Phil Handler Philip Jacob Handler ( July 21 , 1908 – December 8 , 1968 ) was a football player and coach who spent his entire professional career in the city of Chicago . On three separate occasions , Handler served as head coach of the Chicago Cardinals , and later as an assistant coach for the Chicago Bears . He served as an assistant coach for the Cardinals when they won the 1947 NFL Championship ; and with the Bears when they won the 1963 NFL Championship . College . Prior to his professional debut , Handler played college football at Texas Christian University . He played at TCU for three years beginning in 1927 under legendary head coach Francis Schmidt . During his college career , Handler earned All - SWC honors as an offensive guard , and was an Honorable Mention All - American . In 1929 Handler and the Horned Frogs won the Southwest Conference . Pro Football player . After graduating from college in 1930 , Handler decided to pursue a career in pro football . However he was an undersized lineman , standing at just 5 ' 11 " . Despite Cardinals ' coach Ernie Nevers ' dismissive comment upon his arrival with the Cardinals in the summer of 1930 : " You ' ll never make it kid . You ' re too small , " Handler went on to a seven - year playing career with the team . He also served in a player - coach during the 1935 and 1936 seasons . Coaching career . Chicago Cardinals . Upon his retirement during the 1937 NFL season , Handler was named to the Cardinals ' coaching staff . His career with the Cardinals appeared to have ended on November 28 , 1938 , when he and head coach Milan Creighton resigned following a 2 – 9 finish , however Handler later reconsidered his decision and continued as an assistant coach . On July 3 , 1943 , Handler took over the Cardinals ' head coaching duties when head coach Jimmy Conzelman accepted a front office position with baseball ' s St . Louis Browns . However , with manning shortages due to World War II , the Cardinals lost all 10 games that season . The team then merged with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1944 to form what was referred to as " Card - Pitt " in the standings . Handler and Walt Kiesling were named the team ' s co - coaches . That effort also resulted in a winless season in 1944 , and after a 1 – 9 season the next year , Handler gave way for the returning Conzelman . The return of Conzelman and many of their top players , helped the Cardinals improve to 6 – 5 in 1946 , followed by the franchise ' s only undisputed NFL title the next season , with a 28 – 21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on December 28 , 1947 , at Comiskey Park in Chicago . That season Handler was an assistant coach on the Cardinals ' NFL Championship team . In 1949 Conzelman again resigned as head coach of the Cardinals . As a result , Handler and fellow assistant Buddy Parker were named as co - head coaches for the team in a unique arrangement on February 3 , 1949 . The decision was brought about by the two owners ' different coaching preferences . The decision is was blamed on the Cardinals 2 – 4 start that season . However Parker soon took over as sole coach when Handler shifted to a front office role later that season . When Parker left after the season , Curly Lambeau , the legendary coach and founder the Green Bay Packers , was hired as his replacement . Upon taking over the coaching position , Lambeau brought back Handler as the team ' s offensive line coach . However the new staff continued to struggle , and after a 7 – 15 mark , Lambeau resigned as the team ' s coach on December 7 , 1951 . Handler and Cecil Isbell were then left to coach the team ' s last two games . Chicago Bears . After more than two decades with the same team , Handler moved to the north side of Chicago to become the offensive line coach for the Chicago Bears on July 19 , 1952 . There he soon became a top assistant under coach George Halas . In addition to his coaching duties , Handler also served as a scout for the team for the next 16 seasons . In 1956 Handler helped the team reach the NFL Championship game . He then helped the squad capture the NFL title seven years later , in a storied 14 – 10 Bears victory over the New York Giants , on a frigid day at Wrigley Field in late 1963 . Death and closure . Several months after the 1967 NFL season had ended , Handler was vacationing in Florida when he suffered the first of two heart attacks and spent several weeks in a hospital for treatment . Upon his release , doctors decreed that he would not only have to give up his coaching duties , but also would be unable to attend Bears ' games , as well . Handler followed those orders , but just moments after a dramatic 17 – 16 Bears win over the Los Angeles Rams in Los Angeles , he died of his third heart attack . Two days after his death , more than 500 people attended the funeral , with the Bears canceling a team practice so players , coaches and staff could attend . The following Sunday , December 15 , 1968 , when the Bears hosted the Green Bay Packers at Wrigley Field , a moment of silence was held before kickoff . Handler is a member of the Chicago Sports Hall of Fame , the Chicago Jewish Sports Hall of Fame , and the B ' nai B ' rith Jewish Sports Hall of Fame . His 17 seasons as a Chicago Bears assistant rank second in the history of the NFL ' s oldest franchise .