Chicago Bears

In March of 1920 a man telephoned me ... George Chamberlain and he was general superintendent of the A.E. Staley Company ... In 1919, [the company's Fellowship Club] had formed a football team. It had done well against other local teams but Mr. Staley wanted to build it into a team that could compete successfully with the best semi-professional and industrial teams in the country ... Mr. Chamberlain asked if I would like to come to Decatur and work for the Staley Company.

— George Halas, in his book Halas by Halas.[14]

The team's founder George Halas (right) with NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, early 1980s

Originally named the Decatur Staleys, the club was established by the A. E. Staley food starch company of Decatur, Illinois as a company team. This was the typical start for several early professional football franchises. The team played independently in 1919, winning the Central Illinois Championship.[16] The company hired George Halas and Edward "Dutch" Sternaman in 1920 to run the team. The 1920 Decatur Staleys season[17] was their inaugural regular season completed in the newly formed American Professional Football Association (later renamed the National Football League (NFL) in 1922).

Full control of the team was turned over to Halas and Sternaman in 1921.[18] 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.[19]

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.

In 1922, Halas changed the team name from the Staleys to the Bears.[20] 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").[21] 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 Pantone 5395, navy blue, and the orange is Pantone 1665, similar to burnt orange).[22][23]

The Staleys/Bears dominated the league in the early years. Their rivalry with the Chicago Cardinals, the oldest in the NFL (and a crosstown rival 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 and most storied in American professional sports, dating back to 1921 (the Green Bay Packers were an independent team until they joined the NFL in 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.[24]

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.[25] 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.[26]

Despite much of the on-field success, the Bears were a team in trouble. They faced the problem of increased operating costs and flatlined attendance. The Bears would only draw roughly 5,000–6,000 fans a game, while a University of Chicago game would draw 40,000–50,000 fans a game. By adding top college football draw Red Grange to the roster, the Bears knew that they found something to draw more fans to their games. C.C. Pyle was able to secure a $2,000 per game contract for Grange, and in one of the first games, the Bears defeated the Green Bay Packers, 21–0. However, Grange remained on the sidelines while learning the team's plays from Bears quarterback Joey Sternaman. Later in 1925, The Bears would go on a barnstorming tour, showing off the best football player of the day. 75,000 people paid to see Grange lead the Bears to a 17–7 victory over the Los Angeles Tigers, who were a quickly put together team of West Coast college all-stars. After a loss to San Francisco, the Bears cruised to a 60–3 over a semi-pro team called the Portland All Stars.[27]

Any hopes that Grange would lead the Bears to glory in 1926 were quickly dashed. A failed contract talk led to Grange bolting to the AFL's New York Yankees, owned by Pyle. The Bears also lost star quarterback Joey Sternaman, who joined the Chicago Bulls of the AFL. The Bears replaced Grange with Paddy Driscoll, a star football player in his own right. The Bears used the money made from the Grange barn-storming tour to sign the man that replaced him. Grange split his time between making movies and playing football. However, the time was not right to have two competing pro football leagues, and the AFL folded after only one season. Grange would return to the Bears.[27]

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

From 1940 to 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 wishbone-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.[29] 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 established himself as one of the franchise's most elite quarterbacks. Between 1939 and 1950, he set the Bears' passing records for most career touchdowns, yards, and completions. Many of Luckman's records stood for decades before they were eclipsed by Jay Cutler in 2014.[30] Cutler then went on to break Luckman's franchise record for most career passing touchdowns a year later in 2015.[31]

1961 Chicago Bears offensive line in action. "Bears Workout at Soldier Field for Armed Forces game Friday."

After declining throughout the 1950s, the team rebounded in 1963 to capture its eighth NFL Championship, which would be its last until 1985. The late 1960s and early-1970s produced notable players like Dick Butkus, Gale Sayers, and Brian Piccolo,[32] 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. Despite Hall of Fame careers, Butkus and Sayers would also have their careers cut short due to injuries, hamstringing the Bears of this era.

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 NFC Championship trophy as the George Halas Memorial Trophy.

Payton set several franchise and NFL records in rushing during his 13-season career with the Bears.

