WFM’S Chicago Sports Hall of Fame: The Chicago Bears
Steve Tanner, CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons
Chicago is a sports crazy town. The fans are passionate, well informed and frightfully loyal to their teams. Within the Chicago sports superstructure, the Bears are the big enchilada. The football season runs six months, but the sports journalists cover the Bears as a 12 month story. It never ends. A mediocre Bears team struggling through pre season will receive more coverage than a contending White Sox or Cubs team in the middle of summer. The focus is not particularly rational because the Bears have not been a high quality NFL franchise for the past 65 years. They won the NFL championship in 1963 and a Super Bowl in 1985. They lost in the Super Bowl in 2006. They made additional playoff appearances in 1977, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2018 and 2025. 15 playoff appearances in 65 years and multiple ten year playoff droughts. In the modern era, they have won only 8 playoff games. The word “mediocre” in a Webster dictionary should have a Bears logo next to it. BUT, I am a fan, patiently viewing approximately 90% of the games. The TV tech has certainly improved since the Kennedy administration. There are some positives to report. Their defences have been a consistent calling card and they still deserve the moniker “Monsters of the Midway.” George Halas is a league founder and legend and the NFC championship trophy is named after him. Ditka had a great run in the 80’s, winning won Super Bowl when his team was good enough to win three if they had a better coach. Otherwise, long stretches of rebuilding interrupted by an occasional decent season. They have never had a Hall of Fame quarterback in my lifetime. Bear’s football has never been about style. It has been about defences that scare small children and make opposing quarterbacks regret getting out of bed. Thankfully, they do have a tradition of producing individual stars and true Hall of Famers despite the overall franchise team futility. The WFM Chicago Bears Hall of Fame honorees are:
1. Mike Ditka (1961-1966). Iron Mike arrived as a Bears first round pick in 1961 and immediately redefined what a modern tight end should look like. He was a fearsome blocker, a “take no prisoners” competitor and an outstanding receiver. He caught 56 passes for 1,076 yards and 12 touchdowns as rookie, earned NFL Rookie of the Year Honors and made the Pro Bowl in all six of his seasons with the Bears. He was key cog in the 1963 NFL championship and his Hall of Fame plaque in Canton cites his playing excellence as much as his coaching success.
2. Gale Sayers (1965-1971). The “Kansa Comet” is the most exciting football player ever. I was blessed to see how 6 touchdown performance against the 49ers in Wrigley Field in person with my dad. AMAZING! He played only seven seasons because his career was cut short by devastating knee injuries. He became the youngest player ever inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He scored 22 touchdowns as a rookie - a record that stood for decades. He had breathtaking talent in the open field. Hall of Fame Alex Karras, when asked to comment on how difficult it was to tackle Gale Sayers said. “I cant answer that question because I never actually touched the man. I did feel him swoosh by me though.” He received his props in Brian’s Song as the great friend and caregiver for teammate Brian Piccolo. Always a classy guy and never expressed bitterness over his bad luck with injuries.
3. Dick Butkus (1965-1973). Dick Butkus was a brutal, violent and exceptionally intelligent football player. He is the quintessential middle linebacker, the heart and anchor of a defensive unit. He was an 8 time First Team All Pro selection and was the prototype for all the great linebackers in the modern era. He never missed a tackle, forced fumbles at an alarming rate and terrorised great running backs. Like Sayers, his career was cut short by injuries but his status as a first ballot Hall of Famer was never in doubt. Post football, he actually showed a nice comic touch on the big screen. He passes away recently and may he RIP.
4. Walter Payton (1975-1987). “Sweetness” is the greatest player in franchise history and one of the top 5-10 NFL players ever. He was durable and tough, missing only one game in 13 seasons. He retired as the NFL’s all time leading rusher and was incredibly versatile. He was a very good receiver, an outstanding blocker and even trick play passer. He played on some awful teams but always upheld his part of the bargain. He was the engine of the 1985 championship team and it is a crime that Ditka didn’t give him the opportunity to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl. His number 34 is retired and his combination of toughness, professionalism and overall excellence is the standard that all future Bear players should be measured against. Sadly, he died far too young from a very rare liver disease.
