25. The Fog Bowl
Mike Ditka versus Buddy Ryan. Divisional round of the 1988 NFC playoffs. New Year’s Eve. A fun-filled grudge match with win-or-go-home stakes. And then Soldier Field disappeared. A blanket of fog smothered the field and never really lifted. NFL Films cameraman Bob Smith described it as “steam from the bowels of hell.” It’s hard to know who really saw what in the Bears’ 20-12 “Fog Bowl” win. Dennis McKinnon’s 64-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter gave the Bears the lead for good. The rest is a hazy memory. Said Steve McMichael: “Things happen for a reason in this world. The anger and rage Ditka and Ryan had for each other and the things that were being said (between them), that’s an Indian rain dance my friend.”
24. Hello, my name’s Khalil
Remember that adrenaline jolt when Khalil Mack stunned Packers right tackle Bryan Bulaga and then ripped the football from quarterback DeShone Kizer? Like candy from a baby. Remember the next series when Mack intercepted a Kizer screen pass and rolled 27 yards to the end zone? This was the first half of Mack’s first game as a Bear. This was only eight days after general manager Ryan Pace engineered a stunning trade with the Raiders to acquire Mack on Sept. 1, 2018. No wonder the Bears were so ready to make the sleek edge rusher the highest-paid defensive player in the history of the league.
23. The proving ground
There were plenty of exhilarating moments during the Bears’ 1963 championship season. But perhaps the most fulfilling were the two victories over the Packers. It wasn’t just a sweep of the rivals from Green Bay. It came after the Packers had beaten the Bears twice by a combined score of 87-7 in 1962. It came after the Packers had won the previous two NFL championships. It came after George Halas challenged his team to beat the Packers in both meetings to reach a new level. The Bears followed that order.
22. Joining the fraternity
Thirteen seasons, eight Pro Bowl selections. A combination of size, speed and athleticism that helped revolutionize the middle linebacker position in the 21st century. It was only a matter of time before the bust-makers at the Pro Football Hall of Fame added Brian Urlacher’s bald head to the Hall of Fame Gallery in Canton, Ohio. Urlacher was voted into the Hall in 2018, the first year he was eligible. “I didn’t just compete against the other person, I competed to be my best,” he said. “It wasn’t merely about the conquest. It was about the challenge. Every moment. Every practice. Every game. Everywhere. I just loved competing.” With that he became the 28th member of the Bears to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. No organization has as many members.
21. The Bears are born
In search of big-city crowds, George Halas moved his Decatur Staleys to Chicago in 1921 to play at Wrigley Field. A year later, the Staleys changed their name to the Bears and adopted the orange-and-blue color scheme Halas had admired as a student at the University of Illinois.