After the merger, the Bears finished the 1970 season last place in their 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.[33][34] 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.[35] Payton's career and personality would capture the hearts of Bear fans, who called him "Sweetness". He died from a rare form of liver cancer in 1999 at the age of 45.

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.[36] Their son Michael became the third president in team history.[37] Mrs. McCaskey holds the honorary title of "secretary of the board of directors", but the 90-year–old matriarch has been called the glue that holds the franchise together.[38] 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 severe 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.[39]

Bears Hall of Famer Mike Ditka is the only person in the modern era to win an NFL championship as a player and coach for the Chicago Bears.

Mike Ditka, a tight end for the Bears from 1961 to 1966, was hired to coach the team by George Halas in 1982. His gritty personality earned him the nickname "Iron Mike". The team reached the NFC Championship game in 1984. In the 1985 season the fire in the Bears–Packers rivalry was re-lit when Ditka used 315-pound defensive tackle "Refrigerator" Perry as a running back in a touchdown play at Lambeau Field, against 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 Ditka. Between the firing of Ditka and the hiring of Lovie Smith, the Bears had two head coaches, Dave Wannstedt and Dick Jauron. While both head coaches led the team to the playoffs once (Wannstedt in 1994 and Jauron in 2001), neither was able to accumulate a winning record or bring the Bears back to the Super Bowl. Therefore, the 1990s was largely considered to be a disappointment.

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.[40] 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.[41] Phillips, the current Bears president, became the first man outside of the Halas-McCaskey family to run the team.[42]

Lovie Smith, hired on January 15, 2004, is the third 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.[43] 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 13 of the 2006 season, winning their first playoff game since 1995, and earning a trip to Super Bowl XLI.[44] However, they fell short of the championship, losing 29–17 to the Indianapolis Colts. Following the 2006 season, the club decided to give 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.[45]

The club has played in over a thousand games since becoming a charter member of the NFL in 1920. Through the 2010 season, they led the NFL in overall franchise wins with 704 and had an overall record of 704–512–42 (going 687–494–42 during the regular season and 17–18 in the playoffs).[46] On November 18, 2010, the Bears recorded franchise win number 700 in a win against the Miami Dolphins.

The Bears made one of the biggest trades in team history by acquiring Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler in 2009.

The Bears made one of the biggest trades in franchise history, acquiring Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler from the Denver Broncos in exchange for Kyle Orton and draft picks on April 2, 2009. After a disappointing 2009 campaign with the team going 7–9,[47] Mike Martz was hired as the team's offensive coordinator on February 1, 2010.[48] On March 5, 2010, the Bears signed defensive end Julius Peppers, running back Chester Taylor, and tight end Brandon Manumaleuna, spending over $100 million on the first day of free agency.[49] Also during the 2010 offseason, Michael McCaskey was replaced by brother George McCaskey as chairman of the Bears.[50] With a 38–34 win against the New York Jets, the Bears clinched the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye for the 2010–11 NFL playoffs. In their first Playoff game since Super Bowl XLI, The Bears defeated the No. 4 seed Seattle Seahawks 35–24 in the Divisional Round. The Bears reached the NFC Championship Game, where they played Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field – only the second playoff meeting between the two storied rivals, the only other game played in 1941.[51] The Bears lost the game, 21–14.

The team started the 2011 season strong with a 7–3 record, and running back Matt Forté led the NFL in total yards from scrimmage. Eventually, quarterback Jay Cutler fractured his thumb, and Forté also was lost for the season against the Kansas City Chiefs after spraining his MCL, and the Bears, with Caleb Hanie playing, lost five straight before winning against the Minnesota Vikings with Josh McCown starting over Hanie. At season's end, general manager Jerry Angelo was fired, and former Chiefs director of scouting and former Bears scout Phil Emery was brought in. Offensive coordinator Mike Martz resigned, and eventually retired, and was replaced by offensive line coach Mike Tice. The Bears made another notable move by trading for Miami Dolphins receiver and Pro Bowl MVP Brandon Marshall.[52] The Bears became the first team in NFL history to return six interceptions for touchdowns in the first seven games of the season, with another pick-six by Brian Urlacher in Week 9 bringing Chicago two behind the record set by the 1961 San Diego Chargers.[53] However, the Bears missed the playoffs with a record of 10–6 (after starting the season 7–1, the first team to start with the record and miss the playoffs since the 1996 Washington Redskins),[54] and Smith was fired on December 31.[55]

