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120-638: The team maintained a partnership with the Chicago Bears that turned the Commandos into a de facto farm team . Former Bears player Frank Bausch served as head coach. In 1942, with the United States fighting in World War II , President Franklin D. Roosevelt urged sports programs to continue operating. John MacCullough, a former USC Trojans football player and the owner of Aero Parts Manufacturing Company,

240-619: 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, losing to the San Francisco 49ers 23–0, 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

360-635: 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. 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

480-530: A 20-yard field goal in the third quarter. Ronzani attempted to rally the offense in the fourth quarter, but one drive that reached Riley's red zone ended in a turnover on downs when his pass on fourth down was too low. Another Wichita offensive drive went as deep as the Centaurs' seven-yard line before being intercepted by Nelson Catlett. Fort Riley accumulated 190 rushing yards while Wichita had 166, and both teams had nine first downs gained via running plays. Despite

600-495: A 20-yard pass to Elmo Kelly and Paul Graham ran in for another score. Ronzani led another series that ended in a score via Floyd "Snoz" Wheeler. McEnulty recorded the final touchdown on a five-yard run. Down 26–0, Gruber attempted to throw the ball but only completed three of 11 passes for 38 total yards. Wichita recorded 256 total yards while Gruber had just 40. The Aero Commandos also outgained their opponent in first downs with 18 to Gruber's four. Army Air Base, Colorado Springs ,

720-475: A 24–17 victory over the Green Bay Packers . The Bears finished the 2018 season with a 12–4 record. 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 ". Despite the first-round exit, Nagy

840-515: 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). The Bears ended the 2013 season 8–8, barely missing the playoffs after losing in the final week of the season to the Packers. Despite having a second-ranked offense that set numerous franchise records,

960-515: A college football game in 1982, the famous walk-off touchdown simply called The Play happened with five backward passes. In the Big Game between Stanford and California , with four seconds left and trailing by one point, Cal ran the kickoff all the way for the walk-off touchdown using five backward passes, eventually running through the Stanford Band , who had already taken the field (believing

1080-438: 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 of directors", but has been called the glue that holds the franchise together. Mrs. McCaskey's reign as

1200-471: A day of his final game as a collegian. 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

1320-733: A finger in an accident at a Boeing plant later in August. On September 5, the team was formally dubbed the Wichita Aero Commandos. Some official NFL records refer to the team as the Aero Commanders like the Arizona Cardinals ' media guide. The Aero Commandos played eight games, six of which were against military teams. The final two games came against the NFL's Chicago Cardinals and Cleveland Rams , both of whom had bye weeks and scheduled

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1440-486: A five-yard touchdown pass by Miller to Joe Byrnes, but it was nullified as Miller was too close to the line of scrimmage when he threw (the quarterback had to be five yards behind the line before throwing, a rule that existed in college at the time but which the NFL removed in 1933; the first half of the Commandos–Kellys game was played under collegiate rules while the second utilized the professional rulebook). Early in

1560-409: 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. 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 . Phillips became the first man outside of

1680-400: A fumble. The snap is legally considered to be a backward pass, although a blown snap is not scored as a fumble. The oxymoron "forward lateral" is used to describe an attempted "lateral" (backward pass) that actually goes forward. In most cases, it is illegal. A variant, the hook and lateral , where a forward pass is immediately passed backward to a second receiver to fool the defense,

1800-407: A last-minute desperation strategy or as part of a trick play . Examples of plays utilizing the lateral pass are the toss , flea flicker , hook and lateral , and buck-lateral . While a forward pass may only be thrown once per down by the team on offense from within or behind the neutral zone , there are no restrictions on the use of lateral passes; any player legally carrying the ball may throw

1920-411: A lateral pass from any position on the field at any time, any player may receive such a pass, and any number of lateral passes may be thrown on a single play. Additionally, a player receiving a lateral pass may throw a forward pass if he is still behind the neutral zone, subject to the forward pass rules. A lateral is the only type of pass that can be legally thrown following a change of possession during

