By Darin Hayes February 2, 1895 – Where would we be in Pro Football without the significant contributions of George Halas, who was born on this day. A better question is if we have Pro football without Mr Halas.
Halas was an outstanding player. In College, Halas caught a Touchdown pass from Paddy Driscoll as the Great Lakes Naval Station team cruised to a 17-0 Rose Bowl victory over the Mare Island Marines squad.
Halas went on to help organize and coach the Decatur Staleys, was handed ownership of the franchise by Mr. Staley himself, and then moved the team to the Windy City, rebranding them as the Chicago Bears. In 1920, Papa Bear met with other professional teams across the Midwest to organize the APFA, the early name of the NFL, over a bucket of beer at Ralph Hay’s Hupmobile Showroom.
George also coached the Bears squad for 40 seasons, stepping away once to serve in World War II. George Halas, according to his bio on the HOF site, finished with 318 regular-season wins and 324 total victories, both of which were long-standing NFL records until Don Shula surpassed them in 1993. His Chicago Bears teams won six NFL titles, the first coming in 1921 after the Staleys moved to Chicago. The Pro Football Hall of Fame recognized George Halas when they enshrined him in the inaugural induction ceremony in 1963.
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