Then-CFL head coach and former NFL journeyman Marc Trestman was hired to succeed Smith after an exhaustive search that included at least 13 known candidates.[56][57] On March 20, 2013, Brian Urlacher's 13-year tenure with the Bears ended when both sides failed to agree on a contract.[58] The Trestman era began on September 8 with a 24–21 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, making Trestman the fourth head coach in Bears history to win in his coaching debut, after George Halas (1920), Neill Armstrong (1978) and Dick Jauron (1999).[59] The Bears ended the 2013 season 8–8, barely missing the playoffs after losing in the final week of the season to the Packers.[60] Despite having a second-ranked offense that set numerous franchise records,[61] the defense greatly worsened as it set franchise worsts in categories like yards allowed (6,313).[62]

The following season was a disaster for the Bears, with the offense regressing to finish outside the top 20 in scoring.[63] The team also allowed 50-point games in two straight weeks against the Patriots and Packers, including a franchise-high 42 points and NFL-record six touchdowns allowed in the first half against the latter,[64][65] to become the first team since the 1923 Rochester Jeffersons to allow at least 50 points in consecutive games.[66] The Bears ended the year 5–11 and last in the NFC North. Trestman and Emery were fired after the season ended.[67]

The Bears hired Ryan Pace of the New Orleans Saints to be their new general manager on January 8, 2015.[68] On January 16, 2015, John Fox accepted a four-year deal to become head coach.[69] In Fox's first season as head coach, the Bears saw improvements from 2014; after USA Today projected the Bears to win three games,[70] they doubled that total and finished the season with a 6–10 record, including a Thanksgiving win over the Packers at Lambeau Field.[71]

However, during the 2016 season, the Bears regressed heavily, compiling a 3–13 record (their worst since the NFL's change to 16-game seasons in 1978). The season included several injuries to starters and secondary players, including Jay Cutler, who only played five games as a result of two separate injuries.[72] Backup quarterback Brian Hoyer started the next three games before a broken arm put him out for the season. He was replaced by Matt Barkley, who made his first career start with the Bears.[73][74] None of the three quarterbacks returned for the 2017 season.[75][76][77]

In the 2017 NFL Draft, the team selected quarterback Mitchell Trubisky with the second-overall pick,[78] who sat behind newly signed quarterback Mike Glennon for the first four games before taking over.[79] The Bears ended the season 5–11 and again finished last in the NFC North. On January 1, 2018, Fox was fired, ending his tenure in Chicago with a 14–34 record.[80]

Roquan Smith, Khalil Mack, DeAndre Houston-Carson, and Akiem Hicks of the Bears in 2018

The Bears hired Matt Nagy from the Kansas City Chiefs as their new head coach in January 2018.[81] General manager Ryan Pace signed receivers Taylor Gabriel, Allen Robinson, and Trey Burton in the offseason to complement second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.[82] The Bears also acquired linebacker Khalil Mack in a block-blockbuster trade from the Oakland Raiders to further bolster their defense, sending a package of draft picks that includes 2019 and 2020 1st round draft picks in exchange.[83] Nagy's Bears clinched the NFC North on December 16, 2018, for the first time since 2010 with a 24–17 victory over the Green Bay Packers.[84] The Bears finished the 2018 season with a 12–4 record.[85] They lost to the defending Super Bowl Champions Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round of the playoffs after Cody Parkey's game-winning field goal attempt was partially tipped and hit the uprights in the final seconds of the game, a play coined the "Double Doink".[86][87] Despite the first-round exit, Nagy was named Coach of the Year by the Pro Football Writers Association and Associated Press.[88][89] He was the first Bears coach to be given the AP award since Lovie Smith in 2005 and the fifth in team history.[90]

