GEORGE ‘‘MOOSE’’ CONNOR: BORN TO BE A BEAR
A native South Sider who starred at De La Salle, George Connor was a Chicagoan through and through.
An All-America tackle on unbeaten Notre Dame teams in 1946 and 1947 under Frank Leahy — and the winner of the first Outland Trophy in 1946 — Connor was drafted by the New York Giants of the NFL and the San Francisco 49ers of the All-American Football Conference and had his rights traded to the now-defunct Boston Yanks of the NFL and the Cleveland Browns of the AAFC. But he wanted to play in Chicago.
‘‘As a Chicago south sider George was a Cardinals fan,’’ Jack Connor wrote in ‘‘Connor,’’ his book about his older brother. ‘‘The Cardinal officials told George they were all set at tackle and therefore weren’t interested.’’
The rest is history. Connor turned to Bears coach George Halas, who told him, ‘‘You just hang tough with Boston, and maybe we can work something out.’’
Halas made it happen. Connor signed with the Bears on the same day they announced the more publicized signing of Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Lujack (Jan. 25, 1948). He started on the line, but the 6-3, 240-pound Connor was moved to linebacker in 1949 and ended up revolutionizing the position as an outside linebacker with size, speed and mobility.
In his eight-year career, he was named All-Pro four times. In 1955, coming off knee surgery after an injury the previous season, Connor scored his only NFL touchdown, returning a fumble 48 yards to spark a rally from a 13-0 deficit in a 21-20 victory against the Lions.
It turned out to be his second-to-last game in the NFL. Connor retired abruptly early in training camp in 1956 and joined the Bears’ coaching staff.
‘‘I quit because if I can’t be the tops, I don’t want to play,’’ he said at the time. Connor was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1975. He died at 78 in 2003, forever remembered as a great Bear and a great Chicagoan.