Chicago Bears

The franchise originated in Decatur, Illinois, where the Staley Starch Company sponsored the formation of a football team, the Decatur Staleys, in 1920. On September 17 that year, George Halas represented the team at an organizational meeting at an automobile dealership in Canton, Ohio. The Staleys joined the American Professional Football Association for a $100 franchise fee. The association became the National Football League (NFL) in 1922. The Bears are one of two NFL charter franchises still in existence.⁠[1][1][2][3][1]

In 1921, the Staley Starch Company gave Halas the team, $5,000 and permission to move it to Chicago, on the condition that it retain the Staleys name for that year. After moving to Chicago, the team won the 1921 league championship.⁠[1][1][4]

The team became the Chicago Bears in 1922. That year it paid Rock Island $100 for Ed Healey, becoming the first team to buy a player from another team. It also signed college star Red Grange in 1925.⁠[1][1][1]

In 1932, the Bears defeated the Portsmouth Spartans 9–0 to win the championship in the NFL's first indoor game. The following year, they beat the New York GiantsNew York GiantsThe New York Giants are an NFL professional American football team founded in 1925 and competing in the NFC East. They have won eight league championships, including four Super Bowls, and have a long association with the Mara and Tisch families. The Giants share MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with the New York Jets. John Harbaugh became head coach in 2026.Open the full entry 23–21 in the first NFL Championship Game.⁠[1][1][4]

The Bears reached four consecutive NFL Championship Games in the early 1940s and won three, including a 73–0 victory over the Washington RedskinsWashington CommandersThe Washington Commanders are an NFL professional American football team in the NFC East, representing the Washington metropolitan area and playing at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. Founded in Boston in 1932, the franchise moved to Washington in 1937 and has won two pre-merger NFL championships and three Super Bowls. It adopted its current name in 2022, was acquired by a Josh Harris-led partnership in 2023 and appointed Dan Quinn head coach in 2024.Open the full entry in 1940. They won another league championship in 1946.⁠[1][4]

In 1963, the Bears defeated the New York Giants 14–10 to end a 17-year championship drought. Halas's 40 years as a coach were divided into four separate spells. He retired after the 1967 season with 324 coaching victories, then the highest total in league history.⁠[1][1]

The Bears played their first 51 seasons in Chicago at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago CubsChicago CubsThe Chicago Cubs are a Major League Baseball (MLB) team in the National League Central Division, playing at Wrigley Field on Chicago’s North Side. Originally known as the White Stockings, the club joined the National League as a charter member in 1876 and is the only team from its inaugural season still playing in its original city. The Cubs name became official in 1907. The franchise has won 17 National League pennants and three World Series titles, in 1907, 1908 and 2016. The 2016 championship ended a 108-year World Series title drought. The Ricketts family has held a controlling interest since 2009.Open the full entry. In 1971 they moved to Soldier Field in downtown Chicago, leaving for one season in 2002 while the stadium was renovated.⁠[1]

George Halas died on October 31, 1983. From 1920 until his death, he had run the Bears in roles including owner, player, coach and general manager. His daughter Virginia Halas McCaskey inherited the team.⁠[1][1][5]

The Bears finished the 1985 regular season 15–1 and became the first team in league history to record consecutive playoff shutouts, beating the New York Giants 21–0 and the Los Angeles RamsLos Angeles RamsThe Los Angeles Rams are an NFL professional American football team in the NFC West. They joined the NFL in Cleveland in 1937, later played in Los Angeles and St. Louis, and returned to the Los Angeles area in 2016. Their current home is SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Owned by Stan Kroenke and coached by Sean McVay, the Rams won the 1945 and 1951 NFL titles and Super Bowls XXXIV and LVI.Open the full entry 24–0. On January 26, 1986, they defeated the New England PatriotsNew England PatriotsThe New England Patriots are an NFL professional American football team in the AFC East, based at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Founded in 1959, they began AFL play as the Boston Patriots in 1960 and adopted their current name in 1971. Robert Kraft has owned the team since 1994. The Bill Belichick–Tom Brady era produced six Super Bowl titles, and Mike Vrabel became head coach in 2025.Open the full entry 46–10 in Super Bowl XX in New Orleans. Richard Dent was named the game's Most Valuable Player.⁠[6][6][6][4]

