Former Voter Picks Chicago Bears’ All-Time Best Hall Of Famer

The Chicago Bears have produced the most Hall of Fame inductees of any organization in NFL history at 36. Three more could be added to that mix in the near future. Devin Hester has been a finalist multiple times and figures to get in at some point. Steve McMichael and Virginia McCaskey are also semi-finalists for the upcoming 2024 class. So that number has a good chance of expanding further. A more interesting debate does simmer beneath the surface, though. Who is the best Hall of Famer in Bears history?

There is no shortage of viable options. Walter Payton is a name to start with. Arguably the greatest running back of all time. George Halas, founder of the organization and one of the great visionaries in NFL history. Sid Luckman has a case as the captain of the league’s first dynasty in the 1940s. One shouldn’t forget staples like Doug Atkins, Mike Singletary, and Brian Urlacher. However, former Hall of Fame voter Barry Wilner had a different name in mind.

He revealed it for The 33rd Team.

“Dick Butkus

Go look at the 1965 draft, when Dick Butkus was the third overall selection, and RB Gale Sayers went fourth, both to Chicago. In Butkus, the Bears got the most fearsome linebacker the NFL has seen. Monsters of the Midway? Butkus was the main terror, making the Pro Bowl in eight of his nine seasons.

He regularly received league MVP votes, too. Butkus, who started all 119 games in which he played, was mobile enough to have 22 career picks as well supplying as an unmeasured amount of intimidation. Until Lawrence Taylor came along, Butkus generally was considered the top linebacker of all time.

Runners-up

Separating Butkus and Sayers from the same draft class is imposing. Now, add in Walter Payton, who retired as the NFL’s career rushing leader, DEs Richard Dent and Doug Adkins, two-way stars Bronko Nagurski, George Connor, Dan Fortman, Bulldog Turner, Joe Stydahar and Red Grange, QB Sid Luckman, TE Mike Ditka and LB Mike Singletary to the mix.”

If we’re talking about Chicago Bears identity, that fits.

Nobody represented this franchise better than Dick Butkus. Despite playing on terrible teams most of his career, he still had the respect of every single player he lined up against. This man struck fear into football players, some of the toughest individuals on the planet. Yet the endless highlights of him committing murder on the field overshadowed how great he was. The man had 22 career interceptions, 27 recovered fumbles, and 11 sacks. He did all of that in only nine seasons, playing the final few on knees that were falling apart.

Even to this day, people know who Butkus is. He remains the favorite of several players of this generation. That is how impactful his career was. If we’re being honest, the only player that can make the same argument is Payton. He had a longer career and won a championship. Yet not even his reputation could match what Butkus built. It’s hard to argue with Wilner’s choice. One only wishes Chicago gets another version of him at some point in the years to come.