2040-425: A play. Unlike a forward pass, if a backward pass hits the ground or an official, play continues and, as with a fumble , a backward pass that has hit the ground may be recovered and advanced by either team. Backward passes can also be intercepted . A lateral may be underhand or overhand as long as the ball is not advanced in the pass. A ball that is passed exactly sideways is considered a backwards pass. If it hits

2160-510: A poor snap in his end zone for a Wichita safety. Wheeler ran for another score while Miller added a third touchdown of five yards to Joe Byrnes. A fourth quarter Fort Sill drive stalled on the Commandos' 14, from which Wichita drove 86 yards for the fourth and final touchdown of the game. The Commandos outperformed Fort Sill in nearly every major statistical category including rushing yards (203–72), passing yards (124–3), and interceptions (4–1). Future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Red Grange

2280-572: 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 . 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

2400-787: A professional American football team based in Chicago . The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NFL Championships , eight prior to the AFL–NFL merger and one Super Bowl . They also hold the NFL records for the most enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the most retired jersey numbers. The Bears' NFL championships and overall victories are second behind

2520-461: A result of two separate injuries. 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. None of the three quarterbacks returned for the 2017 season. In the 2017 NFL draft , the team selected quarterback Mitchell Trubisky with the second-overall pick, who sat behind newly signed quarterback Mike Glennon for

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2640-525: 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,

2760-401: A setback as the team went 4–12. The team improved to a 7–9 record in 2003 but still missed the postseason. Jauron was fired following the end of the 2003 season. 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

2880-488: A team that was regarded as having "a reputation for wide open football" with the single-wing formation , visited Wichita for the Commandos' second game. The lone change to the starting lineup came at right end where Bob Layton was named the starter over Triplett. Before the game, the Aero Commandos signed West Texas alumnus Teeter Schupach and Washington State 's Sam Godfey. The Commandos scored 27 unanswered points in

3000-538: 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). 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 franchise history, acquiring Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler from

3120-509: Is distinguished from a forward pass , in which the ball is thrown forward, towards the opposition's end zone . In a lateral pass the ball is not advanced, but unlike a forward pass a lateral may be attempted from anywhere on the field by any player to any player at any time. While the forward pass is an invention of the North American games, the lateral and backward pass is also a part of rugby union and rugby league , where such passes are

3240-598: Is not a complete list. This is only the most known plays with lateral passes. A well-known and controversial NFL lateral pass occurred during the Music City Miracle play at the end of the 2000 playoff game between the Tennessee Titans and the Buffalo Bills . The play was a true lateral (the ball did not move forward or backward in the pass), but the receiver was a step ahead of the passer and reached back to catch

3360-445: Is used on occasion. Another variant is called the flea flicker , where a player laterals the ball back to the quarterback before crossing the line of scrimmage. The lateral pass rule, or rather the lack of restrictions contained therein, has given rise to some of the most memorable and incredible walk-off touchdowns in football history. Both collegiate and NFL football have certain examples of football lore which involve laterals. This

3480-472: The 1977–78 season . 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. 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,

3600-399: The 1996 Washington Redskins ), and Smith was fired on December 31. 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. On March 20, 2013, Brian Urlacher's 13-year tenure with the Bears ended when both sides failed to agree on a contract. The Trestman era began on September 8 with

3720-572: The 2006 season, winning their first playoff game since 1995, and earning a trip to Super Bowl XLI . 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. The club has played in over

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3840-512: The Brizzolara family (who own 8.33%), which amounts to an 80.33% ownership stake, allowing her to control the team. Former chairman and CEO of Aon Corp. Pat Ryan (17.67%) and former Aon director Andrew J. McKenna 's estate (2%) own the remainder 19.67% of the club. Ryan is also a board member. The McCaskey family has right of first refusal on stock sale, while Ryan's block has second refusal rights. In 2020, Forbes magazine reported that

