The Bears have the greatest history of any franchise when it comes to the running back position. Bronco Nagurski and Red Grange made the Hall of Fame in the olden days. The same goes for George McAfee. Then it was other greats like Rick Casares and the great Gale Sayers. Running backs legacy stretches to the very foundations of the NFL in Chicago. It also has its roots in the Bears’ greatest successes.
Since the Super Bowl era began though, that success has become remarkably more concentrated. Not to mention specific. How so? Here is a remarkable stat to digest. Since 1966 the Bears have drafted four running backs to make the Pro Bowl. The first was the iconic Walter Payton. Then it was the ever-underrated Neal Anderson and of course the versatile Matt Forte. Now it’s the uncovered gem Jordan Howard.
Why is this so important? There is a small piece of franchise history that should be noted. Thus far every time the Bears have drafted a Pro Bowl running back, something special happened to the team two years later. Observe.
- Payton was drafted in 1975. Two years later in 1977 they made the playoffs for the first time in 14 years.
- Anderson was drafted in 1986. Two years later they reached the NFC championship with their first playoff win since 1985.
- Forte was drafted in 2008. Two years later they were in the NFC championship, having won their first playoff game since 2006.
This wacky phenomenon isn’t isolated to those three though. In 1938 they scooped up Gary Famiglietti, an eventual three-time Pro Bowler. Two years later they crushed Washington 73-0 in the NFL championship game. In 1954 the Bears selected Casares. Two years later they reached the NFL championship game.
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Hell, it even impacted running backs they drafted who ended up with other teams. The Bears picked Keith Lincoln in the 1961 draft. Instead he chose to join the San Diego Chargers in the upstart American Football League. Two years later? That’s right, they won the AFL championship.
People like to say they don’t believe in the football gods and all that. Even so, history has a funny way of repeating in certain, unexpected ways. The Chicago Bears have often found some of their greatest franchise success not too long after they draft a Pro Bowl running back. So what does that entail with the arrival of Howard?
Perhaps we won’t know for sure until 2018.
