page_title: George Halas
section_title: Impact on football
hierarchical_section_title: George Halas / Impact on football
caption_attribution_description: Antonio Pierce at the Giants Rally after victory in Super Bowl XLII.
context_page_description: George Stanley Halas Sr., nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was an American professional football player, coach, and team owner. He was the founder, owner, and head coach of the National Football League's Chicago Bears. He was also lesser known as a Major League Baseball player for the New York Yankees.
  Halas was one of the co-founders of the National Football League in 1920, and in 1963 became one of the first 17 inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
context_section_description: A pioneer both on and off the field, Halas made the Bears the first team to hold daily practice sessions, to analyze film of opponents to find weaknesses and means of attack, place assistant coaches in the press box during games, place tarp on the field, publish a club newspaper, and to broadcast games by radio. He also offered to share the team's substantial television income with teams in smaller cities, firmly believing that what was good for the league would ultimately benefit his own team. A firm disciplinarian, Halas maintained complete control of his team and did not tolerate disobedience and insubordination by players. He also insisted on absolute integrity and honesty in management, believing that a handshake was sufficient to finalize a deal; few, if any, intermediaries were necessary.
  Halas's career ledger reads as follows: 63 years as an owner, 40 as a coach, 324 wins, and 8 NFL titles as a coach or owner. His 324 victories stood as an NFL record for nearly three decades, and are still far and away the most in Bears history; they are three times that of runner-up Ditka. He was a charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963.
caption: Antonio Pierce of the New York Giants holding up the Halas trophy
exif: {}