3960-532: The Carolina Panthers in exchange for wide receiver D. J. Moore and multiple draft picks. The Bears opened the 2023 season with a 0–4 record, extending the team losing streak to 14 (longest in team history; dating back to the 2022 season). The team bounced back by winning five of their last eight games, but finished with a 7–10 record, placing last in the NFC North for the second consecutive season. However,

4080-530: 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

4200-546: 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. The company hired George Halas and Edward "Dutch" Sternaman in 1920 to run the team. The 1920 Decatur Staleys season

4320-496: 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, Mike Martz was hired as the team's offensive coordinator on February 1, 2010. 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. Also during

4440-515: 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

4560-536: The Green Bay Packers , with whom they have a long-standing rivalry . The franchise was founded in Decatur, Illinois , on September 20, 1919, became professional on September 17, 1920, and moved to Chicago in 1921. It is one of two remaining franchises from the NFL founding in 1920, along with the Arizona Cardinals , which began in Chicago. The team played home games at Wrigley Field on Chicago's North Side through

4680-591: The Henry's Amateur Athletic Union basketball team. When assembling a roster, Bausch emphasized that although many college students were being hired at war plants, he would not recruit players who were still eligible to play college football . Among the team's signings were former Kansas quarterback and Aero Parts personnel department employee Ralph Miller , Miller's high school teammate and running back Burt "Red" Hayes, Wichita University fullback and punter Doug McEnulty , and Tennessee fullback Chet Robertson who lost

4800-582: 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 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

4920-585: 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"

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5040-474: The 1970 season; playing since then at Soldier Field on the Near South Side , adjacent to Lake Michigan . The team headquarters, Halas Hall , is in the Chicago suburb of Lake Forest, Illinois . The Bears practice at adjoining facilities there during the season, and began hosting training camp at Halas Hall in 2020 after major renovations. In March of 1920 a man telephoned me ... George Chamberlain and he

5160-709: The 2010 offseason, Michael McCaskey was replaced by brother George McCaskey as chairman of the Bears. 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

5280-405: The Bears had to settle for second place behind Cleveland. 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

5400-481: 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

5520-406: The Bears hired Ryan Poles as their general manager. The team hired Matt Eberflus as the franchise's 17th head coach two days later. The Bears struggled throughout the 2022 season , which included a franchise-record 10-game losing streak. They finished with an NFL worst 3–14 record, which secured the team the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft . The Bears traded the first overall pick to

5640-510: The Bears saw improvements from 2014; after USA Today projected the Bears to win three games, they doubled that total and finished the season with a 6–10 record, including a Thanksgiving win over the Packers at Lambeau Field. 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

5760-518: The Bears were incorporated at an NFL meeting, as "a new league team" after its name change. 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 the contract was voided when a physical revealed health impairments resultant from Harley's time in

5880-603: The Bears with a newly formed Delaware-incorporated organization, the Chicago Bears Football Club, Inc. . Lateral pass In gridiron football , a lateral pass or lateral (officially backward pass in American football and onside pass in Canadian football ) occurs when the ball carrier throws or hands the football to a teammate in a direction parallel to or away from the opponents' goal line. A lateral pass

6000-514: The Bears, the team rehired their former offensive coordinator and then Illinois head coach Ron Turner to improve the Bears' struggling offense. 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

6120-614: 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 . The Bears became

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6240-489: The Bears. 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 NFL playoff game. Due to blizzard conditions in Chicago,

6360-460: The Cardinals' struggles against NFL opponents as they found success against Chicago's depleted line, especially among the less talented reserves once the Cardinals withdrew their starters. The 5–5 Cleveland Rams were the Commandos' final opponent. The Rams were fairly comparable to the Cardinals, with the teams splitting their two meetings in 1942; although the Cardinals had a better rushing offense,

6480-534: The Centaurs' scouting of Wichita as granting them "the best of the deal. We did a lot of scoring against Randolph and used a lot of plays, while Fort Riley didn't uncover too much of their pet stuff." Much of Wichita's gameplanning focused on the Centaurs' running back Benny Sheridan, prompting Bausch to comment that "we'll have our hands full trying to stop him", along with opposing backs like ex- Georgia captain Bobby Nowell and former Bear Bobby Reale. Riley also gained

