| George Halas | |
|---|---|
 George Halas, during his brief career with the New York Yankees in 1919. The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of The Bronx, in New York City, New York. |
|
| Date of birth | February 2, 1895 |
| Place of birth | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Date of death | October 31, 1983 (age 88) |
| Place of death | Chicago, Illinois |
| Position(s) | Head Coach Wide receiver Defensive end |
| College | University of Illinois |
| Career Highlights | |
| Awards | 1919 Rose Bowl MVP 1965 AP NFL COY 1963 AP NFL COY 1965 Sporting News NFL COY 1963 Sporting News NFL COY 1965 UPI NFL COY 1963 UPI NFL COY |
| Honors | NFL 1920s All-Decade Team |
| Retired #s | Chicago Bears #7 |
| Records | Chicago Bears Career Wins (324) |
| Career Record | 318-148-32 (Regular Season) 6-4 (Postseason) 324-152-32 (Overall) |
| Championships Won |
1963 NFL Championship 1946 NFL Championship 1941 NFL Championship 1940 NFL Championship 1933 NFL Championship 1921 NFL Championship |
| Stats | |
| Playing Stats | DatabaseFootball |
| Coaching Stats | Pro Football Reference |
| Coaching Stats | DatabaseFootball |
| Team(s) as a player | |
| 1920-1928 | Decatur Staleys Chicago Staleys Chicago Bears |
| Team(s) as a coach/administrator | |
| 1920 1921 1922-1929 1933-1942 1946-1955 1958-1967 |
Decatur Staleys Chicago Staleys Chicago Bears Chicago Bears Chicago Bears Chicago Bears |
| Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1963 | |
George Stanley Halas, Sr. Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor Year 1895 ( MDCCCXCV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. In American football, each team has 11 players on the field at one time A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football Defensive end ( DE) is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football. This is a List of Athletic Conferences of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA This article is about the flagship campus For other uses and locations of University of Illinois, see University of Illinois (disambiguation The University of The Rose Bowl Game is an annual American College football Bowl game, usually played on January 1 ( New Year's Day) at the Rose The National Football League Coach of the Year Award is presented annually by various news and sports organizations to the NFL head coach who has done the most outstanding job The National Football League Coach of the Year Award is presented annually by various news and sports organizations to the NFL head coach who has done the most outstanding job The National Football League Coach of the Year Award is presented annually by various news and sports organizations to the NFL head coach who has done the most outstanding job The National Football League Coach of the Year Award is presented annually by various news and sports organizations to the NFL head coach who has done the most outstanding job The National Football League Coach of the Year Award is presented annually by various news and sports organizations to the NFL head coach who has done the most outstanding job The National Football League Coach of the Year Award is presented annually by various news and sports organizations to the NFL head coach who has done the most outstanding job This is a list of all NFL players who had outstanding performances throughout the 1920s and have been compiled onto this fantasy group The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. In an organised Sports league, a season is the portion of one Year in which regulated Games of the sport are in session Wikipedia talkFeatured lists#Proposed change to all featured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below Wikipedia talkFeatured lists#Proposed change to all featured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below Wikipedia talkFeatured lists#Proposed change to all featured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below Wikipedia talkFeatured lists#Proposed change to all featured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below Wikipedia talkFeatured lists#Proposed change to all featured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below Wikipedia talkFeatured lists#Proposed change to all featured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. Athletics Marathon May 4 &mdash Pan American Games Marathon, Sao Paulo Brazil Men's (February 2, 1895 - October 31, 1983), nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor Year 1895 ( MDCCCXCV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) Everything", was an American player, coach, owner and pioneer in professional football and the iconic longtime leader of the NFL's Chicago Bears. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Coach (baseball|Coach (basketball|Coach (ice hockeyIn Sports a coach or manager is an individual involved in the direction instruction and training of the operations American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois.
Contents |
Early life and sports career
Halas, born in Chicago, Illinois into a family of Czech immigrants, had a varied career in sports. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Czechs (Češi ˈt͡ʃɛʃɪ archaic Čechové) are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic Sport is an Activity that is governed by a set of rules or Customs and often engaged in competitively In 1915, Halas worked temporarily for Western Electric and was planning on being on the Eastland. This article is about the ship for other uses see Eastland (disambiguation. He was running late, however, and missed the capsizing. After graduating from Crane Tech High School in Chicago, he attended the University of Illinois, playing football for coach Bob Zuppke as well as baseball and basketball, and earning a degree in civil engineering. This article is about the flagship campus For other uses and locations of University of Illinois, see University of Illinois (disambiguation The University of Robert Carl Zuppke (1879&ndash1957 was the head football coach at the University of Illinois from 1913 until 1941 Baseball is a Bat-and-ball Sport played between two teams of nine players each Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m He also became a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Tau Kappa Epsilon ( ΤΚΕ or Teke, pronounced T-K-E or ˈtiːk as in Teak wood is a College fraternity founded on January 10th He helped Illinois win the 1918 Big Ten football title.
