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1922 Chicago Bears season

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1922 Chicago Bears season
OwnerGeorge S. Halas,
Dutch Sternaman
Head coachGeorge Halas
Home fieldWrigley Field
Results
Record9–3
League place2nd NFL

The 1922 Chicago Bears season was their third regular season completed in the National Football League, which changed its name from the APFA, and the first under the new franchise name. The team changed the name from Staleys to Bears because Halas wanted his football franchise's nickname to reflect that of the team whose field he used, that being the Chicago Cubs.

The team finished with a 9–3 record under head coach/player George Halas, earning them a second-place finish in the team standings, the second time in the last three years. Two of the three losses were to the Chicago Cardinals, both shutouts suffered "away" at Comiskey Park where the Cardinals played their home games. The other loss was to eventual NFL champion Canton Bulldogs.

In none of their other games were the Bears seriously challenged, with most either shutouts or relative blowouts. Bears co-owner and star left halfback Ed "Dutch" Sternaman led the Bears in scoring for the third straight season, with three touchdowns, 6 field goals, and 5 PATs, finishing with 41 points. His brother Joe Sternaman joined the team and starred by scoring 5 touchdowns and adding 2 PATs.

Background

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Name change

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When the move was made from Decatur to Chicago shortly after the start of the 1921 season, original team sponsor A. E. Staley — head of a large and profitable corn products manufacturing company — had provided team organizer George Halas with $5,000 in seed money to expedite a move of the club off his compnay's books in Decatur to an independent, private existence in Chicago.[1] This grant had been provisional on Halas retaining the team name "Staleys" for one season, thereby ensuring another year's worth of publicity for his company name.[1]

With the arrival of the 1922 season, this agreement with A.E. Staley & Company expired and team co-owners George Hallas and Ed "Dutch" Sternaman were free to rename their football club with a more conventional sports moniker.[2] The pair settled upon the name "Chicago Bears" — a play on the name of the Chicago Cubs of baseball's National League.[2] On January 28, 1922, Sternaman and Halas incorporated their team in Illinois as the Chicago Bears Football Club, with each man putting up $2,500 and making a joint contribution of $2,500 to provide the company $7,500 in working capital.[2]

A third name was originally listed on the incorporation papers, that of John "Paddy" Driscoll — one of the first superstars of professional football and an acquaintance of Halas' from their time playing together on the Navy's Great Lakes Bluejackets football team during World War I.[2] National Football League president Joe Carr would have none of this, however, Driscoll already being under contract with the rival Chicago Cardinals.[2] Driscoll was severed from the agreement and firm instructions to Halas and Sternaman to cease tampering with another team's star.[2]

Schedule

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Game Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap Sources
1 October 1 at Racine Legion W 6–0 1–0 Horlick Field 4,000 [3] Recap [4][5]
2 October 8 at Rock Island Independents W 10–6 2–0 Douglas Park 4,749 Recap
3 October 15 Rochester Jeffersons W 7–0 3–0 Cubs Park 7,000+ Recap [6]
4 October 22 Buffalo All-Americans W 7–0 4–0 Cubs Park 6,500 Recap
5 October 29 Canton Bulldogs L 6–7 4–1 Cubs Park 10,000 Recap [7][8]
6 November 5 Dayton Triangles W 9–0 5–1 Cubs Park "several thousand" Recap [9][10][11]
7 November 12 Oorang Indians W 33–6 6–1 Cubs Park "good-sized crowd" Recap [12][13]
8 November 19 Rock Island Independents W 3–0 7–1 Cubs Park 8,000 Recap [14][15][16][17][18]
9 November 26 Akron Pros W 20–10 8–1 Cubs Park 6,000 Recap [19][20][21]
10 November 30 at Chicago Cardinals L 0–6 8–2 Comiskey Park 14,000 Recap [22]
11 December 3 Toledo Maroons W 22–0 9–2 Cubs Park 6,000 Recap [23][24]
12 December 10 at Chicago Cardinals L 0–9 9–3 Comiskey Park 15,000 Recap
Note: Thanksgiving Day: November 30.

Standings

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NFL standings
W L T PCT PF PA STK
Canton Bulldogs 10 0 2 1.000 184 15 W6
Chicago Bears 9 3 0 .750 123 44 L1
Chicago Cardinals 8 3 0 .727 96 50 W1
Toledo Maroons 5 2 2 .714 94 59 L2
Rock Island Independents 4 2 1 .667 154 27 L1
Racine Legion 6 4 1 .600 122 56 L1
Dayton Triangles 4 3 1 .571 80 62 W1
Green Bay Packers 4 3 3 .571 70 54 W2
Buffalo All-Americans 5 4 1 .556 87 41 W2
Akron Pros 3 5 2 .375 146 95 L3
Milwaukee Badgers 2 4 3 .333 51 71 L3
Oorang Indians 3 6 0 .333 69 190 W2
Minneapolis Marines 1 3 0 .250 19 40 L1
Louisville Brecks 1 3 0 .250 13 140 W1
Evansville Crimson Giants 0 3 0 .000 6 88 L3
Rochester Jeffersons 0 4 1 .000 13 76 L4
Hammond Pros 0 5 1 .000 0 69 L2
Columbus Panhandles 0 8 0 .000 24 174 L8
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Roster

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The 1922 Chicago Bears Football Club.

