To celebrate their 100th anniversary, the Bears enlisted football big brains Don Pierson and Dan Pompei to rank the 100 greatest players in the franchise’s history. Was it a no-win proposition for them? Sure it was. So we’re making fun of it.
Here are the first two installments:
What’s wrong with this list? The 100 greatest Bears – 100-76
What’s wrong with this list? The 100 greatest Bears – 75-51
50. Mark Bortz, G, 1983-1994
If it seems like the entire ’85 Bears line is on this list, well, it is. Hell, I’m surprised Stefan Humphries didn’t make it someplace. Bortz was a mountain of a guard who may have hunted on some of our land a few times in the early ’90s, which should have nothing to do with this list, but since I’ve met him, I just thought I’d let you know that. You know who else used to hunt at our place? The Reuschels! Look at them, those beautiful bastards.
49. Ray Bray, G, 1939-1942, 1946-1951
I have no idea who that is. But look at the logo on his trading card. How is that not the current Bears’ logo?
48. Fred Williams, T, 1952-1963
His last game as a Bears was the ’63 title game, which apparently guaranteed him a spot on this list.
47. Dave Duerson, S, 1983-1989
Duerson was a good player, but if Todd Bell doesn’t hold out in 1985, Dave might well have been a backup for much of his time with the Bears, and honestly, Shaun Gayle might have been a more impactful player than him, too. Plus, Gayle has the shortest punt return for a touchdown in NFL history thanks to Shawn Landeta! Because the NFL is a weird, strange, creepy place, the three are also all have weird deaths associated with them. Duerson suffered from the effects of CTE and committed suicide making sure to kill himself in a way that his brain could be studied. Bell died of a heart attack while driving his car at the age of 46. Gayle’s still alive, but a stalker killed his pregnant girlfriend and unborn child in 2009.
46. Doug Buffone, LB, 1966-1979
More than just a character on the radio, Buffone was an excellent player for a long time. He retired having played the most games in Bears history, and still holds the franchise record for interceptions by a linebacker with 24. His first career interception came against Bart Starr and his second was off Johnny Unitas. He recorded 100 tackles seven times. His career was so long he played with Dick Butkus, Gale Sayers, Walter Payton and Dan Hampton.
45. Otis Wilson, LB, 1980-1987
Mama’s boy Otis was a perfect fit in Buddy Ryan’s attacking defense and the mere sight of him and Wilber Marshall lined up over the same tackle, both ready to blitz made more than a few quarterbacks streak their pants. My favorite Otis memories involve him absolutely terrorizing Danny White and Gary Hogeboom in that 44-0 rout of the Cowboys in 1985 and his description of an interception against the Packers one year when for a moment it looked like he was going to return it for a touchdown.
“I saw six. I saw green. And I saw dirt.”
Take that, Night Train!
44. Johnny Morris, WR, 1958-1967
Not only does Johnny belong on this list, at 44 he’s probably too low. But, the fact that the all-time franchise leader in receiving for this franchise retired 52 years ago is embarrassing. He was an excellent player, but how has nobody surpassed his 5,059 career yards? Yikes. He caught 93 passes in 1964. Here’s another reminder of how football was a different game back then. For the final four years of his career Johnny was also the nightly sportscaster at WBBM-TV. Four years! Another notable thing about him is that he was the first broadcaster to use the Telestrator during a game. It was invented in Chicago by WBBM’s Leonard Reiffel.
43. Wilber Marshall, LB, 1984-1987
Wilber was born to play in the 46 defense, where he was an absolute menace, and on one memorable occasion killed Joe Ferguson. And, what a coincidence, here are Johnny Morris and Tim Ryan to tell us about it. (Stupid NFL restrictions require you to click through to watch it, start at 1:05 for the “good” stuff.)
Wilber should have spent his entire career with the Bears, but thanks to their cheapness and a terrible clause they put in Mike Singletary’s contract that guaranteed Mike be the highest paid linebacker on the team, they would have been required to give Singletary an automatic raise to exceed a new deal for Marshall. They should have just done it, as they lost Marshall for just $6 million over five years. Not per year. Six million total. They never adequately replaced him, and he was never as good in Washington as he was with the Bears.
42. Richie Pettibon, S, 1959-1968
You may remember Richie when he was fat and confused as the Redskins’ coach, but he was once young and spry and played safety for the Bears. He still holds Bears’ records for most interceptions in a game with three, and longest interception return for a touchdown with a 101 yarder in 1962 against the Rams, And yes, he was on the ’63 team.
