NFL franchise story

Chicago Bears

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.

Every era · The defining players · Five essential games

The franchise timeline

Every era of the Chicago Bears.

Move through the franchise chronologically. The jerseys identify each chapter’s central cast, and every card opens the complete story of that era.

Historical reference: Chicago Bears official NFL team page ↗

The beginning

Franchise era

1920—1939

George Halas

Red Grange

Bronko Nagurski

A founding franchise becomes a champion

Halas builds the league and the Bears

The Decatur Staleys became the Chicago Bears as Halas helped shape both the franchise and the league around it.

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Chapter 01

1920—1939

Franchise era

1940—1957

Sid Luckman

George McAfee

Bill Hewitt

The T-formation overwhelms an era

The Monsters of the Midway

Chicago's modernized offense and imposing lines produced four championships in the 1940s, including the famous 73–0 title-game victory.

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Chapter 02

1940—1957

Franchise era

1958—1981

Dick Butkus

Gale Sayers

Walter Payton

Transcendent individuals carry uneven teams

Butkus, Sayers and Payton

Butkus and Sayers defined their positions before Payton became the franchise's relentless offensive center through years of rebuilding.

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Chapter 03

1958—1981

Franchise era

1982—1992

Walter Payton

Mike Singletary

Richard Dent

Defense, personality and one overwhelming champion

The 1985 Bears

Mike Ditka and Buddy Ryan assembled a defense of historic speed and intimidation that dominated the 1985 postseason and remained dangerous for years.

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Chapter 04

1982—1992

Franchise era

1993—2003

Bryan Cox

Curtis Conway

Olin Kreutz

A proud identity waits for another core

Between great defenses

Chicago searched for offensive stability while gradually assembling the line and linebackers that would power its next contender.

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Chapter 05

1993—2003

Franchise era

2004—2012

Brian Urlacher

Devin Hester

Lance Briggs

Takeaways and special teams reach the Super Bowl

Urlacher and Lovie's defense

Lovie Smith restored the defense-first formula, and Hester's return brilliance helped the 2006 Bears reach Super Bowl XLI.

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Chapter 06

2004—2012

Franchise era

2013—present

Khalil Mack

Justin Fields

Caleb Williams

Elite defensive peaks meet repeated offensive resets

The quarterback search continues

The 2018 defense briefly restored contention, but Chicago has continued rebuilding its offense in pursuit of the long-awaited franchise quarterback.

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Chapter 07

2013—present

Present day

The essential watchlist

Five Chicago Bears games to start with.

Curated from the franchise’s defining eras, championship stakes and the games that still carry its story.

#01 · Conference Championship

Conference Championship

New York Giants vs Chicago Bears

1933-12-17

#02 · Conference Championship

Conference Championship

Chicago Bears vs New York Giants

1946-12-15

#03 · Conference Championship

Conference Championship

New York Giants vs Chicago Bears

1963-12-29

#04 · Super Bowl

Chicago Bears vs New England Patriots

1986-01-26

#05 · Wild Card

Chicago Bears vs Minnesota Vikings

1995-01-01

Season history

Every season

107 seasons · newest first

Game archive

Latest games

1,559 total · loaded 10 at a time