6600-665: The Commandos in their first game in Kansas. Wichita shuffled their starting lineup for the game, with Ronzani being named the first-string quarterback over Miller, Swede Ellstrom starting at halfback over Hayes, and Thurman Garrett taking over starting center duties. Aided by having larger players than the military personnel of their opponent, Wichita had nearly triple the rushing yards of Randolph Field with 232 to 80. The Commandos also recorded nine times as many passing yards at 166 (on seven of 14 passes) to 21 (on three of 20) and ten more first downs with 17 to seven. McEnulty and Mooney helped lead

6720-471: The Commandos to a 55–0 win. The Fort Riley Centaurs took on the Commandos a week after defeating Wichita University, a game Bausch and Ronzani attended to analyze their upcoming opponent. In turn, Centaurs head coach Lieutenant Curry N. Vaughan and his staff had scouted the Commandos' first four games before attending the Randolph Field matchup a day after their Wichita University meeting. Bausch described

6840-556: The Halas-McCaskey family to run the team. From 1997 to 2000, the Bears suffered four consecutive last place finishes within the division. In the 2001 season, Jim Miller took over as the primary starting quarterback and helped lead the Bears to a resurgent 13–3 record and division title. The 2001 team did not see any postseason success as they fell 33–19 to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round. The 2002 season saw

6960-595: The Rams possessed a stronger passing attack despite losing star quarterback Jack Jacobs to the United States Navy . The Eagle described the Rams as "fully as tough" as the Cardinals though their offensive style, a modified T formation under coach Dutch Clark , was "more open" than Chicago's. The day before the game, Bausch announced he would retire as a player. Cleveland's first score, a 55-yard touchdown pass from Parker Hall to Dante Magnani , came just two minutes into

7080-529: The Wichita team with developing players from the Bears; Halas cited Bausch's presence as a key factor in making the deal as the Bears and Bausch both used the T formation offense. Bears assistant Gene Ronzani joined the team as a player-coach . Other staffers included E. E. "Dutch" Scheufler as athletic trainer ; Scheufler previously worked in the same position for the National Baseball Congress and

7200-506: The ball over his head for a blind lateral to running back Moe Williams at the 15, and Williams ran it into the end zone for a touchdown to give the Vikings a 14–7 lead at halftime. This play was later named the 68th greatest play in the first 100 years of the NFL. Another well known play was executed in a college football game by Presbyterian against Wake Forest in 2010. In this trick play, three lateral pass rules were used in combination. First

7320-639: The ball, so it gave the appearance of an illegal forward pass. In October 2003, the Minnesota Vikings faced the Denver Broncos with the scores tied at 7–7 as the first half came to a close. With 12 seconds left in the half and the Vikings on their own 41-yard line facing a 3rd-and-24, Daunte Culpepper threw a long pass to Randy Moss , who caught the ball at the Denver 10-yard line. As Moss was being tackled and driven backwards by two Broncos defenders, he tossed

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7440-435: The breeze in nothing flat." The Beacon predicted the game would be a "battle royal" as the Commandos had "some mighty nice looking speed merchants themselves". Five minutes into the game, Hayes returned an interception 85 yards for a touchdown. Later in the first quarter, Fort Sill reached the Wichita 26-yard line before turning the ball over on downs. The second quarter began with Fort Sill quarterback Bert Roberts recovering

7560-495: 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). 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),

7680-645: The club was renamed the Chicago Staleys ; Under an agreement reached by Halas and Sternaman with Staley, they received US$ 5,000 to keep the name "Staleys" for the 1921 season. In 1922, Halas changed the team name from the Staleys to the Bears . The team moved into Wrigley Field , home of the Chicago Cubs baseball franchise. As with several early NFL franchises, the Bears derived their nickname from their city's baseball team (bears' young are called "cubs"). Halas liked

