Chicago Bears: The 25 Greatest Bears Players in Franchise History

It's a difficult task to rank the top 25 players in such a storied franchise as the Chicago Bears, in large part because it has had so many Hall of Famers. Many go way back, creating the challenge of comparing players of different eras.

Yet, is it allowable to rank a non-Hall of Famer ahead of one of the guys enshrined in Canton? I will take the liberty to say "no," but at the same time, I will rank the players I actually saw play slightly ahead of a few of the older guys for the simple reason that I have more information to go on with those guys.

With the old-timers, while they may actually have been better players, all I have are stats. And especially in the NFL, stats don't tell the entire story or always paint the most accurate picture.

But no matter how you rank 'em, all of these players were truly great. There is no denying that fact.

25. Steve "Mongo" McMichael

No, he is not a Hall of Famer, nor will he ever be. Still, he was an underrated yet extremely vital part of the best defense of all time. That has to count for something.

Okay, "arguably" the best defense of all time. But political correctness aside, the inside rush created by McMichael and Dan Hampton allowed Richard Dent to free up to go chase the QB and also made Mike Singletary's job a bit easier.

In short, his toughness and his intimidation on the line was one of the hallmarks of the great Bears defense, and while he will always be overshadowed by the likes of Hampton, Dent and Singletary, this Bears fan will never forget his contributions.

There were other underrated pieces of that '46' defense who may never make the Hall—guys like Otis Wilson, Wilbur Marshall and Gary Fencik—but I'll take Mongo on my list of 25 as a symbol of what this defense was all about.

McMichael was a true team player, not concerned about his own stats but just wanted to beat the opponent and beat him badly. Not bad for a player the Bears picked up off the scrap heap, having been released by the New England Patriots.

24. Jimbo Covert

Again, I'm going out on a limb here since Covert is not currently a member of the Hall of Fame. But I do believe he will get there someday and I definitely feel he belongs there.

He was the leader and best player on a truly great offensive line.

The Bears led the league in rushing a record-setting four consecutive seasons during Covert's time, from 1983–1986, which tied the all-time mark, set by the 1939-42 Chicago Bears.

Covert was named 1985 National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) NFC Offensive Lineman of the Year, the same year the team went on to win Super Bowl XX.

During Covert’s career, he was named to an All-Pro team four straight years (1984–1987), a first- or second-team All-NFC selection four times (1985 – 1987, 1990), and a first- or second-team All-NFL selection three times. Covert was a consensus All-NFL and All-Pro pick in 1985 and 1986. He was selected to two Pro Bowls in 1985 and 1986. In 1986, he was selected as the Miller Lite NFL Offensive Lineman of the Year.

23. Richard Dent

The sack man cometh, and cometh to the Hall of Fame he did last year.

Sure, he was the beneficiary of a truly outstanding defense that freed him up to go get the quarterback, but you can't take away his production nor his ability to simply take over big games.

As an example of coming up big in prime time, Dent was the Super Bowl XX MVP with three tackles, 1.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. In the two playoff games against the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams leading up to the Super Bowl, he was credited with nine tackles and 4.5 sacks.

Not bad for an eighth-round draft choice!

His 137.5 career sacks at the time of his retirement ranked third all-time behind Reggie White and Bruce Smith.

22. John "Paddy" Driscoll

Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1965, Driscoll was a three-way threat on offense and great on defense. He was a QB and a halfback who drop-kicked 50-yard field goals, he scored 27 points in one game and was the very essence of a "franchise" player.

Paddy was so good at so many different things on the football field, I just find it hard to leave him off this list. Punting, kicking, running and throwing—Driscoll could do it all.

Photo: www.chicagobears.com

21. George Musso

It's difficult to compare players from previous generations, but Musso was one of the Hall of Fame defenders on the team nicknamed "Monsters of the Midway"—and he played on both sides of the ball!

Musso, the first player to win All-NFL at two positions—tackle (1935) and guard (1937)—played in seven NFL championship games and was the Bears captain for nine seasons.

Musso stood 6-2 and weighed 262 pounds and that made him one of the biggest players during the 1930s and 1940s.

Interesting tidbit: Musso played against two future presidents of the United States, Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford.

Does he look a little like Babe Ruth to you?

Photo: www.stllegends.tripod.com

20. Joe Stydahar

Stydahar was the first ever draft choice of the Bears in 1936. He was another of the two-way stars of the "Monsters of the Midway" teams.

