Today marks just 61 days until the Chicago Bears play host to the Green Bay Packers during the first week of the NFL season. To celebrate the 2023 campaign inching closer and closer, we continue the Chicago Bears Countdown to Kickoff by looking at the life and career of the best player in franchise history to don the number 61, Hall of Fame linebacker Bill George.
Bill George's path to the Chicago Bears
A native of Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, Bill George attended Wake Forest where he participated on the school's football team. There, George became a dominant force on the gridiron, and frequently played every snap on offense, defense, and even special teams, where he served as the team's placekicker.
George was elected as an All-Southern Conference player in each of his final three seasons, but his love for sports didn't limit him to just playing football. Despite Wake Forest not having a varsity wrestling team, George independently competed in the Southern Conference Championships, where he won three consecutive titles within the heavyweight division.
Nonetheless, after a dominant career at Wake Forest, George entered his name into the ensuing 1951 NFL Draft, where he was selected by the Chicago Bears with the 33rd overall pick during the second round. Despite being the fourth player taken by the Bears that season, George quickly became a very relevant player on Chicago's championship-contending teams.
Bill George creates a new position and changes football history with Chicago Bears
After effectively redshirting his rookie season, George became an almost instant contributor by his second year, where he started in all 12 of the team's games from the right guard position on defense. During this time in football history, most teams, including the Bears, ran a 5-2 defensive formation, where George played in the down lineman position between what we would call today the edge rusher and nose tackle. However, the Bears, and specifically George himself, would soon change how defenses operated in the NFL.
After another season of starting as a defensive guard in 1953, George's 1954 season is perhaps one of the most historically relevant seasons by any player in NFL history. No, George did not set league records for tackles or interceptions, but rather he invented what we know today as the middle linebacker. In '54, George began to drop back from his down lineman position at or just before the snap of the ball, which suddenly transitioned the defense from a 5-2 to a novel 4-3 front.
At this newfound position, George enjoyed his best NFL season so far, and after another season of starting, he was elected to his first Pro Bowl at the end of the year. George was uniquely built, physically and mentally, to dominate the linebacker position, and his versatility made him a difficult player for opposing offenses to account for throughout his career. From the ensuing 1955 season to 1961, George dominated the NFL and was nominated to seven First-Team All-Pro squads, as well as eight consecutive Pro Bowls if you include the 1954 season.
During this span of individual dominance by George, the Chicago Bears in general were a competitive team despite a lack of postseason success. The Bears only made the playoffs in this period following the 1956 season, where they lost the championship game to the New York Giants.
After George's insane stretch of dominance across the league, the linebacker played another four seasons with the Bears. While his accolades, unfortunately, took a hit - he made just one All-Pro team in this span - the Bears as a team enjoyed their greatest success with George during the twilight of his career.
Following the 1963 season, the Bears once again qualified for the NFL Championship game, where they finally earned their decade-long revenge against the Giants. George was one of many legendary players to win a ring with this team, including defensive end Doug Atkins and tight end Mike Ditka.
Bill George's retirement and legacies with the Chicago Bears and NFL
George's final season with the Bears came in 1965, and after being held to just two games due to injury, the linebacker elected to sign a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams before retiring following the 1966 season. George finished his NFL career with 15 seasons played, 14 of which were with the Bears.
With eight Pro Bowl appearances and eight First-Team All-Pro nominations, George was the premier linebacker of his generation. Statistically speaking, a lot of George's game logs are fairly incomplete, but at minimum, he finished his Bears' career with 18 interceptions, 17 fumble recoveries, and 27 sacks across 159 games in which he logged 157 starts.
Following this illustrious career, where again it is important to note how influential he was in the history of NFL defensive schemes, George was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1974 alongside legendary players such as Lou Groza and Dick "Night Train" Lane. Additionally, George was added to the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.
Unfortunately, George was not present for the latter induction due to his sudden passing in 1982, when he died in a car crash at the age of 52. Even after his untimely death, the Chicago Bears, the NFL, and a number of other sports media outlets have recognized George's legacy and greatness in a variety of different ways, including having his number retired by both the Bears (61) and Wake Forest (47), being named to the NFL All-Decade Team of the 1950s, and being named as the best player ever to wear the number 61.
George not only started a long run of elite middle linebackers in Bears history, including Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary, and Brian Urlacher, but also completely reshaped the defensive strategies in the NFL, to the point where it wouldn't be the same game today had George not pioneered the position. His legacy cannot truly be quantified, and his impact far outreaches wins and championships with the Bears, making him an easy and significant choice for this series.