Serving as an ensign in the Navy during World War I, he played for a team at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station, and was named the MVP of the 1919 Rose Bowl. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Naval Station Great Lakes is the United States Navy 's Headquarters Command for training located in North Chicago Illinois. Baseball World Series - Cincinnati Reds defeat Chicago White Sox, 5 games to 3 The Rose Bowl Game is an annual American College football Bowl game, usually played on January 1 ( New Year's Day) at the Rose On a team which included Paddy Driscoll and Jimmy Conzelman, Halas scored two touchdowns and returned an intercepted pass 77 yards in a 17-0 win; the team was also rewarded with their military discharges. John Leo "Paddy" Driscoll ( January 11 1895 - June 28 1968) was a Pro Football Hall of Fame Quarterback. James Gleason Dunn, ( Jimmy Conzelman) ( March 6, 1898 - August 5, 1970) was a former professional football player and coach
Afterward, Halas played minor league and semi-pro baseball, eventually earning a promotion to the New York Yankees, where he played 12 games as an outfielder in 1919. Part of the History of baseball series Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of Professional baseball leagues in North The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of The Bronx, in New York City, New York. Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in Baseball farthest from the batter Headline Event of the Year Chicago White Sox players accused of throwing World Series, resulting in the Black Sox scandal However, a hip injury effectively ended his baseball career. The popular myth was that Halas was succeeded as the Yankees' right fielder by Babe Ruth, but in reality Ruth replaced Sammy Vick. Position description Outfielders must cover large distances so speed instincts and quickness to react to the ball are key George Herman Ruth Jr (February 6 1895 &ndash August 16 1948 also popularly known as " Babe " " The Bambino " and " The Sultan of
Professional football career
Offered a position with the A. E. Staley Company, a Decatur, Illinois starch manufacturer, as a company representative, player on the company-sponsored baseball team, and player-coach of the company-sponsored football team, Halas selected his alma mater's colors — orange and navy blue — for the team's uniforms. A E Staley is a Decatur Illinois based processor of corn owned by Tate & Lyle, PLC Decatur is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U In 1920, Halas represented the Staleys at the meeting which formed the American Professional Football Association (which became the NFL in 1922) in Canton, Ohio. Baseball (Major League World Series - Cleveland Indians defeat Brooklyn Dodgers, 5 games to 2 January 3 Canton is a city in the US state of Ohio and the County seat of Stark County.
After suffering financial losses despite a 10-1-2 record, company founder and namesake Augustus E. Staley turned control of the team to Halas in 1921. Baseball (Major League World Series - New York Giants defeat New York Yankees, 5 games to 3 Babe Ruth hits Halas moved the team to Chicago and took on teammate Dutch Sternaman as a partner. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Edward Sternaman ( February 9 1895 – February 1 1973) better known as Dutch, was an American player coach The newly minted "Chicago Staleys" won the NFL championship that year. They took the name Bears in 1922 as a tribute to baseball's Chicago Cubs, who permitted the Bears to play their games at Wrigley Field. Baseball (Major League World Series - New York Giants defeat New York Yankees, 4 games to 0 with one tie The Chicago Cubs are a Professional Baseball franchise based in Chicago, Illinois. Wrigley Field is a Baseball Stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago
Halas not only played end (wide receiver on offense, defensive end on defense) but also handled ticket sales and the business of running the club; lore says he even sold tickets before the game. All of that perhaps not being enough to do, Halas also coached the team. Named to the NFL's all-pro team in the 1920s, his playing highlight occurred in a 1923 game when he stripped Jim Thorpe of the ball, recovered the fumble, and returned it 98 yards — a league record which would stand until 1972. Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe ( Sac and Fox (Sauk: Wa-Tho-Huk) (28 May 1888 – 28 March 1953 was an American athlete In 1925, Halas persuaded Illinois star player Red Grange to join the Bears; it was a significant step in establishing both the respectability and popularity of the league, which had previously been viewed as a refuge for less admirable players. Harold Edward "Red" Grange ( June 13, 1903 &ndash January 28, 1991) was a professional and college American football
After ten seasons, Halas stepped back from the game in 1930, retiring as a player and leaving the sidelines as coach; but he remained the owner of the club, becoming sole owner in 1932. Baseball (Negro League The St Louis Stars win the Negro National League pennant The lure of the field was too much, however, as Halas returned in 1933 to coach the Bears for another ten seasons. Baseball New York Giants defeat Washington Senators in the World Series, 4-1 During his absence from coaching, the team had also won the 1932 championship. His 1934 team was undefeated until a loss in the championship game to the New York Giants. Athletics June 9 &mdash Swiss runner Lina Aebersold sets a new word record in the women's 20 km walk in Zürich: 15902 The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York City suburb of East Rutherford New Jersey.