In 2019, the team regressed to an 8–8 record, though Nagy's combined 20 wins in 2018 and 2019 were the most by a Bears head coach in his first two seasons.[91] During the year, renovations to Halas Hall were completed, allowing the team to move Training Camp from Ward Field on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois to Lake Forest for 2020.[92][93]

The Bears opened the 2020 season with a 5–1 record. However, they lost their next six games. The Bears won three of their last four games to finish the season with an 8–8 record. Despite their finish, the Bears qualified for the 2020–21 NFL playoffs, which was expanded to include one additional wildcard team from each conference.[94] The New Orleans Saints defeated the Bears in the opening round of the playoffs, 21–9.[95] The team did not re-sign Trubisky after the 2020 season and instead allowed him to become a free agent.[96]

Prior to the 2021 season, the Bears traded up in the 2021 NFL Draft to select quarterback Justin Fields 11th overall.[97] The team also signed veteran quarterback Andy Dalton in free agency. Dalton was initially declared the Bears starting quarterback, but Fields won the position after Dalton was injured.[98] The Bears finished the season with a 6–11 record and missed the playoffs.[99] Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace were fired after the season's conclusion.[99] Nagy posted a 34–33 record over four seasons with two playoff berths, while Pace compiled a 48–65 record over seven seasons.[99]

On January 25, 2022, the Bears hired Ryan Poles as their general manager.[8] The team hired Matt Eberflus as the franchise's 17th head coach two days later.[100] The Bears struggled throughout the 2022 season, which included a franchise-record 10-game losing streak.[101] They finished with an NFL worst 3–14 record, which secured the team the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.[101] The Bears traded the first overall pick to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for wide receiver D. J. Moore and multiple draft picks.[102]

The club was founded by A. E. Staley Manufacturing Company owner Augustus Eugene Staley in 1919 and was own by the company until 1921. In 1922 Staley felt he could no longer afford the expensive burden of pro football and transferred the team ownership to Halas and paid him $5,000 for a sponsorship deal that kept the Staleys name for one more year.[109] Halas than added Edward "Dutch" Sternaman as a second owner, while the team was incorporated at a league meeting on 28 January 1922.[110] At season's end, the two competed with agent Bill Harley for ownership of the Staleys, after he negotiated a contract that was to give his brother Chic Harley and himself one-third ownership of the team as part of his contract. However, Halas and Sternaman claimed that contract was voided when a physical revealed health impairments resultant from Harley's time in the war. The other league owners agreed to nullify the deal in favor of the Halas/Sternaman partnership by an 8–2 vote.[111]

In 1931 Sternaman offered to sell his part to his partner Halas for $38,000 to focus on his other businesses. Halas’ purchase agreement with Sternaman was to be paid off in installments, and stipulated that if Halas defaulted on any of the payments, ownership of the team reverted back to Sternaman. Halas raised the initial funding by selling ownership stake to Ralph Brizzolara (8.33%),[112] Jim McMillen ($5,000) and George Trafton mother which contribute $20,000 (Halas later bought her out for $40,000).[113] Charles Bidwill purchased $5,000 in stock in 1933 (which was later bought off of his widow Violet for $50,000 in 1949[114]) and he also arranged a bank loan for the remaining $5,000 needed to pay off Sternaman:

"But it was a mighty close call. As I remember, I finally got all the money together at 11:10 a.m. on the day the final note came due. Forfeit time was 12 o’clock noon."

— George Halas, That’s The Way the Ball Bounces, 1967

Halas remained the club's president and principal owner until his death on October 31, 1983.