The Bears won their second consecutive NFC North title in the 2006 season and advanced to Super Bowl XLI, where they lost 17–29 to the Indianapolis ColtsIndianapolis ColtsThe Indianapolis Colts are an NFL professional American football team established in Baltimore in 1953 and relocated to Indianapolis in 1984. Winners of the 1958, 1959 and 1968 NFL championships and Super Bowls V and XLI, they play at Lucas Oil Stadium and are owned by the Irsay family.Open the full entry.⁠[7][7]

At a board meeting on May 5, 2011, George H. McCaskey formally succeeded his older brother Michael McCaskey as team chairman. The succession had been announced on April 21, 2010.⁠[8][8][8][5]

On February 15, 2023, the Bears announced that they had completed their $197.2 million purchase of the 326-acre Arlington Park property in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The team also said that acquiring the property did not guarantee that it would build a new stadium there.⁠[9][9][9]

The Bears selected quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the 2024 draft. On January 21, 2025, the team announced the appointment of Ben Johnson as head coach.⁠[1][10]

Team owner Virginia Halas McCaskey died on February 6, 2025, aged 102. George H. McCaskey, who had been chairman since 2011, subsequently became the team's principal owner.⁠[5][4][7]

In Ben Johnson's first season as head coach, the Bears finished 11–6 and won the NFC North. Caleb Williams set the team's single-season passing record with 3,942 yards. In the wild-card game on January 10, 2026, the Bears overcame an 18-point deficit to defeat the Green Bay PackersGreen Bay PackersThe Green Bay Packers are an NFL professional American football team formed in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 1919 and admitted to the NFL’s predecessor, the APFA, in 1921. A community-owned nonprofit organization, they play at Lambeau Field in Green Bay and have won 13 NFL championships, including four Super Bowls.Open the full entry 31–27, earning their first playoff victory in 15 years. They then lost 17–20 to the Los Angeles Rams in overtime in the divisional round.⁠[1][1][11][11][12][12]

On February 19, 2026, the Indiana House Ways and Means Committee voted 24–0 to approve an amendment to Senate Bill 27, paving the way for a Bears stadium in Hammond, Indiana. The proposal would establish a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority empowered to issue bonds, acquire land and finance construction. The team said passage of the bill would represent the most significant step to date in its stadium planning.⁠[13][13][13]

In early June 2026, the Bears' board voted to advance stadium development in Hammond, Indiana, with the specific site still undecided. It was the board's first vote on a stadium location. Chairman George H. McCaskey and chief executive Kevin Warren issued a joint statement, but the decision did not establish that the team would leave Illinois.⁠[14][14][14]

The team is primarily owned by George Halas's descendants. In 1990, it sold a stake to Chicago businessmen Andrew McKenna and Patrick Ryan. In September 2025, the NFL finance committee approved the sale of the 2.35% stake held by McKenna's estate to existing shareholders, the McCaskey and Ryan families. As of June 2026, George H. McCaskey was chairman and Kevin Warren was chief executive.⁠[7][7][15][15][15][14]

The team's headquarters, Halas Hall, is in the Chicago suburb of Lake Forest. Built in 1997 and expanded in 2012 and 2019, it is named for founder George S. Halas.⁠[7][4]

Chicago Bears: Official website: https://www.chicagobears.com/ (opens in a new window)⁠[4]

X: @ChicagoBears: https://x.com/ChicagoBears (opens in a new window)⁠[16]

YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: @ChicagoBears: https://www.youtube.com/@ChicagoBears (opens in a new window)⁠[17]

LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: Company page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chicago-bears/ (opens in a new window)⁠[18]