Existing for over a century means the Chicago Bears have seen tons of incredible moments over their lifespan. Narrowing that down to four sounds impossible. To achieve this, a few parameters must be set. Moments are specific sequences of no more than a few minutes. We’re not talking about entire games. Also, these moments must have been caught on camera. No behind-the-scenes stuff is allowed. This way, we get a little more clarity. Last but not least, we should pay tribute to those that barely missed the final cut.
Honorable mentions:
George Wilson’s de-cleating hit in the 1940 NFL championship
The Washington Redskins beat the Bears 7-3 earlier that year. Their owner called them crybabies afterward for disputing calls during the game. So one can imagine how tense the atmosphere was when the two teams met in the championship game. The tone was set almost immediately when Bill Osmanski ran for a 68-yard touchdown, punctuated by one of the most vicious downfield blocks in history by Wilson. Chicago clobbered Washington 73-0.
Mike Brown snags pick-six touchdown to beat the 49ers
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Losing had become a regularity for the Bears during the late 1990s and early 2000s. They never seemed able to beat good teams when it mattered. San Francisco was one of them. After trailing 28-9 at one point, Chicago stormed back to force overtime. Still, the 49ers got the ball first. Jeff Garcia appeared to have Terrell Owens open for a 1st down, but Owens bobbled the ball. It floated into the hands of safety Mike Brown, who returned it for a stunning walk-off touchdown. That moment kickstarted a successful decade for the organization.
Mike Ditka and Buddy Ryan get carried off the field after Super Bowl win.
It is the only time it’s happened in NFL history. Head coaches have been carried off the field before after championship victories. The Chicago Bears are the only team to carry two. Mike Ditka got the ride for guiding the organization to its only Super Bowl title, while defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan got the same treatment for crafting arguably the greatest defense in NFL history that season.
Thomas Jones’ weaving TD run in the NFC championship
Chicago hadn’t been close to the Super Bowl for 20 years in 2006. Finally, they had their chance in the NFC championship against New Orleans. After a tight first half, the Bears blew it open in the second. With under five minutes to play, Jones took a handoff to the right, saw nothing, reversed the other direction, and ended up going 15 yards for the dagger touchdown. It was completely out of character for Jones, making it all the more special.
The greatest Chicago Bears moments ever:
Wilber Marshall’s fumble return for a touchdown
To understand the magnitude of this moment, people must have context. The Bears had never been to the Super Bowl in their history. If that weren’t bad enough, they’d lost the NFC championship the year prior in San Francisco. The pressure going into this game was massive. Thanks to a huge defensive effort, the team was ahead 17-0 late in the 4th quarter. At that exact moment, the wind picked up and snow began to fall. The crowd was electric. Rams quarterback Dieter Brock took the snap, dropping back for a pass. Richard Dent smothered him from behind, forcing a fumble. Wilber Marshall was Johnny on the spot, scooping it up for a game-sealing touchdown. You couldn’t have scripted it any better.
Devin Hester’s kickoff return TD in the Super Bowl
Buzz had been building for two weeks leading into the event. The only thing many people could talk about was whether Hester would do it. Nobody ever took the opening kickoff in a Super Bowl to the house. Yet after watching the Bears rookie phenom post six return touchdown that year, it felt like he might be the one to reach that elusive achievement. Most didn’t think it would happen. The odds were astronomical, especially if the Indianapolis Colts did the smart thing and kicked away from him. Head coach Tony Dungy elected to go right at him instead. Around 65 yards later, Hester had his all-time signature moment.
Walter Payton breaks Jim Brown’s rushing record.
For two decades, everybody was convinced Jim Brown was the greatest football player that had ever lived. The Cleveland Browns icon had rewritten the record books during his career, posting 12,312 rushing yards for the all-time mark. Nobody would ever touch that. Many had spent years trying. Then a chilled Sunday in October of 1984, the Chicago Bears met the New Orleans Saints. On this day Walter Payton, four inches shorter and 32 lbs lighter, broke Brown’s record to claim the mantle for himself. It was the crowning moment for the franchise’s greatest player. Chicago won comfortably 20-7, and Payton would carry them to the NFC championship later that season.
Gale Sayers posts two record-breaking TDs on one play.
If any player could ever be called a true phenomenon in Bears history, that would’ve been Gale Sayers. The NFL never saw anything like him when the running back arrived in 1965. His mixture of speed, quickness, agility, and vision made it almost impossible to tackle him. Never was that clearer than during a rainsoaked day at Wrigley Field, where he posterized the San Francisco 49ers with six touchdowns, a then-league record. The culmination came in the 4th quarterback when Sayers fielded a punt and weaved his way through the mud for an 85-yard score to help the Bears cross the 60-point mark. Not only was that the sixth score of the day, but it was also his 21st score of the season, another then-NFL record.
Sometimes being old means I get to say things many people can’t.
I can honestly say that I have had the pleasure of watching Gale Sayers, Dick Butkus, Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Michael Jordan and my personal favorite, Walter Payton, play in person.
HOF’ers all.
I was only 5 when I saw Sayers. I didnt know what football was then or that a human being could move like that. But he is the reason why I fell in love with football.
Payton is why I fell in love with the Bears.
Should have found a way to include Wilber Marshall’s hit on Joe Ferguson. That one hit summed up the 80s defense!!!
Good highlights to bring back memories. My personal Bears greatest moment was when my Dad took me to my first Bears game against the Packers when I was 6 or 7. I think this was Payton’s second season. I still vividly remember one rush, a sweep around left end, where Payton ran over one or two Packers and then hurdled two going for leg tackles as he ran down the sideline for an ~80 yard TD. I think he had about 180 yards that day and 3 rushing TDs in a Bears victory. I am lucky to have experienced that.
see