Chicago Bears: Reasons why the Lombardi Trophy should be named the Halas Trophy

The NFL might not have existed without George Halas

George Halas was not the sole founder of the NFL, but honestly, if it were not for him, the NFL might not be what it is today. The NFL dates back to 1920 and Halas was there from the start. The merger with the AFL took place in 1960 and Halas was there for that too. Whenever the game took a major turn, George Halas was still a part of things.

It might be hard to believe, but in the beginning the NFL was struggling. Imagine the XFL and AAF, but instead of losing to the NFL, they were losing to the likes of college football. Back then, college football was the choice of fans when it came to the sport. No one, including the media, seemed to care about this new league founded in Ohio that consisted of 14 games.

Halas played a major role in changing things for the better. He convinced collegiate star Harold “Red” Grange to sign with the Bears and this brought media to the league. This move itself could have single-handedly saved the NFL. Without it, the league may never have taken off and turned into what it is today.

Halas was also the innovator behind the public announcement systems and radio broadcasts. Nothing against Vince Lombardi, but he did not play as big of a pivotal role in the creation of the NFL as Halas. In fact, he did not play a part at all since he did not start coaching in the NFL until 1954. Tell me again why his name represents the Super Bowl trophy?