7800-451: The day before the game. As a result, they left Albuquerque on Sunday and the game was pushed back by half an hour from its original 2:30 start time to accommodate the visitors. Due to the delay, the Kellys arrived minutes before kickoff. A muddy field resulted in both teams struggling to move downfield as the first half ended in a scoreless tie. The Commandos had scored shortly before halftime on

7920-604: The deal with that player. 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

8040-466: The defense greatly worsened as it set franchise worsts in categories like yards allowed (6,313). The following season was a disaster for the Bears, with the offense regressing to finish outside the top 20 in scoring. 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

8160-466: The first four games before taking over. 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. The Bears hired Matt Nagy from the Kansas City Chiefs as their new head coach in January 2018. General manager Ryan Pace signed receivers Taylor Gabriel , Allen Robinson , and Trey Burton in

8280-421: The first half beginning with Miller's first quarter touchdown pass to Hayes. A quarter later, Chief McClain scored twice on 13- and 17-yard runs, followed by Ronzani's eight-yard touchdown throw to George Gruber shortly before halftime. Another touchdown came in the third quarter to put Wichita up 33–0. Colorado finally scored later in the quarter when halfback Bob Thereate lateraled to Gil Keith who ran 45 yards for

8400-450: 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 . 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

8520-506: The franchise is worth $ 3.525 billion, making it the seventh richest franchise in the NFL. Chicago is the third largest media market in the United States. In a Crain's Chicago Business article, one businessman described his wishes for the team to maximize its potential. In 2009, Yahoo! Sports listed the McCaskeys as the third worst owner in the NFL, stating "[T]hey get less for what they've got than any team in our league." The club

8640-403: 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 . Cutler then went on to break Luckman's franchise record for most career passing touchdowns a year later in 2015 . After declining throughout the 1950s,

8760-605: 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 ,

8880-410: The game on Hayes' 22-yard run. A fifth and final touchdown by the Cardinals came in the third period with Joe Bukant 's pass to Frank Ivy . Despite the 35–7 defeat, The Beacon claimed McEnulty brought "the fans to their feet" with a kick, aided by wind, that went approximately 120 yards. The Wichita Eagle 's Pete Lightner also noted the Commandos were able to publicly uncover a key factor in

9000-519: The game was over after Stanford players appeared to have tackled a Cal ball-carrier). The game remains controversial because of Stanford's contention that the Cal player's knee was down before he passed the ball during the third lateral and that the fifth lateral was an illegal forward pass . In an NFL game in 2003, there was a well known play called the River City Relay with three lateral passes. The game

9120-522: The game was played at Chicago Stadium , marking it as the first indoor American football game. 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 defeated the Bears 30–13 on a cold, icy day at

9240-449: The game. In the following quarter, the Rams had an 80-yard drive that culminated in a touchdown run by George Morris . Herb Schlotthauer recorded Wichita's lone touchdown of the game in the third quarter on a 80-yard run. The Commandos finished the season with a 5–3 record. The team did not continue in 1943, though Bausch remained at Aero Parts. A year later, he became an assistant coach at Wichita University. Players like Garrett joined

9360-446: The games as additional preparation. Wichita's season was initially supposed to begin against Lowry Field , but a military order prevented them from playing teams outside the base. Waco Army Air Field , the original Week 3 opponent, canceled after a string of blowout losses. Lawrence Stadium hosted every game. Although primarily a baseball park, it was completely resodded for football and bleachers were constructed. The seating capacity

9480-414: The ground, the person throwing or "pitching" the lateral pass will be subjected to the fumble designation in the statistics in the NFL, even if the ball is dropped or muffed by a teammate, although in college football this can be credited to whichever player the statistician feels is most responsible. If the ball hits the ground after traveling even slightly forward, however, it is then incomplete instead of

9600-529: The latter, to become the first team since the 1923 Rochester Jeffersons to allow at least 50 points in consecutive games. The Bears ended the year 5–11 and last in the NFC North. Trestman and Emery were fired after the season ended. The Bears hired Ryan Pace of the New Orleans Saints to be their new general manager on January 8, 2015. On January 16, 2015, John Fox accepted a four-year deal to become head coach. In Fox's first season as head coach,

