The Chicago Bears have a stadium called Soldier Field. So connections to the U.S. military and it’s long history should not be a surprise. George Halas served in the Navy during World War I. Sid Luckman was in the Merchant Marines during World War II. Other Bears have also spent time in various military branches as well.
Few teams are more deeply connected to the armed forces than this one. Perhaps this is why the Bears always seem to pull off something special when the country is involved in some sort of significant conflict. Seriously. If one were to look back at their long history, they’d find something big happening with them at the same time the country was at war.
Here are some notable examples:
1941: Chicago Bears win the NFL championship
December 7th, 1941 was a special day for the Bears. It was the last day of the regular season. The team was 9-1 and anxious to move on towards a possible NFL championship birth. They only had to get past the crosstown rival Chicago Cardinals to do so. Led by a dominant rushing performance that collected 204 yards and 4 TDs, they cruised to a 34-24 victory.
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It was only afterward that news struck that a Japanese naval fleet had launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The U.S. Pacific Fleet had been decimated and suddenly America had been dragged into World War II. While the country began gearing itself to strike back, the Bears forged ahead. They crushed the Packers and Giants in the playoffs by a combined scored of 70-23 to win their second-straight title.
1950: Bears make playoffs for the first time in four years
The Korean War is technically still active to this day. Most people don’t know that. North and South Korea never made peace. They only signed an armistice to cease hostilities, creating the Demilitarized Zone that separates the countries even now. That conflict began back in 1950, the first one that America fought since the end of World War II and ultimately claimed over 33,600 lives.
The Bears also seemed to be a beast that awakened for the first time in years. They hadn’t made a postseason appearance the previous three years. Finally, they broke through in ’50, winning the division and meeting the Los Angeles Rams in the opening round. Sadly they lost 24-14, committing three costly turnovers despite rushing for over 200 yards in the contest.
1975: Walter Payton drafted by the Bears
The beginnings of wars weren’t the only times that the Bears did significant things. They also accomplished goals at the end of them too. In 1975, President Richard Nixon finally completed his longstanding promise and pulled U.S. forces out, ending the Vietnam War after over a decade of major conflict. One that cost the country 50,000 lives.
Just three months prior almost to the day, the Bears were involved in a critical NFL draft. The team had experienced some of the worst luck in its history over the past several years. They badly needed somebody who could carry them out of the darkness. With the 4th pick, GM Jim Finks took a risk on a young man out of Jackson State named Walter Payton.
An all-time rushing record and a Super Bowl later, it’s safe to say that worked out.
1990: Mike Ditka wins his final division title
People were starting to wonder if the Bears had finally run their course in 1989. The team went 6-10 and missed the playoffs for the first time in five years. Several of their best players were getting older. Payton was retired. Jim McMahon was gone. It was fair to wonder if the time was approaching for a changing of the guard, including at head coach with Mike Ditka.
To make matters worse, an Iraqi invasion of Kuwait led to the U.S. joining the U.N. in the Persian Gulf War on August 2nd, 1990. The first conflict the country had been part of since Vietnam. As American forces battled Saddam Hussein in the Arabian desert, Ditka rallied his own troops to an 11-5 record, winning the division. His last as Bears head coach.
2001: Bears achieve greatest turnaround in franchise history
The start of the 2001 season seemed like another in a long line of disappointments for the Bears, losing to the defending champion Baltimore Ravens. Two days later, Islamic terrorist flew passenger jets into the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. Over 3,000 people were killed. President George W. Bush declared war on terror to a shocked and angry nation.
Twelve days later, the Bears beat the Minnesota Vikings. Their first of six-straight victories in what would end up being the greatest single-season turnaround in team history. Chicago went 5-11 in 2000. By the end of this year, they were 13-3 and NFC Central champions. A remarkable run that nobody saw coming. Their rallying cry of “Soldiers” was a fitting tribute to a nation that went to war in Afghanistan.
