Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. They compete in the National Football League and are part of the National Football Conference North division. The Bears are one of the oldest teams in the NFL, having been founded in 1919. They play their home games at Soldier Field, located near Lake Michigan.

The Bears have a rich history, winning nine NFL Championships, including one Super Bowl. Their most successful period was in the 1980s when they won Super Bowl XX. The team has many players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and has retired several jersey numbers.

After 2006, the Bears faced challenges, with many changes in players and coaches. In 2025, the team's value was estimated at $8.9 billion, showing its importance in the world of sports.

History

Main article: History of the Chicago Bears

1919–1939: Early Bears

Originally named the Decatur Staleys, the club was established by the A. E. Staley food starch company of Decatur, Illinois, as a company team. The team played independently, 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 was their first regular season in the newly formed American Professional Football Association (AFPA), later renamed the National Football League (NFL) in 1922.

The team moved to Chicago in 1921, where it was renamed the Chicago Staleys. In 1922, Halas changed the team name to the Bears and moved into Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. The Bears' rivalry with the Chicago Cardinals began in 1920 and lasted until 1959.

1940s: The Monsters of the Midway

From 1940 to 1947, quarterback Sid Luckman led the Bears to victories in four out of five NFL Championship Games. The team adopted the nickname "Monsters of the Midway" and a famous helmet symbol. One famous victory was a 73–0 win over the Washington Redskins in the 1940 NFL Championship Game, still an NFL record for the largest margin of victory.

1950s–1968: Late-Halas era

After struggling in the 1950s, the team won its eighth NFL Championship in (/wiki/1963_NFL_season). The late 1960s and early-1970s saw notable players like Dick Butkus, Gale Sayers, and Brian Piccolo. Halas retired as coach in (/wiki/1967_Chicago_Bears_season) and remained in the front office until his death in 1983.

1969–1982: Struggles

After merging with another league, the Bears finished last in their division in 1970 and 1969. In (/wiki/1975_Chicago_Bears_season), the Bears drafted Walter Payton, who became a star player and fan favorite.

1983–1985: Contenders, then Super Bowl champions

Mike Ditka, a former Bears player, became the team's coach in (/wiki/1982_Chicago_Bears_season). The Bears reached the NFC Championship game in 1984 and won the Super Bowl in 1985 with a strong defense and a memorable team song called "The Super Bowl Shuffle".

1986–2003: Post-Super Bowl era

After the 1985 championship, the Bears remained competitive but did not return to the Super Bowl. They had two head coaches between Ditka’s departure and Lovie Smith’s arrival, neither able to bring the team back to the Super Bowl. The 1990s were considered a disappointment for the team.

2004–2012: Lovie Smith era

Lovie Smith became the head coach in 2004 and brought a successful defensive strategy. The Bears won their division and reached the playoffs several times, including a trip to Super Bowl XLI in (/wiki/2006_NFL_season), though they did not win the championship.

2013–2014: Marc Trestman years

Former CFL coach Marc Trestman was hired in 2013. The Bears ended the 2013 season with an 8–8 record, narrowly missing the playoffs. The following season was difficult, ending with a 5–11 record and last place in their division.

2015–2017: John Fox years

The Bears hired John Fox as head coach in 2015. The team improved slightly in his first season but regressed in the next two, finishing with records of 6–10 and 3–13. Fox was fired after the (/wiki/2017_Chicago_Bears_season) season.

2018–2021: Matt Nagy years

The Bears hired Matt Nagy as head coach in 2018. The team won the NFC North that year and reached the playoffs, though they lost in the first round. Nagy’s tenure included two playoff appearances but ended with his firing after the 2021 season.

2022–2024: Matt Eberflus years

Matt Eberflus became the head coach in 2022. The team struggled, finishing with a 3–14 record in 2022 and a 7–10 record in 2023. Eberflus was fired mid-season in 2024.

2025–present: Ben Johnson years

In 2025, the Bears hired Ben Johnson as head coach. The team finished the season with an 11–6 record, winning the NFC North and reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

Ownership

The Chicago Bears are owned by the family of George Halas. Before she passed away, his daughter, Virginia Halas McCaskey, was the main owner. She controlled most of the team's shares, which allowed her to make important decisions for the team. Other family members and business people also own smaller parts of the team.

The team was founded in 1919 by Augustus Eugene Staley. In 1921, Staley sold the team to Halas, who became the main owner. Halas kept ownership of the team until he passed away in 1983. After that, his family continued to own the team. The team's value has grown over the years, and today it is worth billions of dollars.

Sponsorships

The Chicago Bears have important partnerships with several big companies like Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Miller Brewing Company, PNC Financial Services, United Airlines, Verizon, Xfinity, and Proven IT. They were the first team in the NFL to have a main partner, starting in the 2004 season with games called "Bears Football presented by Bank One". The team also works with WFLD, a Fox station in Chicago, to show games before the regular season starts.

Logos and uniforms

Main article: Logos and uniforms of the Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears have had only a few official logos during their history. In 1940, their first logo showed a black bear running with a football. A new logo in 1946 had a navy blue bear on top of a football.

