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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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. C. 1940-52. Bulldog Turner. 27. player. 57

With a name like Bulldog Turner, it seems like destiny to be great at football, but Clyde “Bulldog” Turner was able to prove that he was more than just a name over his time with the Bears, landing himself in the top-30 players in franchise history.

He was taken by the Bears in the first round of the 1940 NFL Draft out of Hardin-Simmons, which of course continues to be a hotbed of NFL talent to this very day. Jokes aside, the selection of Turner turned out to be one of the best ones that the team has ever invested in an offensive lineman.

In addition to playing center, Turner played linebacker, a transition that is funny to think about when applied to today’s NFL standards for each position. Regardless of which side of the ball he was playing, Turner was able to play at a high level, earning First-Team All-Pro honors with the club an incredible eight times.

Not only was Turner raking in personal awards, he also was part of four Bears NFL championship teams in the early 1940’s as part of the “Monsters of the Midway” dynasty.

Turner was a remarkably smart and confident player, one who was instrumental in helping to build the first true Bears dynasty under the watchful eye of George Salas. All these factors make for Turner to be considered one of the best players in franchise history.

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