Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago , Illinois . They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference ( NFC ) in the National Football League ( NFL ) . The team is legally and corporately registered as Chicago Bears Football Club , Incorporated . The Bears have won nine ( 9 ) NFL Championships ( eight pre - merger , and one Super Bowl ) . The Bears hold the NFL records for the most enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame , with 27 members , and the most retired jersey numbers ( 13 ) . The Bears have also recorded more regular season and overall victories than any other NFL franchise . The franchise recorded its 700th win on November 18 , 2010 . The club was founded in Decatur , Illinois , in 1919 , and moved to Chicago in 1921 . Along with the Arizona Cardinals ( originally from Chicago ) , it is one of only two remaining franchises from the NFL ' s founding . The team played home games at Wrigley Field on Chicago ' s North Side through the 1970 season . With the exception of the 2002 season , they have played their home games at Chicago ' s Soldier Field every year since 1971 . The stadium is located next to Lake Michigan , and was recently remodeled in a modernization intended to update stadium amenities while preserving a historic Chicago structure . The team has a storied , long - standing rivalry with the Green Bay Packers , whom they have played 182 times . The Bears currently hold the edge in head - to - head matchups with a record of 92 – 82 – 6 . The two teams have met each other twice in the postseason . The Bears won in 1941 and the Packers won in 2011 . The team headquarters , Halas Hall , is in the Chicago suburb of Lake Forest , Illinois . The Bears practice at adjoining facilities there during the season . They hold their annual training camp from late July to mid - August at Ward Field on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais , Illinois . Franchise history . 1920 – 1970 . Originally named the Decatur Staleys , the club was established by the A . E . Staley food starch company of Decatur , Illinois in 1919 as a company team . This was the typical start for several early professional football franchises . The company hired George Halas and Edward " Dutch " Sternaman in 1920 to run the team , and turned over full control of the team to them in 1921 . However , official team and league records cite Halas as the founder as he took over the team in 1920 when it became a charter member of the NFL . The team relocated to Chicago in 1921 , where the club was renamed the Chicago Staleys . Under an agreement reached by Halas and Sternaman with Staley , Halas purchased the rights to the club from Staley for $ 100 , whereupon they were renamed the Chicago Bears . The Bears dominated the league in the early years . Their rivalry with the Chicago Cardinals , the oldest in the NFL ( and a crosstown rivalry from 1920 to 1959 ) , was key in four out of the first six league titles . During the league ' s first six years , the Bears lost twice to the Canton Bulldogs ( who took two league titles over that span ) , and split with their crosstown rival Cardinals ( going 4 – 4 – 2 against each other over that span ) , but no other team in the league defeated the Bears more than a single time . During that span , the Bears posted 34 shutouts . The Bears ' rivalry with the Green Bay Packers is one of the oldest and most storied in American professional sports , dating back to 1921 . In one infamous incident that year , Halas got the Packers expelled from the league in order to prevent their signing a particular player , and then graciously got them re - admitted after the Bears had closed the deal with that player . In 1922 , Halas changed the team name from the Staleys to the Bears . The team moved into Wrigley Field , which was home to the Chicago Cubs baseball franchise . As with several early NFL franchises , the Bears derived their nickname from their city ' s baseball team ( some directly , some indirectly – like the Bears , whose young are called " cubs " ) . Halas liked the bright orange - and - blue colors of his alma mater , the University of Illinois , and the Bears adopted those colors as their own , albeit in a darker shade of each ( the blue is a navy blue , and the orange is Pantone 1665 , similar to burnt orange ) . The franchise was an early success under Halas , capturing the NFL Championship in 1921 and remaining competitive throughout the decade . In 1924 the Bears claimed the Championship after defeating the Cleveland Bulldogs on December 7 , even putting the title " World ' s Champions " on their 1924 team photo . But the NFL had ruled that games after November 30 did not count towards league standings , and the Bears had to settle for second place behind Cleveland . Their only losing season came in 1929 . During the 1920s the club was responsible for triggering the NFL ' s long - standing rule that a player could not be signed until his college ' s senior class had graduated . The NFL took that action