He was scared of nothing and was very big by the standards of the day and he possessed tremendous power and ridiculous speed.

Stydahar wore number 13 and refused to wear a helmet. When he played, the Bears often were champs. Starting with his rookie season, he was a fixture at the tackle spot for seven years until he was called into the U.S. Navy following the 1942 season.

19. Stan Jones

This guard and defensive tackle played in seven consecutive Pro Bowls and was one of the first NFL players to use weight training as part of his regimen.

Jones was big, strong and fast and missed only two games in his first 11 seasons. He was also one of the smarter players of his era.

Jones switched to defensive tackle permanently in 1963.

Photo: www.chicagobears.com

18. Sid Luckman

Some may think that Luckman was kind of equal to being "the tallest midget"—in other words, the best at his position but since the Bears have had such an awful history at QB it didn't really mean a lot.

Oh, but anyone who thinks that would be very wrong, my friends. You have to remember that in those days, teams simply did not pass the ball a lot so Luckman's accomplishments cannot be measured by just statistics.

Yet even his stats were great. Tied for most TD passes in a game (7); three-time league leader in TD passes; averaged 8.4 yards per attempt, second best all-time; 1943 performance of 13.9 percent touchdown rate (best ever in a single-season), and his 10.9 yards per attempt is second all-time; first ever 400-yard passing performance and 28 TDs in a season was a record that lasted for many years.

Yes, his overall numbers, particularly his TD to interception rate, may not be impressive. But in addition to the records I described above, he was the QB in the 73-0 1940 title game and was the 1943 MVP.

Luckman led the NFL in yards per attempt an NFL record seven times, including a record five consecutive years from 1939 to 1943.

A winner? Well, he led the "Monsters of the Midway" to championships in 1940, 1941, 1943, and 1946.

17. Ed Healey

Healey was considered by George Halas to be one of the toughest and most versatile player he ever saw, and that is good enough for me.

Healey played against Halas and Papa Bears liked him so much he bought him for $100. That was the first player-sale ever in NFL history.

He dominated his opponents with his strength and skill, and was all-league five of his eight seasons.

Healey had good speed and once chased down a teammate and prevented him from running the wrong way for a TD for the other team, bringing him down just short of the wrong goal line after intercepting a pass.

Photo: www.profootballhof.com

16. Dan Fortmann

Fortmann was a first- or second-team All-NFL every season of his career. A Phi Beta Kappa scholar, he even earned a medical degree while playing in the NFL!

This two-way star was a tremendous blocker and a deadly tackler. Fortmann called the signals for the offense and what he lacked in size he made up for in intelligence, often diagnosing the other team's plays during games.

From 1936 to 1943, his “Monsters of the Midway” teams won three NFL championships and took divisional titles on two other occasions, with Fortmann being the best at his position. 

Photo: www.profootballhof.com

15. William Roy "Link" Lyman

Very agile and big for his day, "many pro football historians believe that the constant shifting by defensive players before each play in modern professional football can be traced back to Lyman, who regularly resorted to similar ploys," according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame website.

He was a pioneer of the modern-day defense, taking it to another level and confusing opponents. He could sniff out the play before it started and experienced only one losing year of the 16 he played in throughout his career.

The website goes on to say that "Bears coach George Halas insisted Lyman was stronger and tougher during his last two seasons than when he first joined the team eight years earlier."

Photo: www.profootballhof.com

14. Mike Singletary

"Samurai Mike" was the heart of the 1985 defense and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998.

He was either the first- or second-leading tackler on the team in each of his last 11 seasons with the Bears, and that was one of the greatest defenses ever.

Singletary was an All-Pro eight times, 1983-1989 and 1991. He was an All-NFC selection nine straight years, 1983-1991, and was selected to 10 consecutive Pro Bowls.

Singletary was the defensive Player of the Year in 1985 and 1988. He amassed an impressive 1,488 career tackles, 885 of which were solo efforts. A constant force on defense, he missed playing just two games, both in 1986.

13. George Trafton

Trafton was a Hall of Fame center for the Decatur Staleys (now known as the Chicago Bears) from 1920 to 1921 and 1923–1932. He is credited as being the first center to snap the ball with one hand.

He was a two-way star nicknamed "The Brute" and was the top center of the 1920s. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame website, "six times during his 12 seasons he was named to various all-league teams. He also earned, and most observers of the day say rightfully so, a reputation as rough player who was not afraid to get into an on-field scrap."

