Dan Hampton was a first-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears in 1979 following an All-America season at the University of Arkansas. An outstanding and versatile defensive lineman, Hampton would play 12 seasons with the Bears. Six times he earned first- or second-team All-Pro honors as either a defensive tackle or defensive end.

Nicknamed “Danimal” for his ferocious style of play, Hampton persevered through 10 knee surgeries and numerous other injuries as he became recognized as one of the game’s most dedicated players. Hampton was an impact player even as a rookie. In his first season he was credited with 70 tackles, 48 of which were solo efforts, as well as two fumble recoveries, three passes defensed, and two sacks.

In 1980, he led the team in sacks with 11.5 and his 73 tackles were the most by a Bears lineman. His play earned him the first of his four Pro Bowl invitations. In the nine-game strike-shortened 1982 season, Hampton, playing right end, led the Bears with 9 sacks and was second with 71 tackles. One major publication selected him as the NFC Defensive Most Valuable Player and he was also named to his first All-Pro team. Injuries slowed the promising lineman in 1983, but he still managed to record five sacks in just 11 games.

The following season, although he missed one game with a hyper-extended knee, his 11.5 sacks equaled his career best. It’s for the 1985 season, however, that Dan and the Bears’ defense is best remembered. That year, the stingy Chicago defense allowed just 198 points and shut out both opponents in the NFC playoffs. The Bears went on to destroy the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX, allowing just 123 total yards and sacking Patriot quarterbacks seven times. For his part, the versatile Hampton spent the first half of the 1985 season playing right tackle before moving over to the left defensive end spot for the remainder of the season. His aggressive play caused opposing offenses to assign extra blockers ultimately freeing up other Bears defenders to make plays. Even with the added attention, Dan still managed to record 6.5 sacks, force two fumbles, recover three fumbles, and defense four passes.

Although 1985 may have been a high point in his career, Hampton continued to play at a high level until finally retiring in 1990, becoming just the second Bear to play in three different decades.

After playing 4 years at Tennessee State University, Dent was drafted in the eighth round by the Bears, with 203rd overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft. At 6'5, 265 lbs., Dent was a great pass rusher who beat offensive tackles with his speed. He was part of the core of great players who made the Bears' defenses of the 1980's legendary. Between 1984 and 1985, Dent recorded 34.5 sacks.

In the 1985 season, Dent and the Bears had one of the most spectacular seasons in NFL history, finishing the season with a 15-1 record and shutting out both their opponents in the playoffs. Dent was a major factor in Chicago's success, leading the NFL with 17 sacks, while recovering 2 fumbles and intercepting 2 passes (1 of which was returned for a touchdown). In the 1985 playoffs, Dent was phenomenal, performing in what was quite possibly the most impressive defensive postseason performance in history. In the wild-card game against the New York Giants, Dent had one of the most dominant playoff performances in history. In the game, he recorded 7 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. In the NFC Championship Game, Dent, along with teamate Wilber Marshall, provided one of the most memorable playoff moments in history. It was late in the 4th quarter and it had just started to snow. Quarterback Dieter Brock dropped back to pass, but Dent got there and sacked him, knocking the ball loose. Marshall picked up the loose ball and returned it for a touchdown, a moment that was said to be a perfect end to the Bears' season (at home) and others say that the snow was "Papa Bear" George Halas giving his thumbs-up to the team. And of course, when The Bears went on to crush the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX, Dent was selected the game's MVP, as he shared 2 sacks, forced 2 fumbles, and blocked a pass.

Clyde "Bulldog” Turner excelled as a premier center and linebacker for the Chicago Bears for 13 seasons. Yet had it not been for a fortunate set of circumstances while he was still a college player at Hardin-Simmons University, he might never have had the chance to play in the National Football League.

Pro football scouting was in the early stages in the late 1930s. Most teams relied on football magazines with their traditional pre-season All-America selections. Players from little-known colleges simply weren't included. Yet not one but two NFL teams eagerly sought Turner.

A Hardin-Simmons fan tipped off Frank Korch, a Bears scout, about Turner's abilities during his junior season. After watching Turner, Korch convinced coach George Halas the Bears should draft him. Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions were so sure they had convinced Turner to turn down offers from other NFL teams they didn’t even bother to draft him.

For the Bears, acquiring Turner in the first round of the 1940 draft proved to be a masterstroke. For both, the 1940 season marked the beginning of a period of dominance of their particular specialties, the Bears in winning championships and Turner in becoming the best all-round center in pro football. As a linebacker who was blessed with halfback speed, Turner, in 1942, led the league in interceptions with eight.