as a consequence of the Bears ' aggressive signing of famous University of Illinois player Red Grange within a day of his final game as a collegian . After the financial losses of the 1932 Championship season , Halas ' partner Dutch Sternaman left the organization . Halas maintained full control of the Bears until his death in 1983 . He also coached the team off - and - on for forty seasons , an NFL record . In the 1932 " Unofficial " NFL Championship , the Bears defeated the Portsmouth Spartans in the first indoor American football game at Chicago Stadium . The success of the playoff game led the NFL to institute a championship game . In the very first NFL Championship , the Bears played against the New York Giants , defeating them 23 – 21 . The teams met again in the 1934 NFL Championship where the Giants , wearing sneakers defeated the Bears 30 – 13 on a cold , icy day at the Polo Grounds . From 1940 – 1947 , quarterback Sid Luckman led the Bears to victories in four out of the five NFL Championship Games in which they appeared . The team acquired the University of Chicago ' s discarded nickname " Monsters of the Midway " and their now - famous helmet " C " , as well as a newly penned theme song that declared them " The Pride and Joy of Illinois " . One famous victory during that period was their 73 – 0 victory over the favored Washington Redskins at Griffith Stadium in the 1940 NFL Championship Game ; the score is still an NFL record for lopsided results . The secret behind the one - sided outcome was the introduction of a new offensive formation by Halas . The T - formation , as Halas named it , involved two running back s instead of the traditional one in the backfield . Luckman ' s success at the quarterback position for the Bears has not been matched , as he still holds club records for passing . After declining throughout the 1950s , the team rebounded in 1963 to capture their eighth NFL Championship , which would be their last until 1985 . The late 1960s and early 1970s produced notable players like Dick Butkus , Gale Sayers , and Brian Piccolo , who died of embryonal carcinoma in 1970 . The American television network ABC aired a movie about Piccolo in 1971 entitled " Brian ' s Song " , starring James Caan and Billy Dee Williams in the roles of Piccolo and Sayers respectively ; Jack Warden won an Emmy Award for his performance as Halas . The movie was later released for theater screenings after first being shown on television . Halas retired as coach in 1967 and spent the rest of his days in the front office . He became the only person to be involved with the NFL throughout the first 60 years of its existence . He was also a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame ' s first induction class in 1963 . As the only living founder of the NFL at the February 1970 merger between the NFL and the American Football League , the owners honored Halas by electing him the first President of the National Football Conference , a position that he held until his death in 1983 . In his honor , the NFL named the NFC Championship trophy as the George Halas Memorial Trophy . 1970 – 2003 . After the merger , the Bears finished the 1970 season last place in their division , a repeat of their placing in the 1969 season . In 1975 , the Bears drafted Walter Payton from Jackson State University with their first pick . He won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award in the 1977 – 78 season . Payton would go on to eclipse Jim Brown ' s NFL career rushing record in 1984 before retiring in 1987 , and would hold the mark until 2002 , when Emmitt Smith of the Dallas Cowboys surpassed it . Payton ' s career and personality would capture the hearts of Bear fans , who called him " Sweetness " . He died from a rare form of liver cancer in 1999 at the age of 45 . On November 1 , 1983 , a day after the death of George Halas , his oldest daughter , Virginia McCaskey , took over as the majority owner of the team . Her husband , Ed McCaskey , succeeded her father as the Chairman of the Board . Their son Michael became the third president in team history . Mrs . McCaskey holds the honorary title of " secretary of the board of directors " , but the 82 - year – old matriarch has been called the glue that holds the franchise together . Mrs . McCaskey ' s reign as the owner of the Bears was not planned , as her father originally earmarked her brother , George " Mugs " Halas , Jr . as the heir apparent to the franchise . However , he died of a massive heart attack in 1979 . Her impact on the team is well - noted as her own family has dubbed her " The First Lady of Sports " , and the " Chicago Sun - Times " has listed her as one of Chicago ' s most powerful women . Mike Ditka , a tight end for the Bears from 1961 to 1966 , was hired to coach the team by George Halas in 1982 . In the 1985 season the fire in the Bears – Packers rivalry was relit when Ditka used 350 – plus pound lineman " Refrigerator " Perry as a truly " wide " receiver in a touchdown play at Lambeau Field , flagrantly