Red Grange once called Trafton the “meanest, toughest player alive.”

Photo: www.profootballhof.com

12. Dan Hampton

During "Danimal's" tenure in Chicago, the defense ranked No. 1 in the NFL in allowing the fewest rushing yards, the fewest rushing touchdowns, the fewest total yards, the fewest points and inflicted the most sacks.

Unless you believe in coincidences, the Pro Football Hall of Famer, elected in 2002, was pretty damn great. Not to mention all the knee surgeries the man had to endure in order to play.

11. Bronko Nagurski

Nagurski was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a charter member on Sept. 7, 1963.

He was the only player in NFL history to be named All-Pro at three non-kicking positions.

Photo: www.sportplanet.com 

James Marshall

10. George Connor

During his eight-year career (1948-1955) with the Bears, Connor was named to the All-NFL team at three different positions: offensive tackle, defensive tackle, and linebacker. In 1952 and 1953, he was named all-league on both the offensive and defensive teams.

A knee injury cut his career short in 1955, but he was great at three positions and not many players can claim that. He was the first of what became a standard for NFL linebackers, being big and fast.

Photo: www.profootballhof.com

9. Bill George

It has been alleged that George was the first true middle linebacker in football and, inadvertently, the creator of the 4-3 defense. He called the Bears defensive signals for eight seasons and played in eight consecutive Pro Bowls.

George was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974.

Photo: www.profootballhof.com

8. Clyde "Bulldog" Turner

A six-time All-Pro center and a steady linebacker, Turner intercepted four passes in five NFL title games. Teammate George Musso once said of Bulldog: "Who knows what kind of player he would have been if he ever got to rest during a game?"

Among his accomplishments, Turner was a great blocker, a terrific pass defender and a perfect ball-snapper with the speed of a halfback. He led the NFL with eight interceptions in 1942 and was All-NFL seven times.

Turner anchored four NFL championship teams and intercepted four passes in five NFL title games.

7. Harold "Red" Grange

"The Galloping Ghost" was a charter member of both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 2008, he was named the greatest college football player of all time by ESPN.

And did you know he founded the rival AFL in 1926?

Also, after a bad injury, he converted to being an outstanding defensive back and was one of the defensive heroes of the 1933 NFL Championship Game.

Photo: www.espn.go.com

Larry Schwartz

6. Doug Atkins

Atkins was a fierce defender who was known for using his immense size and agility to his advantage.

With the Bears, Atkins was a first-team All-Pro selection in 1958, 1960, 1961, and 1963, along with being a starter in the Pro Bowl in eight of his last nine years with Chicago.

Atkins wreaked havoc on opponents as a devastating pass rusher and other players just tried not to get him angry for he played even better when he was mad. In fact, he used to go at it with George Halas, and eventually Halas moved him to New Orleans.

But after Atkins retired following the 1969 season, Halas openly admitted, “There never was a better defensive end.”

Photo: www.cmgww.com

5. Mike Ditka

You may have heard of "Da Coach."

But long before he won a Super Bowl as the Bears head coach, Ditka was a great tight end who was a pioneer in the league as not only a devastating blocker, as tough as nails, but also a terrific pass catcher.

Ditka was the first tight end elected to the Hall of Fame.  

4. Gale Sayers

"The Kansas Comet" records include most touchdowns in a rookie season (22 in 1965), most touchdowns in a game (six, tied with Ernie Nevers and Dub Jones), highest career kickoff return average (30.56), and most return touchdowns in a game (two, tied with many players).

Injuries cut short his career, but was probably the most amazing runner in pro football history.

3. George Halas

How can Papa Bear make this list?

Well, he wasn't known as a great player, but he did play and he helped form the damn league, so there.

Impact on football? All you need to know is that the Hall of Fame is located on George Halas Drive.

Halas coached the team for 40 seasons, only six of his teams finished below .500 and his 324 wins stood as the record for almost three decades. He also played end for nine seasons

Photo: www.library.thinkquest.org 

2. Dick Butkus

Butkus was simply the greatest linebacker of his generation and one of the best linebackers of all time.

Butkus was also selected the 70th Greatest Athlete of the 20th Century by ESPN, the ninth-best player in NFL history by The Sporting News, and the fifth-best by the Associated Press.

1. Walter Payton

"Sweetness" retired as the greatest running back of all-time in terms of yardage.

Mike Ditka described Payton as the greatest football player he had ever seen. That's good enough for me.