On offense, he was a flawless snapper and an exceptional blocker who could also play guard or tackle. Never was his versatility more evident than in 1944 when he was asked to fill in as a ball carrier in an emergency situation. He consistently ground out long gains, including a 48-yard touchdown romp. Three years later against Washington, Turner came up with what he called the favorite play of his career, a 96-yard interception return for a touchdown.

It was a game in 1980 that first put McMahon in the national spotlight. As a junior at BYU during the 1980 season, McMahon rung up gaudy statistics that were derided by critics as coming against weak opposition. But in the Holiday Bowl that December (known as the Miracle Bowl), McMahon led the Cougars back from a 45-25 deficit in the final 4:07 to stun Southern Methodist University, 46-45. The performance put him on the map, and in the following season (1981), McMahon again put up stellar numbers. He finished his college career with 71 NCAA records, and was selected by the Bears in the first round of the 1982 NFL Draft, at number five overall.

McMahon, thrilled to be "released" from what he considered an oppressive culture in Utah, strolled into his first public function with the Bears holding a cold beer in his hand. New head coach Mike Ditka and team founder and owner George Halas were unimpressed. Ever the free spirit, McMahon was to find the atmosphere in Chicago almost as stifling as that at Brigham Young, and he would lock horns with Ditka, his coaches and teammates, and journalists routinely during his career with the Bears.

McMahon won the Bears' starting quarterback job as a rookie and was named to several All-Rookie teams when he nearly led the team to the playoffs, despite the NFL only playing two games before a players' strike that cancelled nearly half the season. McMahon quickly displayed a natural ability to read defenses and an athletic versatility that surprised many. He established himself as the best play-action passer in the game with his nonchalant fake handoffs and coolness in the pocket. Despite having only average arm strength, his situational awareness and superior acting skills made him a fearsome play-action passer.

In 1985, the Bears won their first 12 games and finished 15-1 for the season. McMahon became a media darling, not only for his outstanding play on the field, but also for his personality. He appeared in a rap record made by the team, "The Super Bowl Shuffle," in which he proclaimed "I'm the punky QB known as McMahon." He ended the season with a strong performance in Super Bowl XX, which the Bears won 46-10 over the New England Patriots. In that game, McMahon became the first quarterback in the history of the Super Bowl to rush for two touchdowns.[1] McMahon earned a spot in the Pro Bowl. He was a point of controversy in New Orleans at the Super Bowl when he "mooned" journalists who were inquiring as to the status of a minor injury to his buttocks. McMahon was notorious for head-first baseball-style slides when running the football, despite being coached to slide feet-first to protect his body. In the playoffs, McMahon heeded this coaching advice and was speared by a defender's helmet squarely in his buttocks, causing a painful deep bruise for which McMahon sought acupuncture treatment.

In an early-season Thursday night game at Minnesota, McMahon was slated to back up Steve Fuller, as McMahon had missed practice time earlier in the week due to a neck injury that required an overnight hospital stay. Midway into the third quarter, the Vikings held a 17-9 lead. McMahon spent much of the second and third quarters pacing alongside Ditka, lobbying to be sent into the game. Ditka quietly dealt with these advances while concentrating on the game, but eventually relented and McMahon, to the excitement of the Bears and the dismay of the Minnesota fans, entered the game in the third quarter.

With the atmosphere in the Metrodome suddenly charged and electric, McMahon knelt in the huddle and called his first play. The Vikings blitzed at the snap and left wide receiver Willie Gault open, and McMahon hit the speedy receiver with a 70-yard touchdown pass that stunned the Vikings' players and fans as well as a national television audience. The jubilant Bears were instantly confrontational, and quickly got the ball back. On McMahon's second play he threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Dennis McKinnon. McMahon was now 2-2 for 95 yards and two touchdowns. After a Vikings punt, the Bears moved across midfield by running the football and throwing a few short passes. On a crucial 3rd and short play McMahon, despite his neck injury, got a firstdown on a quarterback sneak play, and the very next play hit McKinnon for a 43-yard touchdown. The Bears led 30-17 and went on to win the game 33-24.

Throughout his career, McMahon was known for both on and off field antics. Most famously his wearing of headbands while on the sidelines, one such led to his being fined by then NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle as it had an un-authorized corporate logo on it. The next week his headband simply said "Rozelle". Reportedly before Super Bowl XX hundreds of fans mailed McMahon headbands in hopes he would wear them during the game and Pete Rozelle gave him a stern warning not to wear anything "unacceptable", in response McMahon decided to help bring attention to Juvenile Diabetes by wearing a headband simply stating "JDF Cure" before switching to one stating "POW-MIA" and finally one with the word "Pluto", the nickname of a friend of his stricken with cancer.