In the late 1930s, Halas — with University of Chicago coach Clark Shaughnessy — perfected the T-formation system to create a revolutionary and overwhelming style of play which drove the Bears to an astonishing 73-0 victory over the Washington Redskins in the 1940 NFL Championship Game. The University of Chicago is a Private university located principally in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. Clark Daniel Shaughnessy ( March 6, 1892 &ndash May 15, 1970) was an American Football coach In American football, a T formation is a formation used by the Offensive team in which three Running backs line up in a row about five yards behind The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team based in the Washington D Many sporting events did not take place because of World War II. Every other team in the league immediately began trying to imitate the format. The Bears repeated as NFL champions in 1941, and the 1940s would be remembered as the era of the "Monsters of the Midway. Many sporting events did not take place because of World War II. "
Halas and Shaughnessy had created a revolutionary concept with the T-formation offense. The complex spins, turns, fakes, and all around athletic versatility required to execute the scheme, limited the possible players available. Halas recruited Columbia University quarterback Sid Luckman in 1939. Sidney Luckman, known as Sid Luckman, (November 21 1916 – July 5 1998 was an American football Quarterback for the Chicago Bears from 1939 Luckman launched his Hall of Fame career, playing the position from 1939 to 1950. Halas was not satisfied with other players who succeeded Luckman. During this coaching stint, he had on the Bears roster two future Hall of Fame players, Bobby Layne in 1948 and George Blanda from 1949 to 1958. Robert Lawrence Layne ( December 19 1926 &ndash December 1 1986) was born in Santa Anna Texas, USA George "The Fossil" Blanda (born September 17 1927, Youngwood Pennsylvania) is a former American football Placekicker and Other notable players included Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Lujack from 1948 to 1951 and Zeke Bratkowski from 1954 to 1960. John Christopher Lujack Jr (pronounced Lu' jack is a former American football Quarterback and 1947 Heisman Trophy winner Edmund Raymond "Zeke" Bratkowski (born October 20, 1931 in Danville Illinois) is a former All-American Quarterback at the Blanda played in the NFL until 1975; Bratkowski moved on to Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers from 1960 to 1971; and Bobby Layne quarterbacked the Detroit Lions to three NFL championship games between 1952-54, winning two. Vincent Thomas Lombardi ( June 11, 1913 &ndash September 3, 1970) was an American football coach The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay Wisconsin. The Detroit Lions are an American football team based in Detroit Michigan.
Halas went on a second three-year hiatus during World War II, serving in the Armed Forces from 1943-45, while the Bears won another title in 1943. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Returning to the field in 1946, he coached the club for a third decade, again winning a title in his first year back as coach. Athletics Marathon August 22 &mdash European Championships Marathon, Oslo Norway Men's After a brief break in 1956-57, he resumed the controls of the club for a final decade from 1958 to 1967, winning his last championship in 1963. Athletics Marathon May 4 &mdash Pan American Games Marathon, Sao Paulo Brazil Men's He did not, however, enjoy the same success as he had before the war. He did win his 200th game in 1950 and his 300th game in 1965, becoming the first coach to reach both milestones. Athletics Marathon International Races August 23 &mdash European Championships Marathon, Brussels Auto Racing Stock car racing: Fred Lorenzen wins the Daytona 500 NASCAR Championship In 40 years as a coach, he endured only six losing seasons.
