Revealing the most critical moments and important facts about past and present players, coaches, and teams that are part of the storied history that is Bears football, this book has pep talks, records, and Bears lore scattered throughout the pages. The Bears’ longtime rivalry with the Green Bay Packers, little-known facts about many of the Bears’ record 27 Hall of Famers, and profiles of unforgettable Bears personalities such as Ditka, Payton, Jim McMahon, Brian Urlacher, Jay Cutler, and others are all included. Die-hard fans who know all the words to the “Super Bowl Shuffle” and new supporters alike will find everything Bears boosters should know, see, and do in their lifetime. Kent McDill has been a journalist for more than 30 years. He covered the Chicago Bears for United Press International from 1985 to 1988 and for the Daily Herald from 1999 to 2007, as well as handling the Chicago Bulls beat for all six championship teams. He is the co-author of Bill Wennington’s Tales from the Bulls Hardwood . Currently a writer for NBA.com, he lives in Park Ridge, Illinois. 100 Things Bears Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die By Kent McDill Triumph Books Copyright © 2013 Kent McDill All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-60078-412-5 Contents Foreword by Jeff Joniak, 1. George Halas, 2. Walter Payton, 3. The 1985 Super Bowl, 4. Mike Ditka (the Coach), 5. Soldier Field, 6. Sid Luckman, 7. Packers-Bears Rivalry, 8. The 1963 NFL Champion Bears, 9. Bronko Nagurski, 10. T-formation, 11. Bears in the Hall of Fame, 12. Brian Urlacher, 13. The 46 Defense, 14. Lovie Smith, 15. 1986 (the Year After), 16. Dick Butkus, 17. Monsters of the Midway, 18. 2006 NFC Champions, 19. Super Bowl XLI, 20. Red Grange, 21. Practice Facilities, 22. Mike Ditka (the Player), 23. Buddy Ryan, 24. Ryan vs. Ditka, 25. Wrigley Field, 26. Jim McMahon, 27. How the Bears Got Their Name, 28. Retired Numbers, 29. Halas and Lombardi, 30. Bill George, 31. Gale Sayers, 32. Johnny Lujack, 33. Chicago Cardinals, 34. William "the Refrigerator" Perry, 35. Devin Hester, 36. 1940 NFL Championship Game, 37. "The Super Bowl Shuffle", 38. 1963 NFL Championship Game, 39. The Standings, 40. Bill Wade and Other Quarterbacks, 41. Mike Singletary, 42. 1932 NFL Championship Game, 43. Placekickers, 44. Harlon Hill, 45. Walter Payton's Best Games, 46. Soldier Field Renovation, 47. "Brian's Song", 48. The Dolphins Game, 49. "Bear Down, Chicago Bears", 50. Halas Retires, 51. Bears' First Game at Soldier Field, 52. Richie Petitbon, 53. Green Bay Packers, 54. Johnny Morris, 55. Paddy Driscoll, 56. Sneakers, 57. Coaches Between Ditka and Smith, 58. Champaign, 59. GMs Finks, Vainisi, Angelo, 60. Bear Weather, 61. Manhole Covers, 62. Bears on Monday Night, 63. Other Homes for Bears, 64. Grass or Turf, 65. The McCaskey Family, 66. Bears as Actors, 67. Saying Goodbye to Payton, 68. Bulldog Turner, 69. Bill Swerski's Superfans, 70. Spare Bears, 71. Coaches Between Halas and Ditka, 72. The Fog Bowl, 73. 1983 NFL Draft, 74. Doug Atkins, 75. Richard Dent, 76. Offensive Linemen in the Hall of Fame, 77. George McAfee, 78. The Accident, 79. Walter Payton as Receiver/Quarterback, 80. George Connor, 81. Bears vs. Packers, 82. Chicago's Other Professional Football Teams, 83. Halas Saves Green Bay, 84. The Bears Go to London, 85. Why Didn't Payton Score?, 86. Jay Berwanger, 87. Al Harris and Todd Bell, 88. George Allen, 89. The Quarterback Club, 90. Walking Around Soldier Field, 91. Walter Payton the Prankster, 92. Mascots/Cheerleaders, 93. Walter Payton's Hill, 94. Football Returns to Wrigley, 95. Uniforms, 96. Edward "Dutch" Sternaman, 97. Bears Who Should Be in the Hall of Fame, 98. Running Out of Numbers, 99. Dan Hampton, 100. Punters, Acknowledgments, Sources, CHAPTER 1 George Halas George Halas and the Chicago Bears are synonymous. There could not be one without the other. Halas created the Chicago Bears, coached them for 40 seasons in four different stints, and led them to eight NFL championships (six as coach). He pioneered the NFL's progress from its early stages. He engineered a profit-sharing plan as the extremely successful Bears propped up the other teams in the NFL when they struggled to make money. Halas found Mike Ditka as a player and hired him as a coach. He helped create the rivalry between the Bears and the Green Bay Packers. He installed the T-formation that was used by football teams for decades. He found Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers. He named the team himself. There would be no Chicago Bears without George Halas. He is the only person about whom that can be said. Halas was born in Chicago before the turn of the 20 century. He died in Chicago in 1983. Thirty years later, the Bears uniform still included the football-shaped emblem bearing the initials GSH to represent the memory of George Stanley Halas. Halas' football career started at the Uni