9720-676: The military. Garrett enlisted in the Army and was stationed at Fort Sill before attending college at Oklahoma A&M University , though he was banned from playing for the football team as his stint with the Aero Commandos was ruled as professional football experience. Some Commandos would later play for the Bears like McEnulty and Garrett. McEnulty won the 1943 NFL Championship Game in his first of two seasons with Chicago, while Garrett played in 1947 and 1948. Chicago Bears 1970 due to renovations to Wrigley Field : 2002 due to renovations to Soldier Field : The Chicago Bears are

9840-438: The norm. Compared to its use in rugby, laterals and backward passes are less common in North American football, due to a much greater focus on ball control in American football strategy ; they are most commonly used by the quarterback , after taking the snap , to quickly transfer ("pitch") the ball a short distance to a nearby running back (or, rarely, wide receiver ) on a rushing play. Laterals are also often seen as part of

9960-459: The offseason to complement second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky . 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. Nagy's Bears clinched the NFC North on December 16, 2018, for the first time since 2010 with

10080-463: 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. Mike Ditka ,

10200-407: The quarterback passed the ball sideways while intentionally bouncing the ball on the ground (a so-called "fake fumble pass"). The pass-receiver faked the end of the play, suggesting that it was an incomplete pass, but then passed the ball forward to a wide-receiver, who successfully ran for a touchdown. Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe described the play "as well executed as anything I’ve ever seen". In

10320-410: 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

10440-662: The score. The fourth quarter saw a final touchdown by the Commandos. Colorado totaled 162 in rushing yardage but also lost 59 such yards, while Wichita had 266 rushing yards with only 22 lost. The airmen were also limited to just one completed pass for no yards in 12 attempts with three being intercepted. Multiple lopsided defeats resulted in Waco Army Air Field canceling their game against the Aero Commandos, and Wichita scheduled Albuquerque Air Base in their place. The Kellys, who were missing eight players due to injuries, had their flight to Wichita delayed due to inclement weather

10560-422: The second playoff meeting between the two storied rivals, the only other game played in 1941. 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

10680-418: The services of star Green Bay Packers center Lt. Tom Greenfield who had just returned from playing with Major Robert Neyland 's All-Eastern Army Team. Vaughan proclaimed Wichita had "a lot of stuff, but I think we have a football club strong enough to defeat them." After a scoreless first quarter, the Centaurs scored first on a seven-yard touchdown by Nowell to complete a 70-yard drive. Winford Johnson made

10800-417: The similar rushing stats, the Commandos threw two interceptions, lost a fumble, and turned the ball over on downs thrice. The physicality of the game resulted in Commandos guard Jim Finlay being hospitalized. Wichita sought to rebound from their first loss of the season against Fort Sill , a team The Wichita Beacon described as "a classy squad [...] that boasts of plenty of split second runners who can fan

10920-563: The superior team as an NFL franchise, head coach Jimmy Conzelman conceded the Commandos' T formation "has everything, and I'm frank to tell you I don't know how to stop it." Exacerbating matters for the Cardinals was the absence of ten players—primarily linemen—due to injuries. Bausch, who coached against the Cardinals while with the Eagles, declared that his team had "the plays to go against the Cards and we don't fear them. If we click we might come up with

11040-543: The team acquired the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft , which was part of their previous trade with the Panthers, who finished the 2023 season with worst record in the NFL. The top overall pick was used on USC quarterback Caleb Williams. The team is primarily owned by the heirs of George Halas. His daughter, Virginia Halas McCaskey (holds 22.6% of the team shares), is the principal owner and votes on behalf of her 11 children and two nephews (who each own 3.8%) as well as

11160-412: 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 , 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