He is also known for his trademark sunglasses, which he wears for medical reasons. At the age of six, while trying to untie a knot in a toy gun holster with a fork, he accidentally severed the retina in his right eye when the fork slipped. While his vision was saved, the accident left that eye extremely sensitive to light. On the field, he was among the first to wear a helmet fitted with a tinted plastic visor covering the eyes, leading to nicknames like "Darth Vader" and "Black Sunshine."

Walter Payton, the Chicago Bears' first-round choice and the fourth player selected in the 1975 National Football League Draft, developed into a superstar of unusual dimensions during his 13-season NFL tenure from 1975 to 1987, all of which he spent with the Chicago Bears.

The 5-10, 200-pound running back who rushed for 3,563 yards in four seasons at Jackson State went on to dominate the rushing section of the NFL record book during and long after his career ended.

The records he held at the time of his retirement included 16,726 total yards, 10 seasons with 1,000 or more yards rushing, 275 yards rushing in one game against Minnesota (1977), 77 games with more than 100 yards rushing, and 110 rushing touchdowns. Payton had 4,368 combined net attempts and accounted for 21,803 combined net yards. He also scored an impressive 750 points on 125 touchdowns.

Payton won the NFC rushing title five straight years from 1976 to 1980. He also led the NFC with 96 points in 1977 and won the NFL kickoff return championship in his rookie 1975 campaign. He was named both All-Pro and All-NFC seven times and played in nine Pro Bowl games. Payton was selected as the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1977 and 1985, the NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 1977 and 1985 and the NFC Most Valuable Player in 1977.

An amazing runner, Walter rushed for more than 1,000 yards 10 of his 13 seasons. His best season came in 1977, when he ran for 1,852 yards, third best in history at that time. Payton's 492 career pass receptions for 4,538 yards and 15 touchdowns contributed to his exceptional combined net yard totals.

Extremely durable, Payton missed one game in his rookie campaign and then played in 186 consecutive games.

Mike Singletary, was a second-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears in the 1981 NFL Draft and the 38th player selected overall. The only college junior to be selected to the All-SWC Team of the 1970s, Singletary earned All-America honors in both his junior and senior years at Baylor, where he averaged 15 tackles per game and established a team record with 232 tackles in 1978.

Singletary became a starter in the Bears lineup in the seventh game of his rookie season. In a game against the Kansas City Chiefs, his third as a starter, Singletary put on a remarkable defensive performance recording 10 tackles and forcing a fumble. A nearly unanimous all-rookie selection, Singletary went on to start 172 games for the Bears during his 12-year career, which is the second most in club history.

An intense player, Mike finished as the Bears’ first or second leading tackler each of his last 11 seasons. 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.

In a game against the Denver Broncos in 1990 he had a personal-best performance when he recorded 10 solo tackles and 10 assists. Selected to play in a team record 10 Pro Bowls, Singletary was All-Pro eight times, and All-NFC every year from 1983 until 1991.

The NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1985 and 1988, Mike was the cornerstone of the Bears’ innovative 46-defense. In 1985, he led a Bears’ defense that allowed fewer than 11 points per game, as the team posted an impressive 15-1 record. He had 13 tackles and a sack in the playoffs leading up to the Bears’ 46-10 defeat of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX. The Bears’ league-leading defense held the Patriots to a record low seven yards rushing, while the hard-charging Singletary contributed with two fumble recoveries.

When Ed Healey, who had only average success as an end at Dartmouth College, heard of a new football league being formed in 1920, he took an overnight train to Rock Island, Illinois, to try out with the Independents. He faced the Chicago Tigers in his first game and played well enough that the management asked to join the team on a permanent basis.

In 1922, while playing against George Halas, the player-coach of the Chicago Bears, Healey dominated his opponent so thoroughly Halas decided he had to have this player on his team. After the game, he bought Healey for $100. Healey was elated to get a raise to $100 a game but was most excited that the Bears had a clubhouse. ''At Rock Island," Ed explained, "we had no showers and seldom a trainer. At Wrigley Field, we had a nice warm place to dress and nice warm showers."

Throughout his NFL career, Healey was a true warrior. Halas often called him "the most versatile tackle in history." He was an all-league pick five times during his eight-year NFL career. Blessed with good speed for a tackle, Healey was involved in at least two unforgettable plays as a Bear. In 1924, "Big Ed" ran more than 30 yards to nail his own teammate, who had run the wrong way with an intercepted pass, just short of the wrong goal line.

