Chicago Bears Historian Ranks Best Decisions They Ever Made. #1 Is Wild

The Chicago Bears are one of the most storied franchises in NFL history—a founding member of the most dominant sports league in the United States. One doesn’t reach that point without making several future-altering decisions that lead to greatness. With over a century’s worth of time in their rearview mirror, it leads to an interesting question. What was the best decision the franchise ever made? That is something Dan Pompei of The Athletic endeavored to find out in his latest column.

Any self-respecting Bears fan knows Pompei is one of the most respected writers that has covered the team for many years. His knowledge of team history is second to none. He has relationships with many former players and coaches. So it’s fitting he was the one to tackle this difficult question. Some big contenders were hiring Mike Ditka in 1982, trading for Doug Atkins, hiring Jim Finks, and developing the fabled T-Formation. However, it didn’t take long to understand what decision impacted Chicago the most.

As always, it comes around to the quarterback position. Yet many don’t know the true story.

1. Trading Edgar “Eggs” Manske to the Steelers for the second pick in the 1939 draft to take Sid Luckman.

Luckman was a fine player at Columbia University but didn’t want to play pro ball — he didn’t think he was good enough. And at 5-11, 190 pounds, Luckman was small enough for others to question him as well. Moreover, he never played a position like the one Halas asked him to play.

Luckman’s future, he thought, was working for his family’s trucking business, but Halas had other plans. Persuasion was one of Halas’ many gifts. “When (Halas) heard that I might go into the trucking line, he almost blistered the telephone wires between Chicago and New York to tell me, ‘Since when does a fine prospect for pro ball take up trucking?’” Luckman wrote in his autobiography, “Luckman at Quarterback.” “But if that’s your aim, Sid, why, we’ve got a load of good solid laundry trucks here in Chicago, and you could take over the whole caboodle if you’ll join the Bears.’”

And consider this — the Bears ultimately gave up nothing to get Luckman. Halas had a handshake agreement with Steelers owner Art Rooney that Manske would be released so he could return to the Bears after the season began. In each of Luckman’s first two seasons, Manske was the Bears’ second-leading receiver.

George Halas was a visionary for the Chicago Bears.

That is a huge reason for their success in the 1940s. Led by Luckman, they won four championships between 1940 and 1946. The craziest part is they did this while several of their best players as well as Halas himself served in the military during World War II. The team was never at its full strength after America entered the conflict. It’s hard not to wonder how dominant they would’ve been if Japan hadn’t attacked Pearl Harbor. For his part, Luckman served in the Merchant Marines, carrying vital supplies to Great Britain. He was also present during the invasion of Normandy in 1944.

Despite all of that, Luckman still put together a Hall of Fame career. The Chicago Bears have spent the past 73 years trying to find his replacement. Many have tried, from Billy Wade to Jim McMahon and Jay Cutler. None have reached anywhere close to the heights he did. Justin Fields is the latest contender to try. He certainly has the talent to do so. However, it takes more than raw physical ability to thrive in Chicago. That is what set Luckman apart from everybody else.