Halas's children, George Halas Jr. ("Mugs") and Virginia McCaskey acquired stock in the team through prior gifts and sales. After "Mugs" death in 1979, Halas, Sr. owned a 49.35% interest in the Bears, the estate of Halas Jr. owned a 19.67% interest, Virginia McCaskey, Jim Finks (3.5%, which he would later relinquished when he resigned as the team GM[115]), Charles Brizzolara, Robert and Carol Brizzolara in joint tenancy, and Nancy Lorenz owned the remaining outstanding shares. In 1981, the shareholders merged the Bears with a newly formed Delaware-incorporated organization, the Chicago Bears Football Club, Inc..[116]

In 1987, "Mugs" estate executor wanted to sell his stocks and challenges the legality of a 1981 corporate reorganization and the other owners right of first refusal,[117] while his heirs Christine and Stephen Halas tried to keep their father stocks, asking a Cook County Probate Court judge not to allow the sale.[118] They failed to block the Chicago Bears from buying their 19.67% ownership of the football team, and sold their share for $17.5 million in 1988.[119] Bears then-president Michael McCaskey called the purchase a "terrific financial burden", and the team would later sell those stocks to Chicago-area businessmen Andrew McKenna and Patrick Ryan for undisclosed sum[lower-alpha 2] in 1990.[120] At the time it was also speculate that they invested to help the Bears lobby lawmakers for a domed stadium.[121] In 2017 the NFL approved a sale of shares from Halas Jr. children (unreported whom or how much) to the McCaskey family for undisclosed sum.[122]

Staley Da Bear in 2008

Before the 2003 season, the team 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, in a fashion similar to Fireman Ed. There is no known source of who "Rocky" was, and presumably currently lives in Northwestern Indiana.[128] Don Wachter, also known as "Bearman", is a season ticket holder who decided in 1995 that he could also assist the team by cheerleading, similar to Rocky. The club allowed him to run across the field with a large Bears flag during player introductions and each team score (a role currently done by the Bears 4th Phase and Bears captains). 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.[129]

Staley Da Bear is an anthropomorphic bear with a customized No. 00 jersey, with blue and orange eyes, synonymous with the team's main colors.[130] His name is eponymous to corn processing company A. E. Staley, who founded the Bears' franchise. Like Rocky and Bearman, he entertains Bears fans, but like other NFL mascots, and mascots in general, Staley also makes various visits to charity events, parties,[131][132] Chicago Rush AFL games, and other Bears-related events, as well as taking part in various games with his "furballs" against youth football teams at halftime.[133][134]

The team also formerly had their own cheerleading squad called the Chicago Honey Bears, who were formed in 1976. However, Bears owner Virginia Halas McCaskey terminated them after the 1985 season.[135] The squad's uniforms have changed 3 times: from 1976 to 1979, the uniform was a white bodysuit with navy blue sleeves, then from 1980 to 1984 it became a white bodysuit, but with orange sleeves and the navy was moved to the trim, and in the squad's final season in 1985, the uniform was redesigned with an orange sequin vest.[136]

Since 1998, the Bears have partnered with 'A Safe Place,' a domestic violence shelter in Waukegan, Illinois.[137] In June 2017, current and former Bears employees helped with renovations at the shelter by ripping up carpet, painting walls, demolishing a kitchen and building a fence.[137] The Bears have also provided financial support throughout the years.

The Green Bay Packers are the Bears' biggest rivals since their team's inception in 1920. The Green Bay Packers currently have the lead at 103–95–6,[138] and the teams have met twice in the postseason. The Bears won the 1941 meeting, 33–14, and eventually defeated the New York Giants in the 1941 NFL Championship Game, and the Packers won the 2011 meeting, 21–14, en route to a Super Bowl XLV win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The teams' first meeting was a victory for the Bears (known as the Staleys at the time) in 1921 in a shutout, 20–0. The Packers claimed their first win over the Bears in 1925, 14–10. The 1924 matchup (which ended in a 3–0 win for Chicago) was notable for featuring the first-ever ejection of players in a game in NFL history, as Frank Hanny of the Bears and Walter Voss of the Packers were ejected for punching each other.[139] The rivalry also featured one of the last successful fair catch kicks in 1968, when Bears kicker Mac Percival kicked the game-winning field goal.[140]

The NFL's oldest rivalry. The Bears originally had an intense intra-city rivalry with the Chicago Cardinals, lasting until 1959 when the Cardinals moved to St. Louis. The rivalry's importance waned further after the Cardinals relocated to the Phoenix metropolitan area in 1988 and eventually became the Arizona Cardinals. While it is the oldest continuing matchup in the NFL, the Bears and Cardinals have yet to meet in the playoffs. The Bears lead the all-time series 59–28–6, and during the Cardinals' tenure in Chicago, the Bears went 47–19–6 against them.[141][142][143][144]

