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Chicago Bears: 30 greatest players in franchise history

By Conor Dorney

Walter Payton #34, Running Back for the Chicago Bears during his final game in the American Football Conference West game against the Los Angeles Raiders on 27 December 1987 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California, United States. The Bears won the game 6 - 3. Visions of Sport. (Photo by Mike Powell/Allsport/Getty Images)
Walter Payton #34, Running Back for the Chicago Bears during his final game in the American Football Conference West game against the Los Angeles Raiders on 27 December 1987 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California, United States. The Bears won the game 6 - 3. Visions of Sport. (Photo by Mike Powell/Allsport/Getty Images) /
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14. player. 57. . S. 1976-87. Gary Fencik

One of several players on our list to have spent their entire pro careers as members of the Bears, hard-hitting safety Gary Fencik comes in at No. 14 on our list of the greatest players in franchise history.

Fencik, a Chicago native, played his college ball at Yale and was originally selected by the Miami Dolphins in the tenth round of the 1976 NFL Draft. Following his arrival in Chicago, Fencik would go on to cement himself as one of the club’s best defensive players in franchise history.

While plenty of attention was given to the Bears’ front-seven during their vaunted defense of the 1980’s, Fencik more than made his presence known in the defensive backfield. Alongside fellow safety Doug Plank, the duo were known as “The Hit Men” due to their aggressive style of play and hard-hitting ability.

Fencik was remarkably consistent over the course of his career, totaling 38 interceptions, which remains a franchise record (tied with our No. 15 player, Charles Tillman), including four or more picks in six seasons. He was named to two Pro Bowls and one All-Pro team, as well as being an integral member of the ’85 championship team.

These days, Fencik is a bit of big deal in the financial world but you don’t need to understand the stock market to know how integral he was to the Bears franchise over the course of his career.

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