In 1962, the team introduced their famous "wishbone-C" logo. This logo looked like the "C" on the Cincinnati Reds baseball caps and the University of Chicago Maroons "C" logo. The Bears added this logo to their helmets, which many football teams started using in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

In 2023, the Bears changed their main logo to an orange bear head, which had been their second logo since 1999. The "wishbone-C" logo is still used as a second logo on their helmets and at the home field's 50-yard line.

Team culture

Mascots and cheerleaders

Main articles: Staley Da Bear and Chicago Honey Bears

The Chicago Bears have fun mascots and cheerleaders to make games more exciting. Before 2003, there were two unofficial mascots named "Rocky" and "Bearman." Rocky was a fan who wore a Bears jersey and led cheers in the stadium. Bearman was a season ticket holder who cheered and ran across the field with a large Bears flag.

Today, the team's main mascot is Staley Da Bear, an animated bear who wears a special No. 00 jersey. He entertains fans at games and also visits charity events and other fun activities.

The team also had a cheerleading group called the Chicago Honey Bears from 1976 to 1985. They wore different uniforms each year during their time with the team.

Philanthropy

The Bears care about helping others. Since 1998, they have worked with A Safe Place, a shelter in Waukegan, Illinois, that supports people in need. In 2017, Bears employees helped improve the shelter by fixing up the building and providing money to help keep it running.

Rivalries

Divisional

Green Bay Packers

Main article: Bears–Packers rivalry

The Green Bay Packers are the Chicago Bears' biggest rivals, starting from 1920. The Packers lead with 103 wins to the Bears' 95, with 6 ties. They have met three times in important playoff games. The Bears won in 1941 and went on to win the championship that year, while the Packers won in 2011 on their way to a Super Bowl victory. They met again in the 2025–26 playoffs, with the Bears winning 31–27. Their first game was in 1921, a Bears shutout win of 20–0. The rivalry includes many exciting moments, like a rare successful fair catch kick in 1968.

Detroit Lions

Main article: Bears–Lions rivalry

The Detroit Lions and the Bears have played since 1930, when the Lions were known as the Portsmouth Spartans. The Bears lead this rivalry with 99 wins to the Lions' 74, with 5 ties. In 1932, they played the first-ever NFL postseason game, which the Bears won 9–0. This game was notable because it was played indoors at Chicago Stadium due to a blizzard, and it was the first time the forward pass was used in a game.

Minnesota Vikings

Main article: Bears–Vikings rivalry

The Bears played the Minnesota Vikings in their very first game, a Vikings win of 37–13. Minnesota currently leads the series 60–54–2.

Historic

Chicago/St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals

Main article: Bears–Cardinals rivalry

The Bears have one of the oldest rivalries in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals, dating back to the league's first season in 1920. The Bears lead this rivalry 59–28–6. The Cardinals moved from Chicago to St. Louis and later to the Phoenix area, but the rivalry remains important.

New York Giants

Main article: Bears–Giants rivalry

The Bears and the New York Giants have met in six NFL championship games, more than any other pair of teams. The Bears won four of these games. They also met in the playoffs in 1985–86 and 1990, each team winning once before going on to Super Bowl victories.

San Francisco 49ers

The Bears and San Francisco 49ers became strong rivals in the 1980s, both often playing in the playoffs. The 49ers lead the series 35–33–1 and have won all three playoff meetings.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bears have a historic rivalry with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, leading the series 40–22 as of 2023.

Washington Commanders

The Bears and the Washington Commanders have a long rivalry dating back to 1932. The most famous game was in 1940, when the Bears won 73–0, the largest margin of victory in NFL history. Washington leads the series 27–25–1.

Minor

Cleveland/Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams

The Cleveland/Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams and the Bears played together in the same division from 1937 to 1969. The Bears lead this series 54–39–3.

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins and the Bears have met fewer than 15 times, but most of those games were exciting. The most famous was in 1985, when Miami beat Chicago, preventing a perfect season and keeping the 1972 Dolphins as the only perfect team in NFL history. Miami leads the series 10–4.

Defunct

Rock Island Independents

The Bears had a strong early rivalry with the Rock Island Independents, winning the series 8–1–4.

Canton/Cleveland Bulldogs

The Canton/Cleveland Bulldogs were a major rival in the 1920s, with many games drawing large crowds and affecting the NFL championship. The Bears won this series 4–3.

Facilities

Stadium

Soldier Field, located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, is where the Bears play their home games. The team moved there in 1971 because their old stadium, Wrigley Field, couldn’t fit enough fans. Wrigley Field could only hold 46,000 fans even with extra seating, but the league wanted stadiums to hold at least 50,000.

Soldier Field was closed and rebuilt in 2002. When it reopened in 2003, many fans called it “New Soldier Field.” During the rebuilding, the Bears played at Memorial Stadium in Champaign.

In 2021, the Bears bought land in Arlington Heights where they might build a new stadium. In 2024, they thought about building it near Soldier Field on the Museum Campus, but later decided to focus on Arlington Heights again.