11280-415: The team through prior gifts and sales. After Mugs' death in 1979, Halas Sr. owned a 49.35% interest in the Bears, Mugs' estate owned a 19.67% interest, while Virginia McCaskey, Jim Finks (3.5%, which he later relinquished when he resigned as the team GM ), Charles Brizzolara, Robert and Carol Brizzolara in joint tenancy, and Nancy Lorenz owned the remaining outstanding shares. In 1981, the shareholders merged

11400-464: The team to move Training Camp from Ward Field on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois to Lake Forest for 2020. 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

11520-465: The team, MacCullough appointed Aero Parts assistant chief of police Frank Bausch as head coach. A Wichita native, Bausch was an All-Pro center for the Chicago Bears during his NFL career in the 1930s, and was an assistant line coach with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1941. The hiring was endorsed by Bears coach George Halas . In a phone call with MacCullough on August 8, Halas agreed to provide

11640-493: The third quarter, Miller fumbled while returning a punt on his team's ten-yard line which was recovered by Albuquerque's Charles Mathis. Eddie Marshall made a field goal from the 17-yard line to give the Kellys a 3–0 lead entering the fourth. A 61-yard punt by McEnulty was muffed by the Kellys and recovered by Wichita at the Albuquerque 27, which set up Miller's five-yard touchdown to Joe Byrnes. Another touchdown from Miller to Hayes

11760-421: The upset of the season." The opening quarter saw Chicago scoree three touchdowns, with two by Bud Schwenk on 16- and 11-yard runs and one by Bob Morrow via a 16-yard rush. The Cardinals added a fourth in the second quarter when McEnulty's punt was blocked on the Wichita 12-yard line, which was recovered by Alton Coppage and returned for a score. The quarter also saw the Commandos score their lone touchdown of

11880-522: The walk-off touchdown. The game was on October 27, 2007. In a college football game in 2015, there was a walk-off touchdown with eight lateral passes. The Miami Hurricanes college football team threw eight lateral passes over the course of 45 seconds to score a touchdown and upset the 22nd-ranked Duke Blue Devils 30–27. The play stirred controversy amid a number of missed calls by the Atlantic Coast Conference officiating crew. The game

12000-557: The war. The other league owners agreed to nullify the deal in favor of the Halas/Sternaman partnership by an 8–2 vote. In addition, Halas and Sternaman offered a share of the team to Paddy Driscoll, but the move was blocked by the owners in the NFL's June meeting, after the Chicago Cardinals (Driscoll's team) activated the league's reserve clause . In 1931, Sternaman offered to sell his stake to Halas for $ 38,000 to focus on his other businesses. Halas’ purchase agreement with Sternaman

12120-498: Was a walk-off touchdown play with 15 lateral passes. Trinity University was trailing by two points with two seconds left in a game against conference rival Millsaps College . Starting from their own 39-yard line, Trinity called a play for a short pass across the middle. The receiver pitched the ball backward, with a sequence of additional backward passes as players were in danger of being tackled. The " Mississippi Miracle " ultimately included 15 backward passes as it covered 61 yards for

12240-409: 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

12360-433: Was also increased to 12,500. Season tickets were not sold to avoid clashing with Wichita University's own sales, though fans were able to reserve single-game tickets for the entire season. The team held preseason practices at Friends University . Reference The Aero Commandos' inaugural game came against Camp Gruber , a United States Army team from Oklahoma that won the branch's football championship in 1941. Miller

12480-527: Was between the New Orleans Saints and the Jacksonville Jaguars . The game was held on December 21, 2003. With time running out, the Saints threw backward passes and brought the ball down the length of the field for a touchdown . However, kicker John Carney missed the extra point , which would have tied the game, so the Saints lost by one point, 20–19. In a Division III college football in 2007 there

12600-408: Was called back for illegal pre-snap motion . Nevertheless, the Commandos scored a second touchdown on Milley's five-yard pass to Godfrey. The weather, which included more rain during the second half, resulted in the Commandos and Kellys only recording 79 and 17 rushing yards, respectively. Conversely, Wichita had 101 passing yards to Albuquerque's 20. The Texas-based Randolph Field Ramblers played

