Chicago Bears: Five All-Time Greatest Running Backs
Number Four: Bronko Nagurski
I suppose that this one is cheating a bit, as Bronko Nagurski was technically considered a fullback, but the things he did out of the backfield for the Bears in the 1930s are absolutely legendary.
Simply put, Nagurski was the meanest, toughest and most dominant player of his era. He played with the Bears through an eight-year stretch from 1930-1937. Playing fullback and linebacker for the Bears during that stretch, Nagurski was a four-time First-Team All-Pro and led the Bears to two NFL Championships.
Nagurski was also a professional wrestler on the side (clearly things were different back then), and retired from the NFL following the 1937 season to be a full-time wrestler. While teams were short of players because of World War II, Nagurski returned to football in 1943. While he accepted a more limited role on the Bears this time around, Nagurski was able to lead them to another NFL Championship.
Nagurski finished his career with 2,778 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns. While his numbers are not as impressive as some other Bears’ running backs who could have been considered, times were different back then. Nobody really put up the ridiculous numbers like we see today.
However, being one of the best players of your era and an obvious inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame makes Nagurski a clear choice for this list.
Next: Number Three