The Detroit Lions and Bears have faced off since the Lions' inception in 1930, when they were known as the Portsmouth Spartans, with the Spartans winning, 7–6, and Chicago winning the second meeting, 14–6. Since then, the Bears have led the series, 99–74–5. The rivalry grew in 1932, when the Bears and Spartans met in the first-ever postseason game in NFL history, with the Bears winning the game 9–0. The game also was known as the first pro "indoor football" game, as the game took place in indoor Chicago Stadium due to a blizzard at the time. The game also started the forward pass.[145]

Chicago and Minnesota took each other on in the Vikings' inaugural game, with the Vikings defeating the Bears in a 37–13 rout, and Minnesota currently holds the series lead 60–54–2.

The Bears and the New York Giants squared off in six NFL championship games, more than any common match-up in either the NFL championship game or Super Bowl. The Bears won four of the six championship games, which included the Sneakers Game that the Giants won in the 1934 NFL Championship Game. The two teams also met in the 1985 and 1990 playoffs, splitting each meeting en route to a Super Bowl championship (Bears in Super Bowl XX, Giants in Super Bowl XXV). The Bears lead the all-time series 36–24–2.[146]

The Bears also holds minor rivalries with its former NFC Central foe Tampa Bay Buccaneers (40-21 all-time record),[147][148] former Western Conference foes San Francisco 49ers (33-35-1)[149][150] and the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams (54-39-3),[151] and AFC member Miami Dolphins (4-10).[152] Chicago also had a fierce instate rivalry with the Rock Island Independents in the league first decade, with the Bears winning the series 7-2-4.[153]

From its inception up until 1930 the Staleys/Bears conducted their summer training camp in their home stadiums: Staley Field (Decatur, Illinois) and later Cubs' Park (Chicago).[167] In 1930 the first moved to Mills Stadium in Chicago and from 1931-1934 at Loyola University Chicago, Logan Square Baseball Park, Notre Dame University and Lane Tech College Prep High School (respectively). In 1935 they started to conduct their training camps at a prominent location, when they started practicing at St. John's Northwestern Military Academy (Delafield, Wisconsin) for a decade.[168]

In 1944 they moved to St. Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Indiana and stayed there for 30 years. This location was the place of the famous automobile accident on July 27, 1964 that killed Bears players Willie Galimore and Bo Farrington, after Galimore's Volkswagen left the road on a curve and rolled, a few miles from the team's training camp.[169][170][171]

From 1975 to 1984 they conduct their summer training camp in Lake Forest College, at the original Halas Hall (the practice and front office facility for the Bears from 1977 until 1997).[172] The practice field was later renamed Farwell Field and serves as the main field for Foresters football and soccer.

From 1984 to 2001, the Bears held pre-season training camp in Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium at University of Wisconsin–Platteville. They were considered a member of the "Cheese League" that in 1999 consisted of the Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs, with each team practicing at a different university in Wisconsin.[173] In 2001, the Illinois General Assembly asked the Bears to move to an Illinois practice facility in order to raise funds for remodeling Soldier Field. Before the Bears left, they donated $250,000 to UW–Platteville for a new computer lab, which was named "The Bears Den".[174] On June 16, 2014, the stadium was damaged by a tornado and the Bears donate $50,000 to the school relief fund.[175]

From 2002 to 2019, the Bears held their summer training camp at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais. Although the Bears had an agreement to continue practicing at the university through 2022,[176] they moved the camp, permanently, into the recently renovated Halas Hall in 2020.[177]

Map of radio affiliates by tower location, thus WBBM's location in the western suburbs of Chicago

Currently, WMVP (1000 AM) broadcast Bears games with Jeff Joniak doing the play-by-play, along with color commentator Tom Thayer, who played for the Bears from 1985 to 1992.[194] Over the years, many Bears play-by-play broadcasters have included play-by-play announcers Jack Brickhouse, Joe McConnell and Wayne Larrivee, and color commentators Hub Arkush, Dick Butkus, Jim Hart and Irv Kupcinet.

