September 12, 2023 – THEME WEEK DAY 2

We’re continuing our theme week on NFL Team Name Origins with the Chicago Bears! What the heck do Bears have to do with the city of Chicago anyway?
The franchise was founded in Decatur, Illinois. They were originally a company team for the A.E. Staley food starch company, so their name was the Decatur Staleys. The team played independently in 1919 and in 1920, the company hired former University of Illinois teammates George Halas and Edward “Dutch” Sternaman to run the team.
When the team relocated to Chicago in 1921, they were still known as the Staleys. But in 1922, Halas changed the names to the Bears. At the time, the team shared Wrigley Field with the Chicago Cubs. He wanted a tie-in to the Cubs, and reasoned that since football players are bigger than baseball players, they would be the Bears.
The team got the nickname “Monsters of Midway”, which was used by the University of Chicago at one time. The name is often misattributed to the city’s Midway International Airport, or as a geographic reference to its location in the Midwest. It’s actually in reference to the Midway Plaisance, a public park on the South Side of Chicago.
They’re one of the 2 remaining franchises from the NFL’s founding in 1920. The other is the Arizona Cardinals, who also used to play in Chicago. The Bears have won 9 NFL championships, including one Super Bowl. They have the NFL record for most enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and also have the most retired jersey numbers. They have the second-most victories of any NFL franchise, behind only their rivals, the Green Bay Packers. Learn more here.