear them tell it, "Da Bears," Coach Ditka, "Da Bulls" and Michael Jordan could do no wrong. The sketch stopped after Ditka was fired in 1993 and Jordan made his first retirement soon after, but made a brief comeback when Jordan made his first comeback in 1995, with guest-host John Goodman playing Pat in place of the now-departed Myers, suggesting that the absence of Ditka and Jordan from the Chicago sports scene had led him to overeat and become as overweight as Farley. The sketch usually showed the panelists drinking lots of beer and eating lots of sausage (usually referred to as "Polish sausage"), and often featured Farley as Todd getting so agitated about what was happening with the Bears (or the Bulls) that he suffered a heart attack, but quickly recovered. This sketch could be viewed differently following Farley's 1997 death from a drug-induced real-life heart attack. Ditka, Dick Butkus, Walter Payton, Jim McMahon, William Perry and Brian Urlacher are among Bears figures known for their appearances in TV commercials. Owners
The Bears were founded by A.E. Staley technically speaking, but everyone including NFL record books say that George Stanley Halas, nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was the founder and first owner of the Chicago Bears. Halas played and coached for the franchise in the 1920's and was named to several All-Pro teams in the decade. He will be remembered for the infamous signing of college all-star Red Grange. In his return in the late 1930s, Halas - with University of Chicago coach Clark Shaughnessy - perfected the T-formation system to create a revolutionary and overwhelming style of play which drove the Bears to an astonishing 73-0 victory over the Washington Redskins in the 1940 NFL Championship Game, where both starters and regulars dominated. Every other team in the league immediately began trying to imitate the format. The Bears repeated as NFL champions in 1941, and the 1940s would be remembered as the era of the "Monsters of the Midway". Halas retired in 1967 and spent the rest of his days as the owner of the Bears. He became the only person to be involved with the NFL in the first 60 years of it existance and when he passed in 1983, Halas left behind a legacy of truly being Mr. Everything with a resume of 63 years as an owner, 40 as a coach, 324 wins, and 8 NFL titles as a coach or owner. He was also apart of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's first induction class in 1963. In his honor, the National Football League named the National Football Conference Championship trophy in his honor as the George Halas Memorial Trophy. After Halas's death, his daughter Virginia McCaskey took over as the owner of the team, but in sense the team was ran on a daily basis by her son, Michael McCaskey until 1998, when Mrs. McCaskey replaced him with Ted Phillips. Phillips is the current man in charge of the Bears. There have been unconfrimed rurmors that Michael McCaskey, the hier to the ownership of the team, will possible sell the team. As of 2005, the Forbes Magazine has reported that the Chicago Bears franchise is worth $841 million[8]. The team also has major sponsership with Bank One, Anheuser-Busch (nyse: BUD), Toyota Motor (nyse: TM), Boeing (nyse: BA), and Coca-Cola (nyse: KO).[9] Current Chicago Bears' President and CEO Ted Phillips
Club Presidents
Team records
Throughout the club's history[10] kicker Kevin Butler holds the 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 Hall of Famer Walter Payton with 750 points. Chicago Bears Steve McMichael, (1981-93) holds the record for most consective games played by a Bear with 191. In second place is Walter Payton, who played 186 games from 1975 to 1987 at running back, a position known to injury, in a span of 13 seasons only missing one game. Mark Bortz holds the record for most Bear playoff appearances with 13, and is followed by 8 other players, who have played in 12 playoff games. The 1940 Chicago Bears team hold the record for the biggest defeat in an NFL game (playoff or regular season) with a 73-0 whipping over the Washington Redskins in the 1940 NFL Championship Game. Also Halas holds the team record for coaching the most seasons with 40, and with the most career wins of 324. Halas's record was a standing NFL record through 1993. Mike Ditka is the closest to Halas with 112 career victories. Current roster
Famous players
Over 1,000 players have played on the Chicago Bears roster from 1920 to 2005. Pro Football Hall of FamersThe Bears boast the most enshrined Hall-of-Famers (26)[11]in NFL History. The original inductees include George Halas, Bronko Nagurski, and Red Grange in 1963, while defensive end Dan Hampton was most recently inducted in 2002. Hall of Famer "Iron Mike" Ditka Walter Payton: The Greatest Running Back in Chicago Bears' history.
Retired numbersThe Bears have retired 13 numbers, which is the most in the NFL. The Bears also rank third in all of professional sports in retired numbers behind the New York Yankees and Boston Celtics. George Halas was the Chicago Bears founder, owner, head coach, and player
* the subject of the film Brian's Song AwardsFun Fact: The NFC Championship trophy is named the George S. Halas Memorial Trophy after Papa Bear himself, who was a pioneer in Pro FootballCoach of the Year: (8) 1963: George Halas Most Valuable Player: (2) 1943: Sid Luckman QB Defensive Rookie of the Year: (3) 1973: Wally Chambers DT Offensive Rookie of the Year: (4) 1961: Mike Dikta TE Defensive Player of the Year: (3) 1985: Mike Singletary LB Super Bowl MVP: (1) 1985: Richard Dent DE (XX) Head coaches
* George Halas coached the Bears at four different times Current staff
BroadcastersThe Chicago Bears can be heard around the Chicago area, Northwest Indiana, and in some cities in the Midwest. Flagship stations:
Midwest:
Footnotes
References
External linksOfficial Team Site
Historical Team Links
Fans Sites
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