The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are currently members of the Northern Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Bears have won nine American Football championships (eight NFL Championships and Super Bowl XX) trailing only the Green Bay Packers, who have twelve. The Bears have the most enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with twenty-six members.

The club was founded in Decatur, Illinois in 1919 and moved to Chicago in 1921. From 1971 to 2001, and from 2003 to the present, the team has played its home games at Soldier Field in Chicago. The stadium is located next to Lake Michigan and was recently remodeled in a controversial modernization that has attempted to bring stadium amenities expected by today's fans to a historic Chicago building. The team also has a fierce, long-standing rivalry with the Packers, with whom they have played over one hundred seventy games.

History

The following is an overall summary of the team's history. For more details, see History of the Chicago Bears. For season-by-season win-loss records, see Chicago Bears seasons. For details about the current season, see 2006 Chicago Bears season.

1920–1970

Originally called the Decatur Staleys, the club was established by the A. E. Staley Company of Decatur, Illinois in 1919 as a company team, the typical start for several of the early professional football franchises. The company hired George Halas and Edward "Dutch" Sternaman in 1920 to run the team and turned full control of the team over to them in 1921.^[1]

However, official team and league records cite Halas as the founder^[2] as he took over the team in 1920 when it became a charter member of the NFL. Along with the Cardinals, the Bears are the only charter members of the NFL still in existence. The team relocated to Chicago in 1921, where the club was renamed the Chicago Staleys. Under an agreement that was reached by Halas and Sternaman with Staley, Halas purchased the rights to the club from Staley for $100.

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 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.^[3]

In 1922, Halas changed the team name from the Staleys to the Bears. The team moved into Wrigley Field, which was home to the baseball franchise, the Chicago Cubs. As with several early NFL franchises, the Bears derived their nickname from their city's baseball franchise. 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).

The franchise was an early success under Halas capturing the NFL Championship in 1921 and remaining competitive throughout the decade. 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 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.^[4]

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^[5] defeated the Bears on a cold, icy day at the Polo Grounds 30–13.

From 1940–1947, quarterback Sid Luckman led the Bears to victories in four out of the five NFL Championship Games they appeared in. 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. The score is still an NFL record for lopsided results.^[6] The secret behind the lopsided result 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 since as he still holds club records for passing.^[7]

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 1969. The American television station, ABC aired a movie about Piccolo in 1971 entitled Brian's Song starring James Caan and Billy Dee Williams.

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 in the first 60 years of its existence. He was also a part 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 as the George Halas Memorial Trophy after the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.

1970–2006

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 with their first pick, who made an immediate impact on the football landscape. He won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award in the 1977–78 season.^[8][9] Payton would go on to eclipse Jim Brown's NFL career rushing record in 1984. Payton would hold the NFL rushing total until 2002, when Emmitt Smith of the Dallas Cowboys broke his record.^[10] Payton's career and great personality would capture the hearts of Bear fans, who called him "Sweetness". Payton died from a rare liver cancer in 1999.

From 1977 to 1985 the club's official cheerleaders were the Honey Bears. The Honey Bears were hired by then General Manager Jim Finks. They cheered at Soldier Field during all Bears home games and performed at halftime to the viewing public. The group founder and choreographer, Cathy Core was contacted by Finks on the topic of organizing the cheerleading squad, but as she didn't believe that Finks was actually calling she hung up. When she later found out it was Finks, she apologized.^[11]

The idea of a cheerleading squad was thought up by Halas himself who called them "dancing girls."^[11] Halas was quoted as saying that the Honey Bears would be around as long as he was alive.^[11] After Halas's death in 1983, the McCaskey family ended their relationship with the Honey Bears by refusing to renew their contract. Word has it that as long as the McCaskey family owns the team, the Honey Bears will remain a memory.^[11]

On November 1, 1983 a day after the death of George Halas, his daughter Virginia McCaskey took over as the majority owner of the team, but in sense the team was run on a daily basis by her son, Michael McCaskey. 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.^[12]

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. Halas, Jr. died of a massive heart attack in 1979 and after Halas's death in 1983, Mrs. McCaskey became the majority owner. 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 listed her as one of Chicago's most powerful women.^[13]

In the 1985 season the fire in the Bears–Packers rivalry was relit when 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,^[14] and since quarterback Brett Favre has led the Packers the club has won the last 21 out of 28 meetings with the Bears.^[15]

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 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. "The Super Bowl Shuffle" was videotaped the next day after that Monday night loss.

