Sports Team History

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Search in posts
Search in pages
  • Home
  • Sports History
    • Baseball History
    • Basketball History
    • College History
    • Football History
    • Hockey History
    • Soccer History
  • Greatest Player Polls
  • STH News

Chicago Bears Team History

NFL Logo Tourney
Sports Market History
Sports News History
Chicago Bears




  • 1922
  • 1983
  • 1985
  • 2003
  • George Halas 1922

    Bears Team Nickname

    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 ...
    Read More
    See Full Story
  • Virginia Halas McCaskey

    New Owner Virginia McCaskey

    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 ...
    Read More
    See Full Story
  • Chicago Bears Super Bowl Shuffle 1985

    Super Bowl Winner 1985

    Super Bowl XX – 1985 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.” In the 1985 season, the fire in the Bears-Packers rivalry was relit when Ditka used 315-pound defensive tackle “Refrigerator” Perry as a running ...
    Read More
    See Full Story
  • Soldier Field Renovation

    Soldier Field Renovation

    In 2001, the Chicago Park District, which owns the structure, faced substantial criticism when it announced plans to alter the stadium with a design by architect Benjamin T. Wood of the Boston-based architecture firm Wood and Zapata. Stadium grounds were reconfigured by the Chicago-based architecture firm of Lohan Associate, led by architect Dirk Lohan, the grandson of architect Ludwig Mies ...
    Read More
    See Full Story

Bears Primary Logo
Bears Alternate Logo
Bears Wordmark Logo

History of the Bears

The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NFL Championships, including one Super Bowl, and hold the NFL record for the most enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the most retired jersey numbers. The Bears have also recorded more victories than any other NFL franchise.

The franchise was founded in Decatur, Illinois, on September 17, 1920, and moved to Chicago in 1921. It is one of only two remaining franchises from the NFL's founding in 1920, along with the Arizona Cardinals, which was originally also in Chicago. The team played home games at Wrigley Field on Chicago's North Side through the 1970 season; they now play at Soldier Field on the Near South Side, adjacent to Lake Michigan. The Bears have a long-standing rivalry with the Green Bay Packers.





Established
1920

City
Decatur - Chicago

League History
1920 – Present / National Football League

Team History
1922 - Present / Chicago Bears
1921 / Chicago Staleys
1920 / Decatur Staleys

Nickname
Bears - In 1922, after team founder-manager and star end George Halas purchased the team, he changed the name to the Bears. Halas reasoned that because football players were generally bigger than baseball players, and the city’s baseball team was the Cubs, then logically the football team should be the Bears.

Championship
Super Bowl 1
1986
NFL Championships 6
1963, 1946, 1943, 1941, 1940, 1933
NFL Standings Champion 0
1921

Stadium
2003 - Present / Soldier Field II

*Champaign*
2002 / Memorial Stadium

*Chicago*
1971 - 2001 / Soldier Field I
1921 - 1970 / Wrigley Field

*Decatur*
1919 - 1920 / Staley Field

Owner
1983 - Present / Virginia Halas McCaskey
1933 - 1983 / George Halas
1921 - 1933 / George Halas and Dutch Sternaman
1919 - 1921 / A. E. Staley

Who is the greatest Chicago Bears?
  • Add your greatest player

To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.

Retired Number
3 / Bronko Nagurski
5 / George McAfee
7 / George Halas
28 / Willie Galimore
34 / Walter Payton
40 / Gale Sayers
41 / Brian Piccolo
42 / Sid Luckman
51 / Dick Butkus
56 / Bill Hewitt
61 / Bill George
66 / Clyde “Bulldog” Turner
77 / Harold “Red” Grange
89 / Mike Ditka

*Blue is this team’s history

Sports News History

Sports News Worth Knowing

RSS NFL Headline News

  • Late NFL star Thomas had CTE, researchers say
  • Seahawks QB Drew Lock responds to viral US Open tweet
  • 49ers’ Deebo Samuel addresses refusing to sign young fan’s football at event in now-deleted tweet
  • Odell Beckham Jr. said he tore his ACL last season well before Super Bowl LVI
  • Herd Mentality 173: Most Underrated Buffalo Bills

Sports Market History

Sports Team Marketplace of Champions!

Gameday Tailgating

  • WinCraft MLB Arizona Diamondbacks Stars and Stripes FlagWinCraft MLB Arizona Diamondbacks Stars and Stripes Flag
    3'x5' in Size with two Metal Grommets for attaching to…
  • Proline NFL Houston Texans Recreational Cornhole SetProline NFL Houston Texans Recreational Cornhole Set
    Two officially licensed 2' x 3' tailgate size cornhole boards,…
  • Outerstuff NFL New Orleans Saints Drew Brees #9 Alternate Jersey
    Officially licensed NFL product Alternate Jersey Screen printed graphics with…
  • MasterPieces MLB Fanzy Dice GameMasterPieces MLB Fanzy Dice Game
    Perfect for 2-4 Players ages 6 and up 20 challenge…
  • WinCraft MLB Arizona Diamondbacks Polyester FlagWinCraft MLB Arizona Diamondbacks Polyester Flag
    3'x5' in Size with two Metal Grommets for attaching to…

NFL Logo Battle

NFL Greatest Player

NFL Teams
Menu
  • Arizona Cardinals
    • Phoenix Cardinals
    • St. Louis Cardinals
    • Chicago Cardinals
  • Atlanta Falcons
  • Baltimore Ravens
  • Buffalo Bills
  • Carolina Panthers
  • Chicago Bears
    • Chicago Staleys
    • Decatur Staleys
  • Cincinnati Bengals
  • Cleveland Browns
  • Dallas Cowboys
  • Denver Broncos
  • Detroit Lions
    • Portsmouth Spartans
  • Green Bay Packers
  • Houston Texans
  • Indianapolis Colts
    • Baltimore Colts
    • Dallas Texans
  • Jacksonville Jaguars
  • Kansas City Chiefs
    • Dallas Texans
  • Las Vegas Raiders
    • Oakland Raiders
    • Los Angeles Raiders
  • Los Angeles Chargers
    • San Diego Chargers
  • Los Angeles Rams
    • St. Louis Rams
    • Cleveland Rams
  • Miami Dolphins
  • Minnesota Vikings
  • New England Patriots
    • Boston Patriots
  • New Orleans Saints
  • New York Giants
  • New York Jets
    • Titans of New York
  • Philadelphia Eagles
  • Pittsburgh Steelers
    • Pittsburgh Pirates
  • San Francisco 49ers
  • Seattle Seahawks
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Tennessee Titans
    • Tennessee Oilers
    • Houston Oilers
  • Washington Commanders
    • Washington Football Team
    • Washington Redskins
    • Boston Redskins
    • Boston Braves
  • Proposed Teams
    • Baltimore Bombers

STH News

"Latest Sports Team History News"

The History and Evolution of the Most Famous Premier League Clubs

June 20, 2022

Who are the Best Premier League Teams in 2022?

June 14, 2022

Titans of Tennessee: The Story Behind the Team

June 14, 2022

Biggest Comeback in College Football History

June 13, 2022

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Search in posts
Search in pages
Sports Logo History
Sports News History
Sports Market History
  • About
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer Sports Team History
  • Privacy Policy

Sports Team History
© 2013 - 2022 Sports Team History
Managed by Sports History Group
  • Home
  • Sports History
    • Baseball History
    • Basketball History
    • College History
    • Football History
    • Hockey History
    • Soccer History
  • Greatest Player Polls
  • STH News