List of Chicago Bears players explained

The following are lists of past and current players of the Chicago Bears professional American football team.

Historic teams

Partial inaugural (1919) roster

The following is a partial roster for the 1919 season, when the team was known as the Decatur Staleys.

Name	Position	Notes
Roy S. "Bement" Adkins	G
(?) Bailey	E
Robert E. "Red" Brannan	E/Coach
(John W.)? Brant	HB
Perry Brecount	QB
(?) Casey	HB
Frank Manley Chase	G
"Joe" Cooper	E
Robert L. "Bob" Crisp	G
(?) Dancliff	C
	QB-HB
(Edward G.)? Eckhoff	E
(?) Gammel	G
	HB-FB
Henry J. Halterman	G
"Charlie" Koehler	T
William Lutz Krigbaum	G-FB	Colonel U.S. Army
Ralph L. "Jake" Lanum	HB-FB
Chester A. "Baldy" May	G
Walter O. "Red" May	T
(?) McGrath	C
(?) McElvey	HB
John F. "Jack" Mintun	C
George H. Moffett	T
"Bun" Moran	G
(?) Pyrzynski	HB-FB
C. Lawrence Thrift	FB-E
(Willard C.)? Valentine	E
W. Walter Veach	HB
A. Wade Wacaser	T
(?) Wagner	E
Paul C. Wilson	E	Methodist Minister Rev. Paul C. Wilson
Fred P. "Fritz" Wasem	E/Manager
Ray C. "Buster" Woodworth	E
Lester "Lefty" Wallack

Super Bowl rosters

The following lists are lists of the Bears Super Bowl teams.

Super Bowl XX championship roster

See main article: 1985 Chicago Bears season.

Complete roster of 1985 season (January 26, 1986)^[1]
Quarterbacks 9 Jim McMahon 4 Steve Fuller 18 Mike Tomczak Offensive backs 34 Walter Payton RB 26 Matt Suhey FB 20 Thomas Sanders RB 29 Dennis Gentry RB 33 Calvin Thomas RB Receivers 83 Willie Gault 85 Dennis McKinnon 81 James Maness 82 Ken Margerum 86 Brad Anderson 89 Keith Ortego Tight ends 87 Emery Moorehead 80 Tim Wrightman		Kickers 6 Kevin Butler K 8 Maury Buford P Offensive line 74 Jim Covert T 62 Mark Bortz G 63 Jay Hilgenberg C 57 Tom Thayer G 78 Keith Van Horne T 60 Tom Andrews OL 71 Andy Frederick OL 75 Stefan Humphries OL 79 Kurt Becker G Defensive line 99 Dan Hampton DL 95 Richard Dent DE 76 Steve McMichael DT 72 William Perry DT 70 Henry Waechter DL 73 Mike Hartenstine DL 98 Tyrone Keys DE		Linebackers 50 Mike Singletary MLB 55 Otis Wilson LB 58 Wilber Marshall LB 51 Jim Morrissey LB 52 Cliff Thrift LB 53 Dan Rains LB 54 Brian Cabral LB 59 Ron Rivera LB Cornerbacks 27 Mike Richardson 21 Leslie Frazier 48 Reggie Phillips Defensive backs 31 Ken Taylor 23 Shaun Gayle 24 Jeff Fisher Safeties 22 Dave Duerson SS 45 Gary Fencik FS

Super Bowl XLI runner-up roster

See main article: 2006 Chicago Bears season.