After the 1985 Championship season, the Bears remained competitive throughout the 1980s but failed to return to the Super Bowl. Since the firing of Mike Ditka at the end of the 1992 season, the Bears have only made the playoffs three times–winning only one game. The club has also gone through three coaching changes in the last decade. Lovie Smith hired by the franchise on January 15, 2004 is the third and current head coach. The Bears have not played in the NFC Championship Game since 1988, when the San Francisco 49ers beat the Bears 28-3 at Soldier Field.

In 1998, Mrs. McCaskey fired her son Michael McCaskey from the post of President, replacing him with Ted Phillips and promoting her son to chairman of the board. McCaskey's reign as President has been viewed as a disaster with mishap after mishap.^[16] Phillips, the current Bears president, became the first man outside of the Halas-McCaskey family to run the team.^[17] In 2005 The Bears won their division and reached the playoffs for the first time in four years. All but one of the starters from that team return for 2006, giving fans cause for optimism.

The club has played in over a thousand games since becoming a charter member of the NFL in 1920. Through the 2005 season, they lead 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).^[18]

Ownership

Virginia McCaskey, who votes her eleven children's stock as well as hers, controls 80% of the team. Patrick Ryan, executive chairman of Aon Corp., and Aon director Andrew McKenna. own 19.7% of the club.^[19] Many Bears fans have expressed their displeasure with the McCaskey family. In a Crain's Chicago Business article, one businessman described his wishes for the team to maximize its potential. There have been rumours that the McCaskey family might split up over the team.^[20]

As of 2006, the Forbes Magazine has reported that the Chicago Bears franchise is worth $945 million^[21] making it the tenth richest franchise in the NFL. The team has major sponsorship deals with Bank One, Anheuser-Busch, Toyota Motor, Boeing, and Coca-Cola.^[22] Additionally, the Bears have an agreement with NBC 5 Chicago (the NBC affiliate in Chicago) to broadcast pre-season football games.^[23]

Team colors and mascots

Logo

The club has had few official logos throughout their history. The first was introduced in the early 1950s as a black bear on top of a football. The team kept this until 1962, when the Bears trademark 'C' logo was first introduced by the team.^[24]

The change in their from the black bear was due to the addition of logos on the 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 to color of it from white to orange with a white trim. This is the current logo to this date however the club has experimented with some alternative logos throughout the past decade including a black bear inside of the orange wishbone 'C', introduced in 1995, and an orange bear head, introduced in 1999.

Uniforms

In 1920 the team introduced the official team uniforms containing brown and blue stripes. In the 1930s, the franchise's 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 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. Due to poor response from the fans and the media, this design lasted only one season.^[25]

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 honor of the late founder/owner/player/head coach 'Papa Bear' George S. Halas who died 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. 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 uniforms worn by the team 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 team have not worn the all-blue combination since. 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. The classic look of the club's uniforms has given it the title of one of the best uniform kits in the league.^[26]

Mascots

Before the introduction of Staley Da Bear, the club had two unofficial mascots named "Rocky" and "Bearman". "Rocky" was a man who donned on 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.^[27] Don Wachter also known as "Bearman" is a season-ticket holder who decided in 1995 if he could assist the team anyway 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.^[28]

Stadium

Soldier Field, located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, 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).^[29] Many fans refer to the rebuilt stadium as New Soldier Field.^[30]

The Bears moved into Soldier Field in 1971 after Wrigley Field, the Bears' home for 50 years, became too small to hold an NFL event.^[31] 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.^[32] In 2002, the stadium was closed and rebuilt with only the exterior wall of the stadium being preserved. Many critics have negative views of the new stadium. They believe that the current structure of the stadium has made the stadium more of an eyesore than a landmark. Some have dubbed it the "Mistake on the Lake".^[33]

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.^[34] 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.^[35] 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 "Bears".^[36]

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.^[37][38] A 2001 remake of the movie for ABC starred Sean Maher as Piccolo and Mekhi Phifer as Sayers.^[39]

The 1985 team is also remembered for recording the song 'Super Bowl Shuffle' which reached number forty-one on the Billboard charts Top 50 and was nominated for a Grammy Award.^[40][41] The video for the song sees the team gyrating awkwardly and 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 record margin.

In addition to the Super Bowl Shuffle^[42] 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".^[43] 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 Karl (Robert Smigel), Pat (Mike Myers) and Todd (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 Farley as 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 scores for Bears games.^[44] A significantly overweight Farley died in 1997 from a drug overdose exacerbated by arteriosclerosis,^[45] 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.

Super Bowl XX was one of the most watched televison 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.^[46]

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.^[47] He is also the color analyst for all local broadcasts of Bears preseason games.

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 the league's best-selling in 2002, is currently featured on Nike commercials with Atlanta Falcons' quarterback Michael Vick.^[48][49]

Statistics and records

Bill George and Doug Buffone hold the record for the most seasons in a Bears uniform with 14.