taunting the Packers . The Bears won their ninth NFL Championship , first since the AFL - NFL merger , in Super Bowl XX after the 1985 season in which they dominated the NFL with their then - revolutionary 46 defense and a cast of characters that recorded the novelty rap song " The Super Bowl Shuffle " . The season was notable in that the Bears had only one loss , the " unlucky 13th " game of the season , a Monday night affair in which they were defeated by the Miami Dolphins . At the time , much was made of the fact that the 1972 Dolphins were the only franchise in history to have had an undefeated season and post - season . The Dolphins came close to setting up a rematch in the Super Bowl , but lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC title game . " The Super Bowl Shuffle " was videotaped the day after that Monday night loss in Miami . After the 1985 Championship season , the Bears remained competitive throughout the 1980s but failed to return to the Super Bowl under Mike Ditka . Since the firing of Ditka at the end of the 1992 season , the Bears have made the playoffs five times under three different head coaches : Dave Wannstedt from 1993 through 1998 , Dick Jauron from 1999 through 2003 , and current head coach , Lovie Smith . Before the Bears hired Jauron in January 1999 , Dave McGinnis ( Arizona ' s defensive coordinator , and a former Bears assistant under Ditka and Wannstedt ) backed out of taking the head coaching position . The Bears scheduled a press conference to announce the hiring before McGinnis agreed to contract terms . Soon after Jauron ' s hiring , Mrs . McCaskey fired her son Michael as president , replacing him with Ted Phillips and promoting Michael to chairman of the board . McCaskey ' s reign as president has been viewed as a " disaster " . Phillips , the current Bears president , became the first man outside of the Halas - McCaskey family to run the team . 2004 – present : Lovie Smith era . Lovie Smith , hired on January 15 , 2004 , is the third and current ( as of 2010 ) post - Ditka head coach . Joining the Bears as a rookie head coach , Smith brought the highly successful Tampa 2 defensive scheme with him to Chicago . Before his second season with the Bears , the team rehired their former offensive coordinator and then Illinois head coach Ron Turner to improve the Bears ' struggling offense . In 2005 , the Bears won their division and reached the playoffs for the first time in four years . Their previous playoff berth was earned by winning the NFC Central in 2001 . The Bears improved upon their success the following season , by clinching their second consecutive NFC North title during Week 13 of the 2006 season , winning their first playoff game since 1995 , and earning a trip to Super Bowl XLI . However , they fell short of the championship , losing 29 – 17 to the Indianapolis Colts . Following the 2006 season , the club decided to give Lovie Smith a contract extension through 2011 , at roughly $ 5 million per year . This comes a season after being the lowest paid head coach in the National Football League . The club has played in over a thousand games since becoming a charter member of the NFL in 1920 . Through the 2010 season , they led the NFL in overall franchise wins with 704 and had an overall record of 704 - 512 - 42 ( going 687 – 494 – 42 during the regular season and 17 - 18 in the playoffs ) . On November 18 , 2010 the Bears recorded franchise win number 700 in a win against the Miami Dolphins . On April 2 , 2009 , the Bears made one of the biggest trades in franchise history , acquiring Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler and a 5th round selection in the 2009 NFL Draft from the Denver Broncos in exchange for quarterback Kyle Orton , the Bears ' 1st and 3rd round selections in the 2009 NFL Draft and the Bears ' 1st round selection in the 2010 NFL Draft . On February 1 , 2010 , offensive guru Mike Martz was hired by the Chicago Bears as their offensive coordinator . On March 5 , 2010 , the Bears made a big splash in free agency , signing defensive end Julius Peppers , running back Chester Taylor , and tight end Brandon Manumaleuna spending over $ 100 million on the first day of free agency . The Chicago Bears got their 700th regular season win on November 18 , 2010 by beating the Miami Dolphins 16 – 0 . This makes the Bears the first team in the NFL to reach the regular season win mark of 700 . On December 20 , 2010 , the Bears defeated the Minnesota Vikings 40 – 14 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis to clinch the NFC North Division title , their third in six years but first since 2006 , when they reached Super Bowl XLI . With a 38 – 34 win against the New York Jets , the Bears clinched the No . 2 seed and a first - round bye for the 2010 – 11 NFL playoffs . They reached the NFC Championship Game following the defeat of the Seattle Seahawks , where they played Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field - only the second playoff meeting between the two storied rivals , the only other game played in 1941 . The Bears lost the game , 21 - 14 . Ownership . Virginia McCaskey , her children , and grandchildren control 80 % of the team , and Mrs . McCaskey votes her children ' s stock as well as her own . Patrick Ryan , executive chairman of Aon Corp . , and Aon director Andrew McKenna own 15 % of the club , and Kevin owns 5 % of the club . In a " Crain ' s Chicago Business " article , one businessman described his wishes for the team to maximize its potential . In 2009 " Yahoo ! Sports " listed the McCaskey as the third worst owner in the NFL , stating " [ T ] hey get less for what they ’ ve got than any team in our league . " There have been rumors that the McCaskey family might split up over the team . In 2008 , " Forbes " magazine reported that the Chicago Bears franchise is worth $ 1 . 1 billion , making it the ninth richest franchise in the NFL . Chicago is the National Football League ' s second largest market . The team has major sponsorship deals with Chase , Miller Brewing Company , Cadillac , United Airlines , Motorola , U . S . Cellular and Coca - Cola . The team was the first in the NFL to have a presenting sponsor , with the 2004 season advertised as " Bears Football presented by BankOne " ( now Chase ) " " . Additionally , the Bears have an agreement with WFLD - TV ( the Fox affiliate in Chicago ) to broadcast pre - season football games . Logos , uniforms , and mascots . Logo . The club ' s first logo was introduced in the early 1950s as a black bear on top of a football . They kept this until 1962 , when the Bears trademark ' C ' logo was first introduced . The change in their logo from the black bear was due to the addition of logos on helmets , which pro football teams started adding in the late 1950s and early 1960s . Unlike some NFL franchises that have had many different looks over time , the Bears have kept the wishbone ' C ' for over 40 years . In 1974 , the team decided to keep the same white ' C ' logo but to change the color of it from white to orange with a white trim . This is the current logo ; however , the club has since introduced alternative logos , including a black bear inside of the orange wishbone ' C ' , introduced in 1995 , and an orange bear head , introduced in 1999 . Uniforms . In 1920 the team introduced uniforms containing brown and blue stripes . In the 1930s , the franchise ' s uniform underwent substantial alterations . By 1933 the Bears donned all - orange jerseys with navy numbers and matching black helmets . In 1936 , they modified this design into " an early version of psychedelia " by adding three orange stripes to their helmets , changing the color of the jerseys from orange to white , complementing the new white jerseys with fourteen navy and orange alternating stripes on the sleeves , and introducing socks with a similar striped pattern extending from ankle to knee . Because of poor response from the fans and the media , this design lasted only one season . By 1949 , the team was wearing the familiar navy blue shirts with white , rounded numbers . In 1956 , the team added " TV numbers " to the sleeves . The Bears ' C ' logo first appeared on the helmets in 1962 . The logo changed from white to a white - bordered orange logo 11 years later , and has remained unchanged ever since . The Bears added the initials " GSH " to the left sleeve of their jerseys in 1984 in memory of George Halas . For decades , the team was known as the only NFL team to wear jersey numbers that were not the traditional block - style numbers ( though during the 1971 season , the Bears road jerseys used the block - style numbers ) . Although a handful of other NFL teams and the Houston Oilers during their early AFL days experimented with rounder jersey numbers , by the mid - 1960s the Bears were the only team left to continue wearing rounded jersey numbers . Since the mid - 1990s , however , several teams have shifted away from the block numbers in favor of numbers that match a specific team font ( e . g . Denver Broncos , Baltimore Ravens , Philadelphia Eagles , etc . ) or in the case of the Pittsburgh Steelers , match the jersey number font with the helmet numbers while otherwise leaving the jersey design alone . Other variations to the Bears uniforms over the years include the addition of navy blue pants as a part of the road kit in 1984 . During the 1994 season , the Bears – with most of the other NFL franchises – introduced throwback uniform s to be worn in the honor of the NFL ' s 75th anniversary . These uniforms with brown and blue stripes resemble the original Bears uniforms worn in the 1920s . On October 7 , 2002 the Bears wore navy blue pants with their navy blue home jerseys for the first time , and lost at home to Green Bay before a national " Monday Night Football " audience . The Bears did not wear the all - blue combination again until the 2006 regular season finale against the Packers , also a loss , on December 31 . On November 13 , 2005 and October 29 , 2006 ( both times in games against the San Francisco 49ers ) , the