- 1922
- 1983
- 1985
- 2003
-
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 ... -
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 ... -
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 ... -
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 ...
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
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