(as of 1/2/2007)
Quarterbacks 8   Rex Grossman 14 Brian Griese 18 Kyle Orton Offensive backs 32 Cedric Benson RB 47 Bryan Johnson FB 20 Thomas Jones RB 37 Jason McKie FB 29 Adrian Peterson RB 48 J.D. Runnels FB Receivers 80 Bernard Berrian 16 Mark Bradley 17 Airese Currie 81 Rashied Davis 12 Justin Gage 87 Muhsin Muhammad Tight ends 88 Desmond Clark 85 John Gilmore 82 Gabe Reid Kickers 9   Robbie Gould K 4   Brad Maynard P		Offensive line 74 Ruben Brown G 63 Roberto Garza C/G 57 Olin Kreutz C 65 Patrick Mannelly LS 60 Terrence Metcalf G 69 Fred Miller T 68 Anthony Oakley OL 78 John St. Clair T 76 John Tait T Defensive line 97 Mark Anderson DE 70 Alfonso Boone DT 96 Alex Brown DE 98 Dusty Dvoracek DT 90 Antonio Garay DT 91 Tommie Harris DT 71 Israel Idonije DT 99 Tank Johnson DT 93 Adewale Ogunleye DE 95 Ian Scott DT		Linebackers 94 Brendon Ayanbadejo OLB 55 Lance Briggs OLB 92 Hunter Hillenmeyer LB 53 Leon Joe OLB 58 Darrell McClover OLB 54 Brian Urlacher MLB 52 Jamar Williams LB 59 Rod Wilson MLB Cornerbacks 23 Devin Hester KR/PR 24 Ricky Manning, Jr. 33 Charles Tillman 31 Nathan Vasher 21 Dante Wesley Safeties 30 Mike Brown SS 22 Tyler Everett SS 46 Chris Harris FS 35 Todd Johnson SS 36 Brandon McGowan S 38 Danieal Manning FS 27 Nick Turnbull FS 44 Cameron Worrell SS		Practice squad 72 Copeland Bryan DE 83 Mike Hass WR 75 Mark LeVoir T 64 Tyler Reed G 84 Brandon Rideau WR 45 Dwayne Slay LB 86 Richard Angulo TE

First-round draft picks

See main article: List of Chicago Bears first-round draft picks. The following list is of the Bears first-round draft picks since 1936.^[2]

Joe Stydahar (1936) Les McDonald (1937) Joe Gray (1938) Sid Luckman (1939) Bill Osmanski (1939) Clyde Turner (1940) Tom Harmon (1941) Norm Standlee (1941) Don Scott (1941) Frankie Albert (1942) Bob Steuber (1943) Ray Evans (1944) Don Lund (1945) John Lujack (1946) Bob Fenimore (1947) Dick Kindt (1947) Bobby Layne (1948) Max Bumgardner (1948) Dick Harris (1949) Chuck Hunsinger (1950) Fred "Curly" Morrison (1950) Bob Williams (1951)

Billy Stone (1951) Gene Schroeder (1951) Jim Dooley (1952) Billy Anderson (1953) Stan Wallace (1954) Ron Drzewiecki (1955) Menan Schriewer (1956) Earl Leggett (1957) Chuck Howley (1958) Don Clark (1959) Roger Davis (1960) Mike Ditka (1961) Ronnie Bull (1962) Dave Behrman (1963) Dick Evey (1964) Dick Butkus (1965) Gale Sayers (1965) Steve DeLong (1965) George Rice (1966) Loyd Phillips (1967) Mike Hull (1968) Rufus Mayes (1969)

Joe Moore (1971) Lionel Antoine (1972) Craig Clemons (1972) Wally Chambers (1973) Waymond Bryant (1974) Dave Gallagher (1974) Walter Payton (1975) Dennis Lick (1976) Ted Albrecht (1977) Dan Hampton (1979) Al Harris (1979) Otis Wilson (1980) Keith Van Horne (1981) Jim McMahon (1982) Jim Covert (1983) Willie Gault (1983) Wilber Marshall (1984) William Perry (1985) Neal Anderson (1986) Jim Harbaugh (1987) Brad Muster (1988) Wendell Davis (1988)