Bears introduced an orange alternate home jersey . The orange swaps roles with the navy blue on this alternate jersey , as it becomes the dominant color while the navy complements . The orange jerseys were worn again on October 19 , 2008 at home against the Minnesota Vikings in a 48 – 41 victory . The Bears also wore the orange jerseys against the Detroit Lions on October 28 , 2007 and most recently in a November 1 , 2009 game vs . the Cleveland Browns ( Bears won 30 – 6 ) . The Bears previously wore orange jerseys as part of a throwback uniform in a Thanksgiving Day game at the Dallas Cowboys in 2004 . Their uniforms , especially for their classic look , have been cited as one of the best in the league . Since 2005 , the Bears have worn their alternate orange jerseys for one home game a season that is near Halloween . For the 2005 – 07 and 2010 home openers , the team wore the white jerseys with the navy blue pants . The team is 4 – 0 in these games , beating the Lions in 2005 , 2006 , and 2010 , and beating the Chiefs in 2007 . The Bears will honor the original Monsters of the Midway during the 2010 season by wearing throwback uniforms of the era for selected games . The uniforms are a nod to the 1940s when the Bears won four NFL titles with Hall of Famers Danny Fortman , Sid Luckman , George McAfee , George Musso , Bronko Nagurski , Joe Stydahar and Clyde " Bulldog " Turner . Mascots . Before the introduction of Staley Da Bear , the club had two unofficial mascots named " Rocky " and " Bearman " . " Rocky " was a man who donned a " 1 " Bears jersey , carried a megaphone , and started chants all over Soldier Field during the 1970s , 1980s and early 1990s . There is no known source of who " Rocky " was , except that he disappeared from Soldier Field in the early 1990s and presumably lived in Northwest Indiana . Don Wachter , also known as " Bearman " , is a season ticket holder who decided in 1995 that he could also assist the team by cheerleading . The club allowed him to run across the field with a large Bears flag during player introductions and each team score . In 1996 , he donned his " costume " of face paint , bear head and arms , and a number 46 jersey . " Bearman " was forced to stop wearing his costume with the introduction of Staley Da Bear in 2003 ; however , in 2005 Wachter was allowed in costume again . Stadium . Soldier Field , located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago , is the current home to the Bears . The Bears moved into Soldier Field in 1971 after outgrowing Wrigley Field , the team ' s home for 50 years , and Northwestern University ' s residential neighbors objected to their playing at Dyche Stadium , now called Ryan Field . After the AFL - NFL Merger , the newly merged league wanted their teams to play in stadiums that could hold at least 50 , 000 fans . Even with the portable bleachers that the team brought into Wrigley , the stadium could still only hold 46 , 000 . Soldier Field ' s playing turf was changed from astroturf to natural grass in time for the start of the 1988 season . The stadium was the site of the infamous Fog Bowl playoff game between the Bears and Philadelphia Eagles . In 2002 , the stadium was closed and rebuilt with only the exterior wall of the stadium being preserved . It was closed on Sunday , January 20 , 2002 , a day after the Bears lost in the playoffs . It reopened on September 27 , 2003 after a complete rebuild ( the second in the stadium ' s history ) . Many fans refer to the rebuilt stadium as " New Soldier Field " . During the 2002 season , the Bears played their home games at the University of Illinois ' Memorial Stadium in Champaign , where they went 3 – 5 . Many critics have negative views of the new stadium . They believe that its current structure has made it more of an eyesore than a landmark ; some have dubbed it the " Mistake on the Lake " . Soldier Field was stripped of its National Historic Landmark designation on February 17 , 2006 . In the 2005 season , the Bears won the NFC North Division and the No . 2 Seed in the NFC Playoffs , entitling them to play at least one home game in the postseason . The team hosted ( and lost ) their divisional round match on January 15 , 2006 against the Carolina Panthers . This was the first playoff game at Soldier Field since the stadium reopened . The stadium ' s end zone s and midfield were not painted until the 1982 season . The design sported on the field included the bolded word " Chicago " in both end zones . In 1983 , the end zone design returned , with the addition of a large wishbone " C " Bears logo painted at midfield . These field markings remained unchanged until the 1996 season . In 1996 the midfield wishbone " C " was changed to a large blue Bears head , and the end zone design were painted with " Bears " in cursive . This new design remained until the 1999 season , at which point the artwork was returned to the classic " Chicago " and the " C " . In the new Soldier Field , the artwork was tweaked to where one end zone had the word " Chicago " bolded and the other had " Bears " . The Bears in popular culture . While the Super Bowl XX Champion Bears were a fixture of mainstream American pop culture in the 1980s , the Bears made a prior mark with the 1971 American TV movie " Brian ' s Song " starring Billy Dee Williams as Gale Sayers and James Caan as Brian Piccolo . The film told of how Piccolo helped Sayers recover from a devastating knee injury to return to his status as one of the league ' s best players , and how Sayers in turn helped the Piccolo family through Brian ' s fatal illness . A 2001 remake of the movie for ABC starred Sean Maher as Piccolo and Mekhi Phifer as Sayers . The 1985 team is also remembered for recording the song " The Super Bowl Shuffle " , which reached number forty - one on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for a Grammy Award . The music video for the song depicts the team rapping that they are " not here to start no trouble " but instead " just here to do the Super Bowl Shuffle " . The team took a risk by recording and releasing the song before the playoffs had even begun , but were able to avoid embarrassment by going on to win Super Bowl XX by a then - record margin of 46 – 10 . That game was one of the most watched television events in history according to the Nielsen ratings system ; the game had a rating of 48 . 3 , ranking it seventh in all - time television history . In addition to the " Super Bowl Shuffle " rap song , the Bears ' success in the 1980s – and especially the personality of head coach Mike Ditka – inspired a recurring sketch on the American sketch comedy program " Saturday Night Live " , called " Bill Swerski ' s Superfans " . The sketch featured " Cheers " co - star George Wendt , a Chicago native , as host of a radio talk - show ( similar in tone to WGN radio ' s " The Sportswriters " ) , with co - panelists Carl Wollarski ( Robert Smigel ) , Pat Arnold ( Mike Myers ) and Todd O ' Connor ( Chris Farley ) . To hear them tell it , " Da Bears " and Coach Ditka could do no wrong . The sketch stopped after Ditka was fired in 1993 . The sketch usually showed the panelists drinking lots of beer and eating lots of Polish sausage , and often featured Todd getting so agitated about what was happening with the Bears that he suffered a heart attack , but quickly recovered ( through self - administered CPR ) . The sketch also features the cast predicting unrealistic blowout victories for Bears games . A significantly overweight Farley died in 1997 from a drug overdose exacerbated by arteriosclerosis , and Da Super Fan sketch has not been brought back by " SNL " , with the exception of a single appearance by Horatio Sanz as a Super Fan for the Cubs on Weekend Update in 2003 . Outside of " SNL " , George Wendt reprised his role of Swerski in the opening promo of Super Bowl XL on ABC . On TV shows based in Chicago such as " Still Standing " , " According to Jim " , " Early Edition " and " The Bernie Mac Show " , the main characters are all Bears fans , and have worn Bears ' jerseys and t - shirts on some occasions . Some episodes even show them watching Bears games . Rosanne is another TV show based outside of Chicago to feature the Bears as the consensus household favorite . That 70s Show featured several Bears references , as it was based in Wisconsin , home of the Packers . On one episode while the gang is at a Bears vs . Packers game , Eric comes to the seat in a Walter Payton jersey and is booed by the surrounding Packers fans . Ditka ' s success and popularity in Chicago has led him to land analyst roles on various American football pregame shows . Ditka worked for both the " NFL on NBC " and CBS ' s " The NFL Today " , and he currently works on ESPN ' s " Sunday NFL Countdown " and provided Friday night analysis on the Bears on CBS 2 Chicago , the CBS Chicago affiliate , called " 2 on Football " with former CBS 2 Sports Director Mark Malone . He is also the color analyst for all local broadcasts of Bears preseason games . Ditka also co - starred himself alongside actor Will Ferrell in the 2005 comedy film " Kicking & Screaming " . Also , Ditka , Dick Butkus , Walter Payton , Jim McMahon , William " Refrigerator " Perry and Brian Urlacher are among Bears figures known for their appearances in TV commercials . Urlacher , whose jersey was among the league ' s best - selling in 2002 , was featured on Nike commercials with former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick . In the 1985 cartoon " Punky Brewster " , the Bears are playing the Green Bay Packers in the episode " The Quartersize Quarterback " . In the 1961 cartoon Yogi Bear , Yogi helps the Bears beat the New York Giants . In the popular American sit - com " Roseanne " , Dan Conner ( John Goodman ) would often wear a Chicago Bears hoodie . Chevy Chase ( Clark Griswold ) appears in some scenes wearing a black Chicago Bears ball cap . He wears the same Chicago Bears cap throughout all four Vacation movies . Brian Urlacher made a cameo in the seventh season of the HBO series " Entourage " in 2010 . Local radio and television . Currently , WBBM NewsRadio 780 airs the Bears games with Jeff Joniak doing the play - by - play , along with color commentator Tom Thayer , who played for the Bears from 1985 – 1992 , and sideline reporter Zach Zaidman . Over the years , many Bears play - by - play broadcasters have included Jack Brickhouse , Wayne Larrivee , and color commentator Hub Arkush . Their current preseason TV announcers on Fox Chicago are Sam Rosen ( play - by - play ) , Erik Kramer ( color commentary ) and Lou Canellis ( sideline reporter ) . Statistics and records . Bill George and Doug Buffone hold the record for the most seasons in a Bears uniform with 14 . George did it between the 1952 and 1965 seasons and Buffone during the 1966 through 1979 seasons . On the other hand , Steve McMichael holds the record for most consecutive games played by a Bear with 191 ; he accomplished the feat from 1981 to 1993 . In second place is Payton , who played 186 games from 1975 to 1987 at running back , a position considered to be conducive to injury , only missing one game in a span of 13 seasons . Placekicker Kevin Butler holds the club record for scoring the most points in his ten - year Bear career . He scored 1 , 116 points as the Bears kicker from 1985 to 1995 . He is followed in distant second place by Payton , with 750 points . Payton holds the team record for career rushing yards with 16 , 726 . That was an NFL record until Emmitt Smith of the Dallas Cowboys broke it in 2002 . Neal Anderson , who played from 1986 to 1993 , is the closest to Payton ' s record with 6 , 166 yards . Mark Bortz holds the record for most Bear playoff appearances , with 13 between 1983 and 1994 , and is followed by Kevin Butler , Dennis Gentry , Dan Hampton , Jay Hilgenberg , Steve McMichael , Ron Rivera , Mike Singletary , and Keith Van Horne , who have each played in 12 playoff games . The 1940 Chicago Bears team holds the record for the biggest margin of victory in an NFL game ( playoff or regular season ) with a 73 – 0 victory over the Washington Redskins in the 1940 NFL Championship Game . The largest home victory for the Bears came in a 61 – 7 result against the Green Bay Packers in 1980 . The largest defeat in club history was a 52 – 0 loss against the Baltimore Colts in 1964 . The club recorded undefeated regular seasons in 1934 and 1942 , but ( unlike the 1972 Dolphins ) did not win the championship game in either season . In 1934 , the club completed a 13 – 0 record but were defeated by the New York Giants , and in 1942 the club completed an 11 – 0 record but were defeated by the Redskins . Had the Bears won either championship , the club would have completed a championship three - peat – a feat completed only by the Packers ( twice ) , although no team has done it since the AFL - NFL merger . Halas holds the team record for coaching the most seasons with 40 and for having the most career victories of 324 . Halas ' victories record stood until Don Shula surpassed Halas in 1993 . Ditka is the closest Bears coach to Halas , with 112 career victories . No other Bears coach has recorded over 100 victories with the team . During the 2006 season , return specialist Devin Hester set several kick return records . He currently holds the franchise record for most return yards with 1 , 449 . He had six touchdown returns , setting a record for most returns in a single season . In 2007 , he recorded another six touchdown season from returns . One of the most notable of these returns came on November 12 , 2006 , when he returned a missed field goal for a 108 - yard touchdown . The record tied former teammate Nathan Vasher ' s previous record , which was set almost a year earlier . Additionally , Hester set a Super Bowl record by becoming the first person to return an opening kick of a Super Bowl for a touchdown . On December 20 , 2010 , Hester set an NFL record for most touchdowns on a punt or kickoff return with his 14th career return coming against the Minnesota Vikings . Season - by - season results . " Note : The Finish , Wins , Losses , and Ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play . " Players of note . Pro Football Hall of Famers . In the Pro Football Hall of Fame , the Bears have the most enshrined primary members with twenty - seven , however the club also have had three Hall of Famers spend a minor portion of their career with the franchise . Founder , owner , head coach , and player George Halas , halfback Bronko Nagurski , and Red Grange were a part of the original class of inductees in 1963 . The franchise saw 14 individuals inducted into the Hall of Fame from 1963 – 1967 . Defensive end Richard Dent , a member of the Super Bowl XX team is the most recent Bear inducted , a part of the Class of 2011 . Retired numbers . The Bears have retired thirteen uniform numbers , which is the most in the NFL , and ranks fourth behind the basketball Boston Celtics ( 21 ) , baseball New York Yankees ( 16 ) , and hockey Montreal Canadiens ( 15 ) for the most in North American professional sports .