5. Dan Hampton (1979-1990). He anchored the interior of the 1985 defence and set the tone for the entire unit. He also had several excellent years playing the outside and defended the run and rushed the passer equally well. He is a four time Powler and first ballot Hall of Famer. He may also have the record for injury related surgeries- it was 12 last time I checked. His career reminds us how fearsome play in the trenches can define a team.
6. Steve McMichael (1981-1993). “Mongo” never missed a start over 12 seasons and was, in his own words, “the special sauce” on the 1985 defence. He retired second in franchise history in sacks and he was durable and disruptive for his entire career. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2024 and delivered his acceptance speech from his bed as he battled ALS. His teammates gathered around him in a show of admiration and respect. Sadly, he passed away from Lou Gehrig disease shortly after his induction. I had the pleasure of playing with him in a foursome at a charity golf tournament and he was hilarious- entertaining us with Ditka and McMahon stories. He played the entire round with a five iron and a putter which captures his unique persona and style, both on and off the field.
7. Mike Singletary (1981-1992). He was the leader and “soul” of the great Bears defences in the 1980’s. He was a ten time Pro Bowler and 2 times NFL Defensive Player of the Year. His intensity and focus was off the charts, visible though his face mask. He was bright, called the signals and was a wonderful successor to Dick Butkus playing the signature position of middle linebacker. He later became a mediocre head coach in San Francisco and is now on the road as motivational speaker. A great career for middle round draftee who was not projected to be big enough to play in the NFL. Persistence and a uncompromising work ethic were his calling cards.
8. Richard Dent (1983-1993). Another star from the world class Bear defences in the 80’s and early 90’s. He was an explosive pass rusher who lead the league in sacks twice. He was brilliant and forcing fumbles from terrorised Qb’s. He won the MVP Award in the Super Bowl XX victory with a 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. The rout was on and Dent was the best player on the field in a dominating 46-10 victory. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2011 and is still recognised as one of the outstanding pure pash rushers of all time.
9 Jim Covert (1983-1990). We also had an offence in the glory years of the 1980’s and Jim Covert was the leader of the offensive line. He was a left tackle who dominated in both pass and run blocking. He was a 5 time Pro Bowler and was elected to the NFL hall of Fame in 2020. He excelled at an unglamorous job for a team built on a defensive identity but his peers always knew how good he was even if he operated under the sports media radar. A great football player.
10. Brian Urlacher (2000-2012). A charismatic athlete who carried the Bear’s linebacker tradition into the 2000’s. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year and later NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He anchored the defence that carried the Bears to Super bowl XLI. He was lighting fast, extraordinarily instinctual and a master of generating turnovers. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2018.
11. Devin Hester (2006-2013). He is a unique honoree because he was a unique player. He was an average outside receiver but the most electrifying and dangerous special teams performer in NFL history. His NFL record 20 combined kick and punt return touchdowns were astonishing examples of athletic genius. One of his kickoff returns was on the opening kickoff in the Super Bowl. His return prowess changed games and opposing coaches were forced to game plan against the “Hester Effect.” He was elected to the NFL Hall of Fame in 2025. No Bear, before or since, has made a stadium hold its breath quite the way Hester did every time he touched the ball in space.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
1. Richie Pettibone (1959-1968). Richie was an early favourite of mine- No 17 and a great safety for a decade. He was smart and had great instincts and hands- a coach on the field. His 101 yard interception return in 1962 is still the longest Bears history. His interception of YA Title in the 1963 championship game sealed the victory. He is second in Bears All time interceptions and went to the Pro bowl 4 times. He enjoyed a long coaching career, but his football identity is still linked to his outstanding decade with the Bears.
2. Charles Tillman (2003-2014). The only Bears player to become an FBI agent after his football career ended, but that is not the basis for his special status here. A winner- a classy guy and a warrior. He played 168 games, intercepted 38 passes, forced 44 fumbles and scored 9 defensive touchdowns. He was a two time Pro Bowl selection and the 2013 Walter Payton Man of the Year. He is famous for inventing the “peanut punch” to force fumbles .
A quick note on who is missing. Bill George, Joe Fortunato and Doug Atkins all built genuine Hall of Fame caliber cases leading the Bear defences in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s but the majority of their careers occurred before my 1961 starting line. Kudos to them as well.
Hopefully, when I do this again in 10 years, a quarterback will have earned a place. Super strange franchise with a 65 year run of no Hall of Fame type Qb’s.