Donnell Woolford (1989) Trace Armstrong (1989) Mark Carrier (1990) Stan Thomas (1991) Alonzo Spellman (1992) Curtis Conway (1993) John Thierry (1994) Rashaan Salaam (1995) Walt Harris (1996) Curtis Enis (1998) Cade McNown (1999) Brian Urlacher (2000) David Terrell (2001) Marc Colombo (2002) Michael Haynes (2003) Rex Grossman (2003) Tommie Harris (2004) Cedric Benson (2005) Greg Olsen (2007) Chris Williams (2008) Gabe Carimi (2011) Shea McClellin (2012)

Kyle Long (2013) Kyle Fuller (2014) Kevin White (2015) Leonard Floyd (2016) Mitchell Trubisky (2017) Roquan Smith (2018) Justin Fields (2021) Darnell Wright (2023)

Pro Football Hall of Famers

The following is a list of Pro Football Hall of Famers that have been a major contributor to the Bears, along with the year of their induction.

George Halas (1963)^[3] Bronko Nagurski (1963)^[4] Red Grange (1963)^[5] Ed Healey (1964)^[6] William R. Lyman (1964)^[7] George Trafton (1964)^[8] Paddy Driscoll (1965)^[9] Dan Fortmann (1965)^[10]

Sid Luckman (1965)^[11] George McAfee (1966)^[12] Bulldog Turner (1966)^[13] Joe Stydahar (1967)^[14] Bill Hewitt (1971)^[15] Bill George (1974)^[16] George Connor (1975)^[17] Gale Sayers (1977)^[18]

Dick Butkus (1979)^[19] George Blanda (1981)^[20] Doug Atkins (1982)^[21] George Musso (1982)^[22] Mike Ditka (1988)^[23] Stan Jones (1991)^[24] Walter Payton (1993)^[25] Jim Finks^[26] (1995)^[27]

Mike Singletary (1998)^[28] Dan Hampton (2002)^[29] Richard Dent (2011)^[30] Brian Urlacher (2018)^[31] Jim Covert (2020) Ed Sprinkle (2020)

Retired numbers

The Bears have retired fourteen uniform numbers, which is the most in the NFL, and ranks fourth behind the NBA's Boston Celtics (21), MLB's New York Yankees (20), and NHL's Montreal Canadiens (15) for the most in the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada.

Top 100 greatest Bears of all-time

In honor of the team centennial anniversary, on May 20, 2019, the Chicago Bears have unveiled the Top 100 players in franchise history, as voted on by Hall of Fame writers Don Pierson and Dan Pompei, two of the most famous journalists that have ever covered the club in their long history.^[32] At the time of the publish, the list included 27 Pro Football Hall of Famers, while two more inductees would join in the 2020 class (Jim Covert and Ed Sprinkle).

Among the 100 Greatest, four active players made the list, including safety Eddie Jackson (96), defensive lineman Akiem Hicks (75), offensive lineman Kyle Long (74) and highest-ranked active Bear was Khalil Mack (60), who played only one season with the team. Long would retire the following year.

On later date, Chicagobears.com released a list titled "Top 10: Best of the rest", that featured the top 10 snubs from the centennial list. The players include (in a following order): Alex Brown, Thomas Jones, Dave Whitsell, Curtis Conway, Tim Jennings, Leslie Frazier, Roberto Garza, Marty Booker, Nathan Vasher and William Perry.^[33]

