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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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Mike Singletary, Chicago Bears
(Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images) /

2. player. 57. . LB. 1981-92. Mike Singletary

One of the fiercest and fiery competitors to ever play the game of football, linebacker Mike Singletary comes in on our list as the second-greatest Bears player in franchise history.

As this list has come to show, the linebacker position for the Bears has been a revolving door of greatness, but perhaps none were better than Singletary.

Singletary was taken in the second round of the 1981 NFL Draft out of Baylor and he immediately became a tone-setter in the vaunted Chicago defense of the 1980’s. He flourished under defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan and in his prime, was the absolute last player you’d want to meet in the middle of the field if you were an opposing offensive player.

By the time his 12-year NFL career was over, spent entirely with the Bears, Singletary had been named to 10 Pro Bowls, amassed seven All-Pro selections, and two NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors. Oh, and not to mention he was an important part of the legendary Bears ’85 Super Bowl championship team.

Although Singletary hasn’t had a great deal of success in the coaching circuit as he did during his playing days, he was the type of player who redefined the linebacker position, bringing an intensity and rare skill set that few players in NFL history have possessed. It’s part of what makes him the second-greatest player in the storied franchise history of the Bears.

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