Chicago Bears: 30 greatest players in franchise history

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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. DT. 1952-63. Fred Williams. 26. player. 57

Trying to whittle down the greatest pass rushers in Bears history is a daunting task to say the least, but it’d certainly be difficult to leave Fred Williams off the list.

The Bears tabbed Williams with a fifth-round selection in the 1952 NFL Draft from the University of Arkansas, and he immediately became one of their most important players on defense.

It’s hard to know exactly where Williams’ stats would stack up in comparison to some of the team’s all-time greats, but there’s no doubt that he was instrumental in the team’s success during this era.

Williams wound up playing 12 seasons in Chicago for the Bears and was a four-time Pro Bowl selection at defensive tackle, which was relatively unheard of for the time as an interior defensive lineman. He played his final two seasons in Washington before retiring in 1965 at the age of 36.

The Bears have employed a wealth of talent on the defensive line over the course of their franchise history but there’s no doubt that Williams belongs in the conversation of one of the club’s most talented players.

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