Later life
After the 1967 season, Halas — then the oldest coach in league history — retired as coach. Athletics Marathon August 5 &mdash Pan American Games Marathon, Winnipeg Canada Men's He continued as the team's principal owner, and took an active role in team operations until his death. He was honored in 1970 and 1980 as the only person involved in the league throughout its first fifty and sixty years of existence. His son George, Jr. served as president of the Bears from 1963 until his sudden death at age 54 in 1979. George Stanley Halas Jr ( September 4 1925 - December 16 1979) nicknamed "Mugs" was one of four presidents in the history of the One of Halas's final significant ownership acts was to hire Mike Ditka as head coach in 1982 (Ditka was a former Halas player in the 1960's). Michael Keller Ditka Jr (born October 18, 1939, in Carnegie Pennsylvania) also known as Iron Mike Ditka or Da Coach, is a former
In the 1971 made-for-television film Brian's Song, about the friendship between Chicago Bears players Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers, Halas was portrayed by Jack Warden, who won an Emmy Award for his performance. Brian's Song is a 1971 made-for-TV movie recalling the details of the life of Brian Piccolo (played by James Caan) a white Louis Brian Piccolo ( October 31, 1943 &ndash June 16, 1970) was a professional football player for the Chicago Bears Gale Eugene Sayers (b May 30 1943, Wichita Kansas) also known as "The Kansas Comet", was a professional football player Jack Warden ( September 18 1920 – July 19, 2006) was an Emmy Award -winning Academy Award -nominated American
Halas died of pancreatic cancer in Chicago on October 31, 1983 at age 88, and is entombed in St. Pancreatic cancer is a malignant tumor of the Pancreas. Each year about 37680 individuals in the United States are diagnosed with this condition and 34290 Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) Adalbert Catholic Cemetery in Niles, Illinois. Niles is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 28848 at the 2007 census His eldest daughter, Virginia Halas McCaskey, succeeded him as majority owner (even though her sons run the team's day-to-day operations). Virginia Halas McCaskey (born January 5, 1923) is the principal owner of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. In the 1985 season when the Bears won their first ever Super Bowl, they recorded a song called "Super Bowl Shuffle". " The Super Bowl Shuffle " is a rap song recorded by members of the Chicago Bears football team prior to their appearance In the song, backup quarterback Steve Fuller states "This is for Mike [then current coach Mike Ditka] and Papa Bear Halas. Michael Keller Ditka Jr (born October 18, 1939, in Carnegie Pennsylvania) also known as Iron Mike Ditka or Da Coach, is a former "
Impact on football
Halas played an integral part in the segregation of the league in the 1930s by refusing to sign black players for the Bears. Fritz Pollard, who in the 1920s was the league's first African-American coach, blamed Halas for keeping him out of the league in the 1930s and 1940s. Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard ( January 27, 1894 – May 11, 1986) was the first African American head coach in the Halas eventually changed course and helped to integrate the league, drafting the NFL's first black player since 1933, George Taliaferro, although Taliaferro did not play for the Bears; Halas later signed Willie Thrower, who with the Bears became the league's first black quarterback. A draft is a process used in the United States, Canada, and Australia to allocate certain players to Sports teams George Taliaferro (born January 8, 1927 in Gates Tennessee) is a former professional American football player Willie Thrower ( March 20, 1930 - February 20, 2002) was a professional American football player
A pioneer both on and off the field, Halas made the Bears the first team to hold daily practice sessions, to analyze film of opponents to find weaknesses and means of attack, place assistant coaches in the press box during games, and to broadcast games by radio. Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light. He also offered to share the team's substantial television income with teams in smaller cities, firmly believing that what was good for the league would ultimately benefit his own team. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic A firm disciplinarian, Halas maintained complete control of his team and did not tolerate disobedience and insubordination by players. He also insisted on absolute integrity and honesty in management, believing that a handshake was sufficient to finalize a deal; few, if any, intermediaries were necessary.
George Halas' career ledger reads as follows: 63 years as an owner, 40 as a coach, 324 wins, and 8 NFL titles as a coach or owner. He was a charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963; the Hall of Fame is appropriately located on George Halas Drive. The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the Hall of fame of the National Football League (NFL Athletics Marathon May 4 &mdash Pan American Games Marathon, Sao Paulo Brazil Men's The NFC championship trophy also bears his name. The National Football Conference ( NFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League (NFL In both 1963 and 1965 he was selected by The Sporting News, the AP and the UPI as the NFL Coach of the Year. Sporting News (previously The Sporting News, and known colloquially as TSN) is an American -based Sports In 1997 he was featured on a U.S. postage stamp as one of the legendary coaches of football. This article lists people who have been featured on United States Postage stamps Since the United States Post Office issued its first stamp in 1847 over 4000 stamps have been issued and He has been recognized by ESPN as one of the ten most influential people in sports in the 20th century, and as one of the greatest coaches. ESPN, originally an acronym for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, is an American Cable television network dedicated to In 1993, Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula finally surpassed Halas' victory total. Athletics For an extensive coverage see 1993 in athletics (track and field Marathon The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami Florida Metropolitan Area. Donald Francis Shula (born January 4, 1930 in Grand River, Ohio) is an American former professional football coach To this day, the jerseys of the Chicago Bears bear the initials "GSH" on their left sleeves in tribute to Halas.
External links
- Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Bust at the Hall of Fame
- Coaching record at Pro-Football-Reference.com
- Biography at www.bearshistory.com
- Baseball Reference.com - Major League Baseball statistics
- George Halas Profile at Rosebowl Legends
| Preceded by First coach |
Chicago Bears Head Coaches 1920–1929 |
Succeeded by Ralph Jones |
| Preceded by Ralph Jones |
Chicago Bears Head Coaches 1933–1942 |
Succeeded by Hunk Anderson |
| Preceded by Hunk Anderson |
Chicago Bears Head Coaches 1945–1955 |
Succeeded by Paddy Driscoll |
| Preceded by Paddy Driscoll |
Chicago Bears Head Coaches 1958–1967 |
Succeeded by Jim Dooley |
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic