“Monsters of the Midway” and ’80s defense featured on Bears all-time team
“Monsters of the Midway” and ’80s defense featured on Bears all-time team
The Bears have reached a league championship game in the NFL 14 times, with nine victories. Chicago won four times in five title game appearances in the early 1940s, when they were known as the “Monsters of the Midway.” After the title run ended, the Bears only played for the championship twice until the 1980s, when the defense became one of the best in NFL history and won Super Bowl XX.
Compiling an all-time team for such a long-running and storied franchise is a difficult task, but one thing is certain, players from both eras are scattered throughout the roster.
Head Coach: George Halas was a player, coach, and owner from the beginning of the franchise, and he is the only player to have a role in each of the NFL’s first 60 years. As a coach, “Papa Bear” went 318-148-31, with a league record for victories that stood for 27 years. He was on the bench for 40 years in four stints, winning 10 or more games seven times and leading the team to a 6-3 record in the NFL Championship Game. His name now graces the trophy given to the NFC Champions. Mike Ditka revitalized the team, especially the defense, in the 1980s. He went 106-62 over 11 seasons and matched Halas with seven seasons of 10 or more victories. “Iron Mike” led the team to the playoffs seven times, including a Super Bowl XX win over the Patriots. Lovie Smith had an 81-63 record in nine seasons and took the team to Super Bowl XLI, where they lost to the Colts.
Quarterback: Hall of Famer Sid Luckman led the “Monsters of the Midway” to four championships in 12 seasons. His totals of 14,686 yards and 137 touchdowns both rank second in team history. He won the Joe F. Carr Trophy as league Most Valuable Player in 1943 after leading the NFL with 2,194 yards and 28 scores. Luckman was a five-time All-Pro, a three-time Pro Bowler, and he led the league in passing yards and touchdowns three times each. Jay Cutler is the franchise’s all-time leader with 23,443 yards and 154 scoring passes. He was under center when the Bears went to the NFC Championship Game in 2010. Jim McMahon had a 46-15 record over seven seasons in Chicago. “Mad Mac” led the team to a victory in Super Bowl XX and also played in two other NFC title games. He ranks fourth with 11,203 yards and 67 touchdowns. Billy Wade led the team to a championship in 1963, the same year he went to the Pro Bowl.
Running Back: Hall of Famer Walter Payton is in the argument for the greatest back of all-time. “Sweetness” ranks second in NFL history with 16,726 yards and fourth with 110 touchdowns. He was named MVP and Offensive Player of the Year in 1977 after leading the league with 1,852 yards and 14 touchdowns. Payton was a nine-time Pro Bowler, a five-time All-Pro and played in Super Bowl XX. He is also the team’s all-time leader with 492 receptions and NFL’s Man of the Year Award bears his name. Another Hall of Famer, Gale Sayers ran for 4,956 yards and 39 scores in seven seasons before his career was cut short by knee injuries. “The Kansas Comet” was the 1965 Rookie of the Year, a five-time All-Pro and a four-time Pro Bowler. Sayers is second in team history with 487 receptions. Harold “Red” Grange is another player who has a bust in Canton. “The Galloping Ghost” was a two-time All-Pro who was a part of two championship teams. Neal Anderson is third with 6,166 yards and second with 51 touchdowns. He was a four-time Pro Bowler who had three 1,000-yard seasons. Matt Forte ranks second on the team with 8,602 yards and fourth with 45 scores. The 2008 All-Rookie Team member also played in two Pro Bowls and ran for 1,000 or more yards five times. Willie Galimore played on the 1963 title team and ran for eight touchdowns in his 1958 Pro Bowl season.
Fullback: Rick Casares is fourth in Bears history with 5,657 yards and third with 49 touchdowns. He was a five-time Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in 1956, when he led the league with 1,126 yards and 12 scores. Hall of Famer Bronislau “Bronko” Nagurski was a four-time All-Pro and a three-time champion. He was also a two-way tackle, and the award for the best defensive player in college football is named after him. Matt Suhey blocked for Payton in the 1980s. He ran for 2,946 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Wide Receiver: Ken Kavanaugh is the team’s all-time leader with 50 touchdowns and a 22.4-yard per reception average. He was a part of three championship teams and was a two-time Pro Bowler. Harlon Hill is second with 4,616 yards and 40 scores. He was a three-time Pro Bowler, a two-time All-Pro and he led the league in touchdowns twice. Johnny Morris led the team with 5,059 yards and is third with 356 receptions. He was an All-Pro in 1964 when he led the league with 93 catches, 1,200 yards, and 10 touchdowns. Alshon Jeffery is third with 4,549 yards, including 1,421 in his 2013 Pro Bowl season. Dick Gordon is a two-time Pro Bowl selection who was third with 35 touchdowns, including a league-high 13 in his 1970 All-Pro season. Marty Booker was a Pro Bowler in 2002, when he had 1,189 yards. Brandon Marshall was a two-time Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in 2012 after registering 1,508 yards and 11 scores. Curtis Conway finished with 4,498 yards and had 12 touchdowns in 1995.
Tight End: Mike Ditka was a five-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro who became a Hall of Fame coach. He had 4,503 yards and 34 touchdowns in six seasons, and he won a title in 1963. Jim Dooley missed nearly two years while serving in the U. S. Air Force and all of 1958 with an ankle injury. Despite that, he had a solid career and replaced Halas as head coach. Desmond Clark started and caught six passes in Super Bowl XLI.
Tackle: Jimbo Covert was a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in both 1984 and ’85, and he was a starter in Super Bowl XX. Hall of Famer George Musso split time between right guard and right tackle. He was a part of four championship teams, was a three-time Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in 1937. Keith Van Horne played in 186 games and started opposite Covert. Hall of Famers Joe Stydahar, Ed Healey, William “Link” Lyman, and George Connor all spend time on the left side. Stydahar was a four-time Pro Bowler, a four-time All-Pro and a three-time champion. Healey was selected as an All-Pro four times. Lyman won two titles and was a two-time All-Pro. Connor was a four-time Pro Bowler and a four-time All-Pro. James Williams spent 12 seasons in Chicago and was a Pro Bowler in 2001. Herman Lee and Bob Wetoska both played on the 1963 championship team.
Guard: Hall of Famer Danny Fortmann was a six-time All-Pro, a three-time Pro Bowler and a three-time champion. Another Canton enshrine, Stan Jones went to seven Pro Bowls, was a three-time All-Pro and a member of the 1963 championship team. Ray Bray was a four-time Pro Bowler and a three-time champion in the 1940s. Mark Bortz went to a pair of Pro Bowls and played in Super Bowl XX. Roberto Garza split time between right guard and center. He played in 154 games and Super Bowl XLI. Current right guard Kyle Long has been to three Pro Bowls in six years. Jim Cadile (1964) and Tom Thayer (1985) were both part of title teams. Noah Jackson started 124 games over nine seasons.
Center: Jay Hilgenberg was a seven-time Pro Bowler, a two-time All-Pro and a starter in Super Bowl XX. Olin Kreutz went to six Pro Bowls, was an All-Pro in 2006 and started in Super Bowl XLI. Hall of Famers George Trafton and Clyde “Bulldog” Turner fortified the position for most of the team’s first 30 years. Trafton, the only original Staley on the team, was a two-time All-Pro and a two-time champion. Turner was a seven-time All-Pro, a four-time Pro Bowler, and he had 17 interceptions as a linebacker.
Defensive End: Hall of Famer Richard Dent is the team’s all-time leader with 124½ sacks. He had 10 or more in eight seasons, including 17½ in 1984 and a league-leading 17 the following year, when he was named an All-Pro. “The Colonel” was a four-time Pro Bowler and the MVP of Super Bowl XX. Another Hall of Famer, Dan Hampton is third with 57 sacks, including 11½ in his All-Pro 1984 season. He played in Super Bowl XX and was named a Pro Bowler four times. Doug Atkins also is enshrined in Canton. He was an eight-time Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in the 1963 championship season. Mike Hartenstein had 24 sacks, including 12 in 1983. Julius Peppers, a 2010 All-Pro, had 37½ sacks and made three Pro Bowls in four seasons. Ed Sprinkle went to four Pro Bowls and was part of the 1946 title team. Trace Armstrong had 42 sacks, including 11½ in 1993.
Defensive Tackle: Steve “Mongo” McMichael was second in team history with 92½ sacks and a Super Bowl XX champion. He was a two-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro. The other starter on the Super Bowl XX line was William “The Refrigerator” Perry, who had 28½ sacks in nine seasons. Fred Williams was a four-time Pro Bowler and a champion in 1963. Tommie Harris was a three-time Pro Bowler and a participant in Super Bowl XLI. Jim Osborne played in 186 games in 13 years. Wally Chambers went to three Pro Bowls, was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1973 and was named an All-Pro three years later. Jim Flanigan had 40½ sacks, including 11 in 1995.
Outside Linebacker: Lance Briggs was a seven-time Pro Bowler, an All-Pro in 2005 and a participant in Super Bowl XLI. He is second in team history with 1,174 tackles to go along with 16 interceptions and 15 sacks. Joe Fortunato was named to five Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams, and his 22 fumbles recovered ranks second on the team list. Doug Buffone played in 186 games and had 24 picks in 14 years. Otis Wilson amassed 36 sacks, including 10½ in his 1985 Pro Bowl season. Larry Morris started 82 games in seven years and was part of the 1963 championship team.
Middle Linebacker: Four Hall of Famers man the position. Mike Singletary was a 10-time Pro Bowler, a seven-time All-Pro and a two-time Defensive Player of the Year. Dick Butkus was an eight-time Pro Bowler, a five-time All-Pro, and his 27 fumbles recovered are the most in team history. Brian Urlacher was an eight-time Pro Bowler and a four-time All-Pro. He ranks first with 1,354 tackles to go with 41½ sacks. Urlacher played in Super Bowl XLI and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2005. Bill George was an eight-time Pro Bowler, an eight-time All-Pro and a member of the 1963 title team.
Cornerback: Charles Tillman is third in team history with 36 interceptions, including eight for touchdowns. He is a two-time Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in 2012. Tillman ranks first with 42 forced fumbles and fourth with 737 solo tackles. Donnell Woolford picked off 32 passes and made the Pro Bowl in 1993. Tim Jennings was a two-time Pro Bowler who had an NFL-high nine interceptions in 2012. Dave Whitsell, JC Caroline, and Bennie McRae all played on the 1963 title team. Caroline was a 1956 Pro Bowler who had 24 picks, Whitsell amassed 26 and McRae tallied 27, including four returned for scores. Leslie Frazier had 20 interceptions in five seasons and played in Super Bowl XX.
Safety: Gary Fencik is Chicago’s all-time leader with 38 interceptions. He was a two-time Pro Bowler, an All-Pro in 1981 and a Super Bowl XX participant. Richie Petitbon is a close second with 37 picks. He was a four-time Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in the 1963 championship season. Rosey Taylor had 23 interceptions, including a league-leading nine in his 1963 Pro Bowl, All-Pro and title season. Mark Carrier is a three-time Pro Bowler who amassed 20 picks, with 10 coming in 1990 when he was named Defensive Rookie of the Year. Mike Brown had 17 interceptions, including four returned for scores. He played in Super Bowl XLI, was an All-Pro in 2001 and a Pro Bowler in 2005.
Kicker: Robbie Gould is the team’s all-time leading scorer with 1,207 points. He had eight seasons with 100 or more, including 143 in 2006, when he was named a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro. Kevin Butler made the All-Rookie Team after leading the league with 144 points in 1985. He had 100 or more points five times and 1,116 in all.
Punter: Bobby Joe Green had a 42.1-yard average over 10 years. He was a Pro Bowler in 1970 and a member of the 1963 championship team. Brad Maynard played in Super Bowl XLI and led the NFL in punts and yards in 2004. Bob Parsons led the league in punts three times and yards twice.
Returners: Devin Hester is one of the most dangerous return men in NFL history. He combined for nearly 9,000 yards and 18 touchdowns (13 punts, five kickoffs). Hester was a three-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro. Glyn Milburn had 4,596 kick return yards, including an NFL-high 1,550 in 1998. He was a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro the following year. Dennis Gentry played in Super Bowl XX and had 4,353 yards and three scores over 11 seasons. Hall of Famer George McAfee ranks second in team history with 1,431 punt return yards. He was a three-time champion and an All-Pro and Pro Bowler in 1941. Sayers returned six kickoffs and two punts for touchdowns.
Special Teams: Before becoming a special teams star with the Ravens, Brendon Ayanbadejo played in Super Bowl XLI and went to the Pro Bowl twice in three seasons. After making a Pro Bowl with the Patriots, Larry Whigham was selected again in 2001.
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-By: Kevin Rakas