12720-524: Was expanded to include one additional wildcard team from each conference. The New Orleans Saints defeated the Bears in the opening round of the playoffs, 21–9. The team did not re-sign Trubisky after the 2020 season and instead allowed him to become a free agent. Prior to the 2021 season , the Bears traded up in the 2021 NFL draft to select quarterback Justin Fields 11th overall. The team also signed veteran quarterback Andy Dalton in free agency. Dalton

12840-427: Was founded by A. E. Staley Manufacturing Company owner Augustus Eugene Staley in 1919 and was owned by the company until 1921. In 1921, Staley felt he could no longer afford the expensive burden of pro-football and transferred team ownership to Halas and paid him $ 5,000 for a sponsorship deal that kept the Staleys name for one more year. Halas than added Edward "Dutch" Sternaman as a second owner. On January 28, 1922,

12960-484: 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. Originally named

13080-413: Was initially declared the Bears starting quarterback, but Fields won the position after Dalton was injured. The Bears finished the season with a 6–11 record and missed the playoffs. Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace were fired after the season's conclusion. Nagy posted a 34–33 record over four seasons with two playoff berths, while Pace compiled a 48–65 record over seven seasons. On January 25, 2022,

13200-411: Was inspired by Roosevelt's words and formed a team consisting of his employees. In announcing the team's founding on August 2, MacCullough explained, "We feel that inasmuch as Wichita is an outstanding defense city it is important that the workers be provided with clean, wholesome sports recreation. We are hopeful that our sponsoring of the professional football team will accomplish that purpose." To lead

13320-482: 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

13440-502: Was later bought off of his widow Violet for $ 50,000 in 1949 ) 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." Halas remained the club's president and principal owner until his death on October 31, 1983. Halas' children, George "Mugs" Halas Jr. and Virginia McCaskey acquired stock in

13560-600: Was named Coach of the Year by the Pro Football Writers Association and Associated Press . He was the first Bears coach to be given the AP award since Lovie Smith in 2005 and the fifth in team history. 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. During the year, renovations to Halas Hall were completed, allowing

13680-403: Was named the starting quarterback with Ronzani as his backup, while Bausch started at center. One minute into the game, Hayes intercepted a pass on his team's 30-yard line to set up a 70-yard scoring drive in which Miller threw to Triplett, who made a lateral pass to Hayes and ran for the touchdown. In the second quarter, "Tip" Mooney ran for 12 yards to Gruber's 23-yard line, where he completed

13800-576: Was on October 31, 2015. In an NFL game in 2018, there was a play with two lateral passes for the only walk-off touchdown in NFL history. The Miami Dolphins NFL team pulled off the only walk-off touchdown to involve multiple lateral passes in NFL history, completing two laterals for a 69-yard touchdown to beat the New England Patriots 34–33. Miami had almost lost a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers five years prior via laterals, but managed to win when Antonio Brown stepped out of bounds at

13920-421: Was on the game's officiating crew as the head linesman; in a halftime public address, Grange praised the Commandos but commented that the interior of the team's line needed more strength. After finishing 5–1 against military clubs, the Aero Commandos played the first of two NFL games against the struggling Chicago Cardinals , who had lost their last three games to drop to 3–5. Although the Cardinals were viewed as

14040-431: 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. 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

14160-427: 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. 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. The team moved to Chicago in 1921, where

14280-433: Was to be paid off in installments, and stipulated that if Halas defaulted on any of the payments, ownership of the team reverted to Sternaman. Halas raised the initial funding by selling an 8.33% ownership stake to Ralph Brizzolara , as well as $ 5,000 of shares to Jim McMillen , and George Trafton 's mother, who paid $ 20,000 (Halas later bought her out for $ 40,000). Charles Bidwill purchased $ 5,000 in stock in 1933 (which

14400-519: 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. Throughout the remainder of his tenure, Ditka led the Bears to five more postseason berths, getting as far as the NFC Championship in the 1988 season. Between the firing of Ditka and the hiring of Lovie Smith ,

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