It's somewhat of a slow time in Chicago sports. Spring training for the Cubs and White Sox is still about six weeks out. Yes, we've got the Bulls and Blackhawks and both will be playoff contenders, but we're right at that point in the season where the All-Star breaks are near and we're just wanting those playoffs to get here. Don't worry, we'll still be bringing you all of the latest updates as they come in and I'm sure we'll start some of our own rumors as well.....you know, being the troublemakers that we are. Then we have the Chicago Bears, who are once again sitting at home while these amazing NFL Playoffs are going on. They'll get back there soon.....we hope anyway.
With that being said, I know there are a lot of Bears fans out there who are still looking for that Chicago football fix. So I thought I'd try something new here at Sports Mockery. Call it a little experiment if you will. Sure, I could write up something about the upcoming 30th anniversary of the Super Bowl XX win (and I still might), but I'm looking to go a little bigger. Now, we've done lists of the best Bears running backs or quarterbacks or draft picks, but I wanted to try something different...and on a bigger scale. Over the course of ten articles over the next couple of weeks, I'll be bringing you the top 100 Chicago Bears of all time based on jersey number alone. The Bears have a long history and actually have the most retired numbers in the NFL, so there were obviously a few that were pretty easy (#34, #40, #51, etc.), but there were some in there where I had a tough time choosing.
Obviously, my opinion may differ from yours, but that's part of the fun of this experiment. I'd love to hear your feedback on each number as I go along. In addition, I'd love to hear your feedback on the format in general as I've got other ideas for future articles that could run like this as well. But enough of my yapping....let's start the list with #00-#9 and make sure to keep checking back for the latest in the series. Enjoy.
#00-Staley Da Bear
Okay, I know this is a little ridiculous, but I had to start somewhere, and since the Bears have never had anyone wear 0 or 00, this will just have to do. Introduced in 2003 and named after the franchise's founder, A.E. Staley, the mascot's career highlights include being a five-time Pro Bowl mascot selection (yup, that's a thing). Another big purpose the mascot serves is actually pretty cool, as he participates in anti-bullying programs and campaigns at school throughout the Chicago area.#1-Paddy Driscoll
Tenure: 1920, 1926-1929 Born John Leo Driscoll, "Paddy" was an all-around great athlete coming out of Northwestern. He actually played 13 games for the Chicago Cubs in 1917 before focusing on football, becoming an early member of the franchise when they were still the Decatur Staleys. He then played for the crosstown Chicago Cardinals for five years before returning to the Bears in 1926. While he did play some quarterback, he was best known for his punting and drop-kick field goals, something you certainly don't see anymore. He was named to the NFL 1920s All-Decade team, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1965, and also coached the Bears for two years in the 50s. Runner-up: Jeff Jaeger#2-Edward "Dutch" Sternaman
Tenure: 1920-1927 Not only was "Dutch" a player, but he was also an integral part of bringing the team to Chicago as a co-owner with George Halas. The two were teammates at Illinois and along with being players, the two men co-coached the team for a number of years. He was part of the controversial NFL champion team in 1921, earned All-NFL honors in 1923, and became a part of the Chicago Bears Ring of Honor in 2009. Runner-up: Paul Edinger And don't yell at me for Doug Flutie. He was in Chicago for a year and played four games.#3-Bronko Nagurski
Tenure: 1930-1937, 1943 Bronco Nagurski, whose #3 has been retired, was one of the first big, legitimate running backs in the NFL. However, his stats may not reflect that as the game was obviously much different back then. For his career, he gained 2, 778 yards on 633 carries (4.4 avg.), but it was still enough to get him onto the NFL 1930s All-Decade Team, the 50th Anniversary and 75th Anniversary All-Time teams, and earned him four All-Pro honors. Perhaps the reason for that is that, like many players back then, he played on both sides of the ball. Not only was he an All-Pro at running back, but as a defensive lineman as well. For good measure, he was an All-Pro on the offensive line as well, making him the first and only player in NFL history to have the honor of being an All-Pro at three positions that weren't kicking positions. That's a bad man right there. And one more time for good measure: All-Pro. Runner-up: NONE#4-Jim Harbaugh