The following individuals saw game action for the 1922 Chicago Bears.[25] The number of games played appears in parentheses.

Two of these players — coach and end George Halas and tackle Ed Healey — were later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Bears Hall of Fame center George Trafton was not a member of the 1922 team, as he took a season off to take a position as an assistant coach at Northwestern University.[26]

Linemen

Backs

References

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  1. ^ a b Jeff Davis, Papa Bear: The Life and Legacy of George Halas. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005; p. 63.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Davis, Papa Bear, p. 68.
  3. ^ The special correspondent of the Chicago Tribune had the crowd at 5,000.
  4. ^ "Horlick-Legion Team Wins Victory in Defeat: Classy Visitors Are Held to Few Counters," Racine Journal-News, Oct. 2, 1922, p. 8.
  5. ^ "Field Goals by Sternaman Give Bears 6 to 0 Win," Chicago Tribune, Oct. 2, 1922, p. 16.
  6. ^ "Bears Nip Rochester in Line Struggle, 7–0," Chicago Tribune, Oct. 16, 1922, p. 23.
  7. ^ "Canton Beats Bears by One Point, 7 to 6: Intercepted Forward Pass Makes Touchdown by Ohioans Possible; 10,000 at Game," Rock Island Argus, Oct. 30, 1922, p. 10.
  8. ^ "Bears Lose First Game of Season to Canton, 7–6," Chicago Tribune, Oct. 30, 1922, p. 18.
  9. ^ "Windy City Bears Trim Dayton, 9–0: Dutch Sternaman Kicks Goal and Scores Touchdown for Halas Outfit," Moline Dispatch, Nov. 6, 1922, p. 13.
  10. ^ "Bears Smother Triangles 9–0 on Wet Field," Dayton Daily News, Nov. 6, 1922, p. 20.
  11. ^ "Chicago Bears Win from Triangles, 9–0," Pittsburgh Post, Nov. 6, 1922, p. 8.
  12. ^ "Chicago Bears Tame Indians: Thorpe's Eleven Handed 33 to 6 Defeat," Decatur Review, Nov. 13, 1922, p. 10.
  13. ^ "Bears Win from Thorpe's Indians by 33–6 Margin: Old Jim Himself Gets in Against Ex-Staleys in Final Quarter," Decatur Herald, Nov. 13, 1922, p. 8.
  14. ^ Wally Koenig, "Chicago Bears Defeat Independents on Kick by Dutch Sternaman: Place-Kick by Sternaman Results in 3–0 Trimming for Rock Island Machine," Davenport Daily Times, Nov. 20, 1922, p. 10.
  15. ^ Independents Lose to Chi Bears: Sternaman's Toe Spells Doom for Flanagan Eleven "Bear Meat is Too Tough for Independents: Sternaman Toe Again Decides Against the Islanders; Score 3–0," Rock Island Argus, Nov. 20, 1922, p. 12 + Play by Play.
  16. ^ "Independents Lose to Chi Bears: Sternaman's Toe Spells Doom for Flanagan Eleven," Moline Dispatch, Nov. 20, 1922, p. 15.
  17. ^ "Bears Defeat Rock Island," Milwaukee Journal, Nov. 20, 1922.
  18. ^ "Islanders Beaten by Bears in 3–0 Tilt: Kick Wins for Bears," Chicago Tribune, Nov. 20, 1922, p. 27.
  19. ^ "Bears' Passes Tumble Akron Eleven, 20 to 10," Chicago Tribune, Nov. 27, 1922, p. 19.
  20. ^ "Akron Bothers Bears But Stinchcomb Saves the Day for Chicago: Aerial Attack of King and Kreinheder Brings Oval Within Scoring Distance," Buffalo Courier Express, Nov. 27, 1922, p. 16.
  21. ^ "Chicago Bears Beat Akron in Fast Game," Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, Nov. 27, 1922, p. 9.
  22. ^ "Cards Whip Bears, 6–0, for City Pro Title; Fist Fights and Near Riot Mar Hard Game," Chicago Tribune, Dec. 1, 1922, p. 21.
  23. ^ Hugh Fullerton, "Bears Wreck Toledo's Title Hopes, 22 to 0," Chicago Tribune, Dec. 4, 1922, p. 25.
  24. ^ "Chicago Bears Defeat Toledo," Decatur Review, Dec. 4, 1922, p. 8.
  25. ^ "1922 Chicago Bears Roster & Players," Pro Football Reference, www.pro-football-reference.com
  26. ^ Walter Eckersall, "Purple Football Outlook Is Best In Three Years," Chicago Tribune, Sept. 26, 1922, p. 16.
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