	Name	Position	Years
1	Walter Payton	RB	1975–1987
2	Dick Butkus	LB	1965–1973
3	Bronko Nagurski	FB/T	1930–1937, 1943
4	Sid Luckman	QB/P/DB	1939–1950
5	Gale Sayers	RB	1965–1971
6	Mike Ditka	TE	1961–1966
7	Bill George	LB	1952–1965
8	Clyde "Bulldog" Turner	C/LB	1940–1952
9	Doug Atkins	DE	1955–1966
10	Danny Fortmann	OG	1936–1943
11	Dan Hampton	DE/DT	1979–1990
12	Richard Dent	DE	1983–1993, 1995
13	Jim Covert	OT	1983–1990
14	Brian Urlacher	LB	2000–2012
15	Mike Singletary	LB	1981–1992
16	Bill Hewitt	E	1932–1936
17	Stan Jones	OG/DT	1954–1965
18	Jay Hilgenberg	C/LS	1981–1991
19	Steve McMichael	DT	1981–1993
20	Devin Hester	KR/PR/WR	2006–2013
21	Joe Stydahar	OT	1936–1942 1945–1946
22	George Connor	T/LB	1948–1955
23	George McAfee	HB/DB	1940–1941 1945–1950
24	Joe Fortunato	LB	1955–1966
25	Ed Sprinkle	DE	1944–1955
26	Ed Healey	OT/DT	1922–1927
27	Olin Kreutz	C	1998–2010
28	Lance Briggs	LB	2003–2014
29	Rick Casares	FB	1955–1964
30	Gary Fencik	S	1976–1987
31	Charles Tillman	CB	2003–2014
32	Paddy Driscoll	HB/QB/P	1920, 1926–1929
33	George Trafton	C	1920–1932
34	Matt Forte	RB	2008–2015
35	George Musso	OG	1933–1944
36	Red Grange	HB/DB	1925, 1929–1934
37	George Halas	E	1920–1929
38	Link Lyman	T	1926–1928 1930–1931 1933–1934
39	Harlon Hill	FL	1954–1961
40	Ken Kavanaugh	E	1940–1941 1945–1950
41	Neal Anderson	RB	1986–1993
42	Richie Petitbon	S	1959–1968
43	Wilber Marshall	LB	1984–1987
44	Johnny Morris	FL	1958–1967
45	Otis Wilson	LB	1980–1987
46	Doug Buffone	LB	1966–1979
47	Dave Duerson	S	1983–1989
48	Fred Williams	DT	1952–1963
49	Ray Bray	OG	1939–1942 1946–1951
50	Mark Bortz	OG	1983–1994

	Name	Position	Years
51	Keith Van Horne	OT	1981–1993
52	Joe Kopcha	OG	1929, 1932–1935
53	Jim McMahon	QB	1982–1988
54	Ed Brown	QB/P	1954–1961
55	Johnny Lujack	QB/DB	1948–1951
56	Roosevelt Taylor	CB	1961–1969
57	Jim Osborne	DT	1972–1984
58	Wally Chambers	DT	1973–1977
59	Julius Peppers	DE	2010–2013
60	Khalil Mack	LB	2018–present
61	Willie Galimore	HB	1957–1963
62	Robbie Gould	K	2005–2015
63	Mike Brown	S	2000–2008
64	James "Big Cat" Williams	OT	1991–2002
65	Dick Gordon	WR	1965–1971
66	Mike Hartenstine	DE	1975–1986
67	Ed O'Bradovich	DE	1962–1971
68	Dick Barwegen	OG	1950–1952
69	Bill Wade	QB	1961–1966
70	Matt Suhey	FB	1980–1989
71	Kevin Butler	K	1985–1995
72	Mark Carrier	S	1990–1996
73	Tommie Harris	DT	2004–2010
74	Kyle Long	OG	2013–2019
75	Akiem Hicks	DT	2016–present
76	J.C. Caroline	DB	1956–1965
77	Bennie McRae	DB	1962–1970
78	Donnell Woolford	CB	1989–1996
79	Dennis McKinnon	WR/KR	1983–1985 1987–1989
80	Alshon Jeffery	WR	2012–2016
81	Brandon Marshall	WR	2012–2014
82	George Blanda	QB/K	1949–1958
83	Willie Gault	WR	1983–1987
84	Tom Thayer	OG	1985–1992
85	Jay Cutler	QB	2009–2016
86	Allan Ellis	CB	1973–1977 1979–1980
87	Luke Johnsos	E	1929–1936
88	Joey Sternaman	QB/HB/K	1922–1925 1927–1930
89	Mike Pyle	C	1961–1969
90	Beattie Feathers	HB	1934–1937
91	Bob Wetoska	OT	1960–1969
92	Bill Osmanski	FB	1939–1943 1946–1947
93	Herm Lee	OT	1958–1966
94	Jim Dooley	FL/DB	1952–1954 1956–1957 1959–1962
95	Larry Morris	LB	1959–1965
96	Eddie Jackson	S	2017–present
97	Bobby Joe Green	P	1962–1973
98	Trace Armstrong	DE	1989–1994
99	Doug Plank	S	1975–1982
100	Patrick Mannelly	LS	1998–2013

Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.
Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist.

All-Time Team

During the week of June 3, 2019 the All-Time Team was announced in parts each day starting with the All-Time defensive players,^[34] followed by the All-Time specialists^[35] and then the All-Time offensive players.^[36]

Larry Mayer of the Chicagobears.com would later state, that according to the voters "if they had included a long-snapper on the team it would have been Patrick Mannelly".^[37]

Offense

Position	Player	Years played for
		1939–1950
		1930–1937, 1943
		1975–1987
		1954–1961
		1940–1941, 1945–1950
		1961–1966
		1936–1942, 1945–1946
		1983–1990
		1954–1965
		1936–1943
		1940–1952

Defense

Position	Player	Years played for
		1955–1966
		1983–1993, 1995
		1979–1990
		1981–1993
		1965–1973
		1948–1955
		1955–1966
		1940–1941, 1945–1950
		2003–2014
			1976–1987
		1959–1968

Special teams

Position	Player	Years played for
		1962–1973
		2005–2015
		2006–2013
		1965–1971

Starting quarterbacks

See main article: List of Chicago Bears starting quarterbacks.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Remembering the 1985 Chicago Bears - ESPN Chicago.
2. Web site: National Football League: NFL Draft History - 1st Round By Team. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121103084339/http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/fulldraft?teamId=0810&type=roundbyteam . 2012-11-03 . .
3. Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – George Halas . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011 .
4. Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – Bronko Nagurski . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011 .
5. Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – Harold (Red) Grange . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011 .
6. Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – Ed Healey . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011 .
7. Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – William Roy Lyman . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011 .
8. Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – George Trafton . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011.
9. Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – Paddy Driscoll . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011.
10. Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – Dan Fortmann . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011 .
11. Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – Dan Fortmann . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011 .
12. Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – George McAfee . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011.
13. Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – Clyde Bulldog Turner . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011.
14.  Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – Joe Stydahar . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011.
15. Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – Bill Hewitt . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011 .
16. Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – Bill George . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011 .
17. Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – George Connor . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011.
18. Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – Gale Sayers . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011 .
19. Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – Dick Butkus . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011 .
20. Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – George Blanda . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011.
21. Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – Doug Atkins . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011 .
22. Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – George Musso . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011 .
23. Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – Mike Ditka . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011 .
24. Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – Stan Jones . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011 .
25. Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – Walter Payton . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011.
26. Inducted as general manager
27. Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – Jim Finks . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011 .
28. Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – Mike Singletary . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011.
29. Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – Dan Hampton . Pro Football Hall of Fame . January 3, 2011 .
30. News: Richard Dent makes Pro Football Hall of Fame . Chicago Tribune . February 5, 2011 . February 5, 2011.
31. Web site: "SELECTION SATURDAY" RESULTS IN PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME'S CLASS OF 2018 . Pro Football Hall of Fame . February 3, 2018.
32. Web site: Ranking best Bears of all time.
33. Web site: Top 10: Best of the rest.
34. Web site: Bears Centennial Scrapbook: all-time defensive team.
35. Web site: Hester highlights specialists on all-time team.
36. Web site: Bears Centennial Scrapbook: all-time offensive team.
37. Web site: Chalk Talk: Do London games help or hurt?.