Two years later during the Bears' long barnstorming tour that featured the famous Red Grange, Healey made a touchdown-saving play before 60,000 fans, a play he called his greatest pro football thrill. Los Angeles All-Stars running ace George Wilson broke through the Bears line and into the open, but Healey hurdled several of his own teammates and caught Wilson from behind after a long chase.

Mike Ditka, the No. 1 draft pick of the Chicago Bears in 1961, introduced a new dimension to the tight end position that once was viewed primarily as an assignment for a tough, talented blocker. Ditka proved to be a superior blocker but he also became one of the first tight ends to catch a large number of passes.

He startled opponent defenses with 56 catches for 1,076 yards and 12 touchdowns in his Rookie-of-the-Year campaign in 1961. Three years later in 1964, he had 75 receptions, a season record for tight ends that lasted until 1980 and the era of the 16-game season. The 6-3, 225-pound native of Carnegie, Pennsylvania was a consensus All- America in 1960 while playing for the University of Pittsburgh.

He moved into the Bears' starting lineup at the beginning of his rookie season and didn't miss a start in 84 games with the Bears. He earned All-NFL honors four straight seasons from 1961 through 1964 and was a Pro Bowl choice after each of his first five seasons. He wound up his 12-year career with 427 receptions for 5,812 yards and 43 touchdowns.

At the time of his retirement after the 1972 season, he ranked second among all tight ends in receptions. In 1967, Ditka was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. An injury in the second game that year aborted his consecutive-game streak at 86. He missed eight games in two years with the Eagles before moving on to the Dallas Cowboys in 1969. The fiercely determined and competitive Ditka regained much of his old form in four years in Dallas. His best campaign there was in 1971 when the Cowboys won their first Super Bowl championship. Ditka had 30 receptions that year and he scored the final touchdown in Dallas' 24-3 win over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI.

George Connor earned All-America honors three times, once at Holy Cross in 1943 and then at Notre Dame in 1946 and 1947. During his eight-year career (1948-1955) with the Bears, he 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 by different wire services.

Although George is remembered as one of the finest of the post-World War II tackles, it was as a linebacker that he made his biggest mark in the pro football world. And it was the sheer necessity of a desperate situation for the Chicago Bears that prompted George's switch to a linebacker position.

The Philadelphia Eagles were running roughshod over the NFL in 1949 and one end sweep with two guards and the fullback leading Steve Van Buren around the flank had been particularly successful. The Bears coaching staff hit upon the idea of moving a big, fast, and agile man like the 6-3, 240-pound Connor into a linebacker’s slot to try to stop the play. The move was made, the experiment was successful, the Eagles were beaten and Connor became a linebacker for keeps.

That didn't mean, however, that he was a one-way specialist. He continued to play offensive tackle, winning All-NFL acclaim on both offense and defense. George was always one of the smartest men on the field wherever he played. He seemingly instinctively knew about keys – the tips that the movements of certain offensive players will provide to the alert defender as to which way the play if going – long before keys became the vogue.

Connor always played the game hard and clean and with exceptional effectiveness and he might have continued in a starring role for many years had not a knee injury cut short his career after the 1955 season.

Stan Jones, a 6-1, 252-pound lineman from the University of Maryland, played 13 seasons in the National Football League, the first 12 with the Chicago Bears from 1954 to 1965 and the 1966 campaign with the Washington Redskins.

The Bears selected Jones as a future choice in the 1953 NFL Draft. It proved to be an insightful move because later that year Jones earned consensus All-America honors with Maryland’s 1953 championship team. Jones, who was born November 24, 1931, in Altoona, Pennsylvania, started with the 1954 Bears as an offensive tackle.

He switched to guard in 1955 and, for the next eight seasons, was a fixture at that position and one of the NFL's most highly respected guards. For most of those years, he was the Bears' offensive captain. Jones possessed size, quickness and strength. He was one of the first pro football players to concentrate on a weight-lifting program to build him into playing condition. A good pass blocker and respected as a pulling guard, Jones was disciplined and dependable.

He missed only two games his first 11 seasons. He was an All-NFL guard in 1955, 1956, 1959, and 1960 and played in seven straight Pro Bowls following the 1955 through 1961 seasons. When the Bears needed help on their defensive unit in 1962, assistant coach George Allen decided that Jones, with size and game intelligence, could help at defensive tackle.

Jones played both ways in 1962 and then switched to defensive tackle permanently in 1963. That year, the Bears marched to the NFL championship on the strength of an outstanding defensive platoon. After his 12th season in 1965, Bears coach George Halas agreed, as a favor to Jones, to trade him to the Washington Redskins so that he could play a final season near his home in Rockville, Maryland. Jones retired after the 1966 season.