Tenure: 1987-1993 Drafted in the first round in 1987 draft out of Michigan, Harbaugh spent the first couple of years on the bench behind Jim McMahon and Mike Tomczak. He finally got his chance in 1989 after McMahon was gone and Tomczak was benched during a dreadful 6-10 season. Harbaugh started the last five games of the year before becoming the full-time starter in 1990. The Bears won the Central that year at 11-5, but a shoulder injury forced him to miss the playoffs. He played decently over the next few years, but did throw quite a few picks and could never really get the Bears anywhere. He actually is one of the most talented quarterbacks the Bears ever had, even if his overall record doesn't reflect that. He left for Indianapolis in 1994 and as I'm sure you know, he became a head coach after his retirement from the NFL.1987: 6 games, 8-11, 62 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT 1988: 10 games (1-1 as starter), 47-97, 514 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT 1989: 14 games (1-4 as starter), 111-178, 1204 yards, 5 TD, 9 INT 1990: 14 games (10-4 as starter), 180-312, 2178 yards, 10 TD, 6 INT 1991: 16 games (11-5 as starter), 275-478, 3121 yards, 15 TD, 16 INT 1992: 16 games (5-8 as starter), 202-358, 2486 yards, 13 TD, 12 INT 1993: 15 games (7-8 as starter), 200-325, 2002 yards, 7 TD, 11 INTRunner-up: Brad Maynard
#5-George McAfee
Tenure: 1940-1941, 1945-1950 If you're wondering why there's a break in his service time for the Bears, try to remember what was happening in the world at that time. McAfee served in the U.S. Navy in World War II, but outside of that during the 40s, he was a four-time NFL champion, a first-team All-Pro, and was named to the all-decade team. He was later named to the 75th Anniversary All-Time team. Known as one of the most versatile players of his day, and maybe of all time, McAfee spent that All-Pro season of 1941 scoring touchdowns with all sorts of variety. He scored six rushing, three receiving, one by kick return, one by punt return, and another by taking an interception to the house...and that was in an 11-game season. His #5 is retired. Runner-up: NONE#6-Jay Cutler
Tenure: 2009-current Let the hate flow through you as we get to #6. I know there's a lot of you cursing me right now for not including the beloved Kevin Butler, but it's hard to deny the all-time passing leader in Chicago Bears history. Love him or hate him, Jay Cutler has been the best overall quarterback the team has ever had. Let the arguments begin.2009: 16 games (7-9 as starter), 336-555, 3666 yards, 27 TD, 26 INT 2010: 15 games (10-5 as starter), 261-432, 3274 yards, 23 TD, 16 INT 2011: 10 games (7-3 as starter), 182-314, 2319 yards, 13 TD, 7 INT 2012: 15 games (10-5 as starter), 255-434, 3033 yards, 19 TD, 14 INT 2013: 11 games (5-6 as starter), 224-355, 2621 yards, 19 TD, 12 INT 2014: 15 games (5-10 as starter), 3812 yards, 370-561, 28 TD, 18 INT 2015: 15 games (6-9 as starter), 311-483, 3659 yards, 21 TD, 11 INTRunner-up: Kevin Butler
#7-George Halas
Tenure: 1920-1929 That decade as a player doesn't even begin to tell the story of George Halas and the Chicago Bears. Out of the 99 people that will appear on this list, there is nobody that will be bigger than George Halas. Yes, he had the decade as a player, and his #7 is retired, but he also coached those teams in the 20s...and then the 30s...some more in the 40s...and then the 50s...and then seven years in the 60s before retiring in 1967. During that time, he won eight NFL championships. Oh yeah, he was the owner that whole time as well, and he was until his death in 1983. It's unfortunate that the man who made the Bears what they are today wasn't around for their lone Super Bowl victory, but that GSH still resides on the Bears jerseys even to this day. There will only be one Papa Bear. Runner-up: I don't think so.#8-Rex Grossman
Tenure: 2003-2008 Sorry to all the Cade McNown or Jimmy Clausen fans out there, but I've gotta give this one to Rex. This one was actually a tough call between him and Vince Evans, he of the only perfect QB rating in Bears history in a game against the Packers, but that 2006-2007 run to the Super Bowl for Sexy Rexy is just too much to ignore. Yes, I'm aware that the defense and Devin Hester had a lot to do with that run, but it's not as if Grossman was a non-factor during that season.2003: 3 games (2-1 as starter), 38-72, 437 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT 2004: 3 games (1-2 as starter), 47-84, 607 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT 2005: 2 games (1-0 as starter), 20-39, 259 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT 2006: 16 games (13-3 as starter), 262-480, 3193 yards, 23 TD, 20 INT 2007: 7 games (2-5 as starter), 122-225, 1411 yards, 4 TD, 7 INT 2008: 4 games (0-1 as starter), 32-62, 257 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
#9-Jim McMahon
Tenure:1982-1988 This one was actually a little harder to choose than you might think. And just in case you're wondering, Robbie Gould came in third. The top two to choose from were Jim McMahon and Billy Wade, the quarterback who led the Bears to the 1963 NFL Championship. In the end, however, the choice is "the punky QB", who went 46-15 as a starter in Chicago, including the Super Bowl XX win against New England. His toughness and aggressiveness were something to be admired, but those hits he took obviously took a toll over the years given his current state. However, McMahon and his #9 will always be remembered as one of the most popular Bears in history.1982: 8 games (3-4 as starter), 120-210, 1501 yards, 9 TD, 7 INT 1983: 14 games (7-6 as starter), 175-295, 2184 yards, 12 TD, 13 INT 1984: 9 games (7-2 as starter), 85-143, 1146 yards, 8 TD, 2 INT 1985: 13 games (11-0 as starter), 178-313, 2392 yards, 15 TD, 11 INT 1986: 6 games (6-0 as starter), 77-150, 995 yards, 5 TD, 8 INT 1987: 7 games (5-1 as starter), 125-210, 1639 yards, 12 TD, 8 INT 1988: 9 games (7-2 as starter), 114-192, 1346 yards, 6 TD, 7 INTRunner-up: Vince Evans
