Chicago Bears: The Complete Illustrated History

One of only two remaining charter members of the National Football League, the Chicago Bears are a team steeped in history. With nine pro football championships and twenty-six hall of famers, the Bears are also among the most successful franchises in all of professional sports.

Revised and updated to include the latest seasons on the gridiron, Chicago Bears: The Complete Illustrated History brings the team’s vibrant history to life. Beginning with the franchise’s 1919 origins as the Decatur Staleys, this lavishly illustrated book presents the highs and lows from more than nine decades of football. Here is the story of the first dynasty under George “Papa Bear” Halas; the “Monsters of the Midway” of the 1940s; the team’s resurgence in the late 1960s; its 1985 Super Bowl win; and the run for the title in 2006. Former Chicago Tribune sportswriter and longtime Bears aficionado Lew Freedmen highlights the legends who have donned Bears uniforms, outsize characters like Red Grange, Bronko Nagurski, Sid Luckman, Mike Ditka, Dick Butkus, Gayle Sayers, Walter Payton, Mike Singletary, Brian Urlacher, and many more. He includes the numbers behind the stories---the stats and team records---as well as pivotal plays in Bears’ history, from Halas’ T-formation to William “The Refrigerator” Perry’s touchdown runs. The book presents a key chapter of sports history and offers a fitting tribute to one of football’s most beloved teams.

This lavishly illustrated book captures the grit and the glory of the Chicago Bears, one of the most successful and popular franchises in all of professional sports. From the team’s 1919 origins as the Decatur Staleys to their appearance in Super Bowl XLI, the book covers the highs and lows from nearly nine decades of Bears football---the days of George “Papa Bear” Halas, the “Monsters of the Midway,” the 1985 Super Bowl champs, and more---as well as the colorful characters who made the deals, the calls, and the plays.