Training camp locations

Until 1930, the Bears held training camp at their home stadiums. In 1930, they moved to Mills Stadium in Chicago. Over the years, they trained at many places including Loyola University Chicago, Notre Dame University, and St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Indiana.

From 1975 to 1984, they trained at Lake Forest College. Then, from 1984 to 2001, they trained at the University of Wisconsin–Platteville. In 2002, they moved their camp to Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, but in 2020, they brought training back to Halas Hall.

Headquarters

Main article: Halas Hall

The Bears’ headquarters, Halas Hall, is in Lake Forest, Illinois. The team practices there during the season. The current Halas Hall opened in 1997 and has been expanded since then. The team also has an office in downtown Chicago for sales and events.

In popular culture

The 1971 TV movie Brian's Song starred Billy Dee Williams and James Caan. It told the story of two Chicago Bears players who helped each other during difficult times. A version of the movie was made again in 2001.

The Bears won the Super Bowl in 1985 and became very famous. That year, the team made a fun song called "The Super Bowl Shuffle". Many people watched them play because the games were very exciting.

The Bears and their coach, Mike Ditka, were popular and appeared in many places. They were even part of a funny sketch on the TV show Saturday Night Live. Characters on many TV shows, like The Bob Newhart Show and Married... with Children, were shown as Bears fans. Even cartoons like Punky Brewster included the Bears in their stories.

Broadcast media

Radio

Today, WMVP (1000 AM) shows Bears games with Jeff Joniak describing what happens, and Tom Thayer, a former Bears player, giving expert comments. Over the years, many announcers have talked about the games, including Jack Brickhouse, Joe McConnell, and Wayne Larrivee, with color comments from Hub Arkush, Dick Butkus, Jim Hart, and Irv Kupcinet.

Spanish radio station WLEY-FM showed Bears games from 2012 to 2014. Since 2015, WRTO and WVIV-FM have been showing the games in Spanish.

Television

Preseason games are shown on WFLD (channel 32). The announcers are Adam Amin (describing what happens), Jim Miller (giving expert comments), and Lou Canellis (reporting from the sidelines). WFLD also shows most of the team's regular games through the NFL on Fox. Any Bears home games against AFC teams are shown on the CBS station, WBBM-TV, which was the Bears' unofficial "home" station from 1956 until Fox got the rights to show NFC games in 1995. Sunday night games are shown on WMAQ-TV, the NBC station, with ESPN Monday Night Football games shown either on ESPN or WLS-TV, the ABC station.

Statistics and records

Patrick Mannelly played the most seasons for the Bears, with 16. Steve McMichael holds the record for the most games played in a row, with 191 games from 1981 to 1993. Robbie Gould became the team's top scorer in 2015, passing Kevin Butler who scored 1,116 points from 1985 to 1995. Walter Payton is the team's all-time leading rusher with 16,726 yards.

The 1940 Chicago Bears had the biggest win ever in NFL history, beating the Washington Redskins by 73 points in the 1940 NFL Championship Game. The team's biggest home win was against the Green Bay Packers in 1980, winning 61–7. Devin Hester set many records for returning kicks, including the first-ever touchdown on the opening kick of a Super Bowl.

Season-by-season results

Main article: List of Chicago Bears seasons

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 28, 2025

Records

Main article: List of Chicago Bears team records

Players of note

Further information: List of Chicago Bears players

Main article: List of Chicago Bears in the Pro Football Hall of Fame

The Chicago Bears have many famous players. They have the most players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with 32 players honored. Some of the earliest stars, like George Halas, Bronko Nagurski, and Red Grange, were inducted in 1963. More recent players like Devin Hester and Steve McMichael were added in 2024 and 2025.

The team has also honored some players by retiring their uniform numbers. They have retired 14 numbers, more than any other team in football. The last number retired was Mike Ditka’s number 89 in 2013.

In 2019, to celebrate the team’s 100th year, the Bears made a list of their top 100 players ever. Many of these players are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Some current players at the time made the list too.

^𝙝𝙤𝙛   Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.
^𝐟   Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist.
^HAF   Helms Athletic Foundation Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.
^vg   PFRA Hall of Very Good inductee.

Main article: Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame

The Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame honors great sports figures from the Chicago area. Many Bears players are part of this hall.

Retired numbers

The Bears have retired 14 uniform numbers, the most in the NFL. Their last retirement was Mike Ditka’s number 89 in 2013.

100 greatest Bears list

In 2019, the Bears made a list of their top 100 players ever. The list included many famous names, with some current players also making it.

^* As a Chicago Bear

Coaching staff

For a more in-depth look into the history of the head coaches of the Bears, see List of Chicago Bears head coaches.

Minor league affiliates

The NFL does not have a formal system like other major sports leagues. However, some teams, including the Chicago Bears, had their own minor league teams. In 1939, the Bears bought a team called the Newark Tornadoes and renamed them the Bears. They used this team to develop players who didn’t make the main Chicago team and to give injured players a chance to return. This helped the Bears grow their talent and was the first of its kind in professional football. This practice stopped in 1972 when minor leagues collapsed and there were disputes in the NFL.

Other notable players who spent time with the minor league team include several key names from that era.