Chicago Bears · Franchise era 1 of 7
Halas builds the league and the Bears: the Chicago Bears story
Franchise era
1920—1939
Halas builds the league and the Bears
Chicago Bears
The story in one sentence
The Decatur Staleys became the Chicago Bears as Halas helped shape both the franchise and the league around it.
A founding franchise becomes a champion
George Halas, Red Grange and Bronko Nagurski gave the era its recognizable core.
Its ending created the conditions for the monsters of the midway.
Timeline
How it unfolded
The foundation
The franchise context
The Bears helped invent professional football and remain defined by defense: Halas, the Monsters of the Midway, Payton, the 1985 team and generations measured against those standards.
1933-12-17
Conference Championship: New York Giants vs Chicago Bears
1934-12-09
Conference Championship: Chicago Bears vs New York Giants
1937-12-12
Conference Championship: Washington vs Chicago Bears
After 1939
What came next
Chicago's modernized offense and imposing lines produced four championships in the 1940s, including the famous 73–0 title-game victory.
The core