41. Neal Anderson, RB, 1986-1993
I can’t even imagine how hard it was to be the guy who took over for Walter Payton as the Bears’ running back, and I can’t imagine anybody doing it better than Neal Anderson. Neal was relegated to the bench and special teams as a rookie, and then out of position as a fullback at times in 1987. When he got the job full-time in 1988 he ripped off three straight seasons of 1,000 or more yards and scored a league high 33 touchdowns. He also caught 40 or more passes five times, including his awkward fullback season. He made four Pro Bowls, chased down a Tampa Bay Buccaneer from about 60 yards away on an interception return, and retired at the ripe old age of 29.
Oh, and he has always understood how important it is to have working smoke detectors in your house.
40. Ken Kavanaugh, E, 1940-1941, 1945-1950
He won three NFL titles with the Bears and defeated the Nazis. Not bad. In the infamous 73-0 rout of the Redskins in the 1940 title game he caught the only touchdown pass. He caught 13 touchdown passes in 1947 and still holds the Bears’ franchise record with 50 touchdown catches. Oh, and he won the Distinguished Flying Cross as pilot, flying 30 bombing runs. Ken Kavanaugh was a badass.
39. Harlon Hill, E, 1954-1961
Harlon Hill still holds 15 franchise records for receiving, was a four-time All-Pro, was the NFL MVP in 1955 and the NCAA Division II Player of the Year trophy is named after him. His 12 receiving TDs as a rookie have been equaled only by Mike Ditka. Injuries took a toll on Harlon, though. He caught 32 touchdown passes in his first three seasons, then only eight more in his final six.
But, for his entire career, he led the league in ears.
38. Link Lyman, T, 1926-1928, 1930-1931, 1933-1934
Lyman started his career with the Canton Bulldogs, joined the Bears in 1926 after playing 1925 for whatever the Frankford Yellow Jackets was, and went on a barnstorming tour with Red Grange (as was the style at the time–that and tying an onion to your belt). He is credited with being the first defensive lineman to shift before the snap to confuse the offense. Sure, how could that not be true? He went both ways (snicker), was on four NFL championship teams and was an All-Pro five times. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964.
37. George Halas, S, 1920-1929
Halas basically founded the NFL, and yes he played ten seasons for the team he founded in that league. Was he really any good? Was he good enough to be 37th on this list? I have no idea. He did hold an NFL record for 49 years, that of a 98 yard fumble return for a TD. Legend has it he stripped Jim Thorpe of the ball. Maybe somebody’s got a Kinescope of it to prove it. On a list of the 100 most important people in NFL history, Halas is likely number one. The NFL as we know it (for better or worse) would not exist without him. But I find it hard to believe he was the 37th best player in this franchise’s history. Get your own list Papa Bear!
36. Red Grange, HB/DB, 1929-1934
He has one of sports’ greatest nicknames for sure. The Galloping Ghost is an undeniably great nickname. He was a phenomenon in the 20s and 30s, where he headlined traveling tours all over the country where people would pay just to watch him run around. He actually left Illinois early to go on that barnstorming tour (where he made a shitload of money for the time) and then joined the Bears. It was quite a scandal back then. Nearly as shocking as the time Mary Pickford showed her full unclothed ankle in a movie! Two things you can’t deny about Red.
He looked like a badass:
And, the “Grey Ghost” uniforms that Illinois wears in his honor are also pretty awesome.
35. George Musso, G, 1933-1944
What? Sure, whatever.
34. Matt Forte, HB, 2008-2015
Matt Forte was a helluva player. He rushed for 1,000 yards five times, 997 once and 929 in another season. He caught 102 passes in a season in that ridiculous offense Marc Trestman was running in his ill-fated second season. A true run/receiving threat Forte did it all without blinding speed. He racked up nearly 15,000 total yards in ten seasons. I personally don’t think he was as good a player as Neal Anderson, but I think Neal’s too low on this list, not that Forte is too high on it.
33. George Trafton, C, 1920-1932
Oh, for fuck’s sake. Seriously, do we really think that this guy is the 33rd best player in Bears’ history?
Look at that physical specimen. I’m sure if you brought him to training camp in Bourbonnais next month he’d really dominate. His claim to fame is that he was the first center in pro football to snap the ball with one hand.
32. Paddy Driscoll, HB, 1926-1929
Nope. I’m sure that Paddy was an excellent player, but of the 13 seasons he played in pro football he only spent the last four with the Bears. He was a running back and drop kicking place kicker and scored 86 points in 1926. That’s great. But let’s face it, he’s only this high on the list (or, on the list at all) because he coached for the Bears for 17 years, which is supposed to have nothing to do with this list. Paddy also played for the Cubs, where he was the Josh Vitters of his era, hitting .107 in 13 games.
