1961 Chicago Bears season explained
| Team: | Chicago Bears |
| Year: | 1961 |
| Record: | 8–6 |
| Division Place: | 3rd (tied) NFL Western |
| Coach: | George Halas |
| General Manager: | George Halas |
| Owner: | George Halas |
| Stadium: | Wrigley Field |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Shortnavlink: | Bears seasons |
The 1961 Chicago Bears season was their 42nd regular season completed in the National Football League. The team finished with an 8–6 record under George Halas, which was an improvement over the 5–6–1 record of the previous season.
Offseason
On January 14, Chicago Bears End Willard Dewveall played out his option and joined the Houston Oilers of the American Football League. He became the first player to move deliberately from one league to another.[1]
The Bears were notable for taking part in an exhibition game in their first ever game outside of the United States, taking on the CFL's Montreal Alouettes (the original team), winning 34–16.[2]
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
|---|
| 1 | September 17 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 13–37 | 0–1 | 32,236 |
|---|
| 2 | September 23 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 21–17 | 1–1 | 53,315 |
|---|
| 3 | October 1 | at Green Bay Packers | L 0–24 | 1–2 | 38,669 |
|---|
| 4 | October 8 | at Detroit Lions | W 31–17 | 2–2 | 53,854 |
|---|
| 5 | October 15 | Baltimore Colts | W 24–10 | 3–2 | 48,719 |
|---|
| 6 | October 22 | San Francisco 49ers | W 31–0 | 4–2 | 49,070 |
|---|
| 7 | October 29 | at Baltimore Colts | W 21–20 | 5–2 | 57,641 |
|---|
| 8 | November 5 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 14–16 | 5–3 | 60,671 |
|---|
| 9 | November 12 | Green Bay Packers | L 28–31 | 5–4 | 49,711 |
|---|
| 10 | November 19 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 31–41 | 5–5 | 52,972 |
|---|
| 11 | November 26 | Los Angeles Rams | W 28–24 | 6–5 | 45,965 |
|---|
| 12 | December 3 | Detroit Lions | L 15–16 | 6–6 | 51,017 |
|---|
| 13 | December 10 | Cleveland Browns | W 17–14 | 7–6 | 38,717 |
|---|
| 14 | December 17 | Minnesota Vikings | W 52–35 | 8–6 | 34,539 | |
|---|
Game summaries
Week 1
[3]
Week 2
[4]
Week 3
[5]
Week 4
[6]
Week 5
[7]
Week 6
[8]
Week 7
[9]
Week 8
[10]
Week 9
[11]
Week 10
[12]
Week 11
[13]
Week 12
[14]
Week 13
[15]
Week 14
[16]
Notes and References
- NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY,, p. 282
- Web site: Bears played game in Canada in 1961 . 2012-03-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120824145437/http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?STORY_ID=7241 . 2012-08-24 . dead .
- https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196109170min.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com
- https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196109230ram.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com
- https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196110010gnb.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com
- https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196110080det.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com
- https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196110150chi.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com
- https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196110220chi.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com
- https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196110290clt.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com
- https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196111050phi.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com
- https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196111120chi.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com
- https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196111190sfo.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com
- https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196111260chi.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com
- https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196112030chi.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com
- https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196112100chi.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com
- https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196112170chi.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com
