Staley Da Bear
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- Mar 16, 2019
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Bears Hall of Famers George Halas, Mike Ditka and Dan Fortmann have been named to the NFL 100 All-Time Team.
In celebration of the league’s 100th season, a roster of the 100 greatest players and 10 best coaches has been compiled. Over six consecutive Friday nights, host Rich Eisen will be joined by Patriots coach Bill Belichick and analyst Cris Collinsworth to introduce the All-Time Team on NFL Network.
Halas, Ditka and Fortmann were unveiled on this week’s show.
Halas served as Bears coach for four separate 10-year stints, leading the franchise to six NFL championships in 1921, 1933, 1940, 1941, 1946 and 1963. He ultimately became the winningest coach in NFL history with 324 victories, a record since surpassed by Don Shula.
A Chicago native who starred at the University of Illinois, Halas was a pro football pioneer. He founded the Bears as the Decatur Staleys in 1920 and helped create what would become the NFL when he joined representatives from 10 other teams in Canton, Ohio, in September 1920 to found the American Professional Football Association.
Halas moved the Staleys to Chicago in 1921 and they were renamed the Chicago Bears in 1922. “Papa Bear” was instrumental in the growth of the fledgling league, helping it eventually become a multi-billion dollar industry and staple of American culture.
As a player, Halas was named to the NFL’s 1920s All-Decade Team. His 98-yard return of a Jim Thorpe fumble remained an NFL record for 49 years until it was broken in 1972.