31. Charles Tillman, CB, 2003-2014
Now we’re talking. Drafted at a time when teams were dying to find big corners, the 6’2 Tillman was a steal for the Bears in the second round in 2003. In 12 years with the Bears he intercepted 36 passes, recovered 11 fumbles and forced…FORTY fumbles! Defensive backs don’t do that. His signature move, the Peanut Punch is often imitated but seldom duplicated. A great tackler for his position he was tough as hell, smart as hell and had a knack for making huge plays in huge moments (Randy Moss remembers). In his 11 full seasons with the Bears he averaged more than 80 tackles, he led the league in interceptions returned for touchdowns twice and he was just the coolest guy ever. Thirty-one is way too low for Charles Tillman.
30. Gary Fencik, S, 1976-1987
Most of us remember Gary Fencik dancing awkwardly as the “Hit Man” in the Super Bowl Shuffle and as the rock of the back end of the awesome 1984-1986 defenses, but he was actually better in the early Buddy Ryan years. From 1980-1982 he was the best free safety in the NFL and has three All-Pro nods to prove it. He was good at everything he tried. After football he was an excellent radio analyst for the Bears and did games for CBS one year. He’s made a crapload of money in finance, and was always rumored to be headed for a job in the Bears’ front office. A job he proved to be too smart to take.
29. Rick Casares, FB, 1955-1964
Bears who played with Casares speak of him with the highest regard. Doug Buffone practically lit a candle every time he referred to him. He’s the fourth all-time rusher in team history behind some guy named Walter Payton, and Forte and Anderson and ahead of Gale Sayers. He was on the 1963 team, which, as you know by now seems to be the most important thing to get you on this list.
28. Lance Briggs, LB, 2003-2014
At first blush ranking Briggs ahead of Marshall and Wilson seems off, but it’s not. Briggs played many more games for the Bears than Wilber and was more consistently productive than Otis. Lance was the perfect compliment to Brian Urlacher and an impact player in his own right. His tackle numbers are solid, if unspectacular, but the defense was designed for Urlacher to make most of them, and he did. He was a three time All-Pro, and is probably remembered as much for bitching about his contract as anything else. In 2007 he crashed his Lamborghini on the Edens and literally ran away from the accident. One of my friends’ loser ex-husband was driving drunk on I-90 one night, lost control and skidded into a bridge abutment. A big Bears’ fan, he immediately thought of Briggs and ran from the car. He ended up getting a ticket for leaving the scene of an accident, but avoided the DUI he surely would have gotten. He seemed to think this was pretty smart thinking. This is not a story he should ever feel comfortable telling anyone.
But enough about that. Here’s Lance lighting up Calvin Johnson and getting a raw deal in the process.
27. Olin Kreutz, C, 1998-2010
Despite his penchant for getting called for the otherwise never called “illegal snap” at the worst possible time, and for hitting Fred Miller in the head and breaking his jaw, he was pretty awesome. He apparently also broke the jaw of a college teammate at Washington. Fun? Olin Kreutz was easily one of the best offensive linemen in team history and either the best, or second best center they’ve ever had. He was the true anchor of the offensive line for 13 seasons, and would get even more credit if the line he anchored could have kept Jay Cutler upright. But that was rarely Olin’s fault. He finished his career in New Orleans where he got in an argument with offensive line coach Aaron Kroemer (who had a very weird tenure later on with the Bears), that somehow ended with Olin throwing Drew Brees against a wall. You do not throw Drew Brees against a wall in New Orleans and keep your job.
26. Ed Healey, T, 1922-1927
Oh, come on.
25. Ed Sprinkle, E, 1944-1955
Sprinkle had two nicknames during his dozen years with the Bears. The first was “The Claw” and that’s pretty solid. The other? “The Meanest Man in Pro Football.” I find it hard to believe a two-way end from the 40s should be in the top 25, but given those nicknames, I’ll allow it.
The ones they got wrong
Frankly, they got a lot wrong. First off Neal Anderson at 41 is too low. He should be in the 30s before Matt Forte. It’s laughable that George Halas (37) is on this part of the list. Honestly, he probably shouldn’t be on the list at all, or maybe in the Pat Mannelly throw-away spot at 100. The other Georges, Musso (35) and Trafton (33) are ridiculous to be this high. Paddy Driscoll (32) belongs on the Chicago Cardinals list–he led them to an NFL title in 1925, not the Bears. Ed Healey (26)? Come on. I like Sprinkle’s (25) nicknames but he should be in the 100-76 range. Oh, and Peanut should be in the top 20.