Did you know these five facts about the Chicago Bears?
By Camille W.
Here are five facts about the Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears (originally the Decatur Staleys) franchise were founded by A.E. Staley in 1919. Over these last 100 years, we’ve celebrated, we’ve dominated, we’ve laughed, we’ve cried. And through it all, we’ve remained loyal to our Monsters.
In honor of the 100-year anniversary, here are five fun facts you may or may not know about the Bears.
The franchise almost didn’t happen.
In 1915, a 20-year-old George Halas was supposed to board the Eastland, a steamship, for a work picnic. However, by the time he arrived, the ship has taken off and overturned in the Chicago River, killing more than 800 people.
Had Halas been on time that day, the Bears may not exist.
The Bears’ oldest rivalry is not with the Green Bay Packers
Although the Bears-Packers rivalry is one of the most exciting in the league, it is not the oldest. Chicago’s oldest rivalry is with a team that began its franchise in the same city: the now-Arizona Cardinals.
The two teams played each other for the first time in 1920. The Bears didn’t face the Packers until the next season. Some may not view the Cardinals as rivals, but they are.
The all-time scoring leader is…WHO??
You may not want to read this, Bears fans, but the answer is not Walter Payton. It’s kicker Robbie Gould. Yes, the same Robbie Gould that Chicago replaced with Cody Parkey.
During his 11 seasons in the Windy City, Gould scored more than 1,200 points. He hasn’t donned the navy and orange since 2015.
The “Monsters of the Midway” weren’t always the Bears
The moniker actually referred to a college football team in the 1930s. The University of Chicago Maroons were the original Monsters of the Midway. The Midway was in reference to a public park on campus called the Midway Plaisance.
When the university got rid of its football program in 1939, the Bears became the new Monsters the following year.
Jay Cutler is on top
It might be a tough pill for some to swallow, but Cutler is currently Chicago’s career leader in passing yards. The newest reality-TV star completed 2,020 of 3,271 pass attempts (a 61.8 percent completion rate) for 23,443 yards in his nine seasons with the team.