Spanish radio station WLEY-FM aired the Bears games from 2012 to 2014. Since 2015, WRTO and WVIV-FM air Bears games in Spanish.

Preseason games air on WFLD (channel 32). The announcers are Adam Amin (play-by-play), Jim Miller (color commentary) and Lou Canellis (sideline reporter). WFLD also carries the majority of the team's regular season games through the NFL on Fox. Any Bears home games against AFC teams are aired on the CBS O&O station, WBBM-TV, which was the Bears' unofficial "home" station from 1956 until Fox won the NFC rights in 1995. Sunday Night games are broadcast on WMAQ-TV, the NBC O&O station, with ESPN Monday Night Football games rotating between WLS-TV and WCIU-TV (dependent on opponent, along with ABC's Monday night entertainment schedule).

This is a partial list of the Bears' last five completed seasons. For the full season-by-season franchise results, see List of Chicago Bears seasons.

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

As of January 8, 2023

In the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Bears have the most enshrined primary members with 30; the club also has had seven Hall of Famers spend a minor portion of their career with the franchise.[205] Founder, owner, head coach, and player George Halas, halfback Bronko Nagurski, and Red Grange were a part of the original class of inductees in 1963. The franchise saw 14 individuals inducted into the Hall of Fame from 1963 to 1967. Offensive tackle Jim Covert and defensive end Ed Sprinkle are the most recent Chicago Bear inductees, both being inducted as seniors as part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's centennial class of 2020.[206] In 2023 Chuck Howley, who only played minor portion of his career with the Bears, was elected as a Seniors candidate.[207]

In addition, Ray Bray was enshrined in Helms Athletic Foundation Pro Football Hall of Fame, which was established in 1950 and preceded the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He's the only Bears member from the Helms Athletic Foundation hall to not be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 1979 and honors sports greats associated with the Chicago metropolitan area.[208] As of 2023, there are 59 honorees enshrined in the hall with connection to the Bears.[209]

The Bears have retired 14 uniform numbers, which is the most in the NFL, and ranks fourth behind the basketball Boston Celtics (23), baseball New York Yankees (21), and hockey Montreal Canadiens (15) for the most in major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. The Bears retired Mike Ditka's number 89 jersey on December 9, 2013.[210] It is the last number that the Bears retired.[211]

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

In honor of the team's centennial anniversary, on May 20, 2019, the Chicago Bears unveiled the Top 100 players in franchise history, as voted on by Hall of Fame writers Don Pierson and Dan Pompei, two of the most famous journalists that have ever covered the club in their long history.[212] At the time of the publish, the list included 27 Pro Football Hall of Famers, while two more inductees would join in the 2020 class (Jim Covert and Ed Sprinkle).

Among the 100 Greatest, four active players made the list, including safety Eddie Jackson (96), defensive lineman Akiem Hicks (75), offensive lineman Kyle Long (74) and Khalil Mack (60), who had only played only one season with the team at the time of the unveiling of the list. Long would retire the following year.

On a later date, Chicagobears.com released a list titled "Top 10: Best of the rest" that featured the top 10 snubs from the centennial list. The players include (in a following order): Alex Brown, Thomas Jones, Dave Whitsell, Curtis Conway, Tim Jennings, Leslie Frazier, Roberto Garza, Marty Booker, Nathan Vasher and William Perry.[213]

 ^𝙝𝙤𝙛   Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.
 ^𝐟   Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist.
 ^HAF   Helms Athletic Foundation Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.[lower-alpha 3]
 ^vg   PFRA Hall of Very Good inductee.[214]

During the week of June 3, 2019 the All-Time Team was announced in parts each day starting with the All-Time defensive players,[215] followed by the All-Time specialists[216] and then the All-Time offensive players.[217] Bold indicates those elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Larry Mayer of the Chicagobears.com would later state, that according to the voters "if they had included a long-snapper on the team it would have been Patrick Mannelly".[218]

^* As a Chicago Bear