1926 Chicago Bears season
| 1926 Chicago Bears season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | George Halas |
| Home field | Wrigley Field, Soldier Field |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–1–3 |
| League place | 2nd NFL |
The 1926 season was the Chicago Bears' 7th in the National Football League. The team was able to improve on their 9–5–3 record from 1925 and finished with a 12–1–3 record under head coach George Halas earning them a second-place finish in the team standings, their fifth showing in that place in the last seven years. This year's Bears may have been the most talented to date, with most of their veterans still playing well and the addition of talented veteran Paddy Driscoll and hard-running rookie William Senn. The Bears opened their season with 13 undefeated games (11 wins and 2 ties). Since ties didn't count in the standings at that time, the Bears were in first place since their main competition, the Frankford Yellow Jackets, had lost an earlier game to the Providence Steam Roller. The showdown came on December 4 at Frankford. Neither team scored for the first three-quarters of this game; the tie was broken when Senn burst through the Frankford line for a 62-yard touchdown run. Driscoll missed the PAT, leaving Frankford a chance. Frankford proceeded to complete two long passes, the second for a score. Their kicker, Ernest Hamer, made the point after and Frankford won the game. Due to more victories, Frankford was the champion. The Bears were second yet again.
Driscoll was easily Chicago's best player in 1926, scoring 5 TDs, kicking 11 field goals, and converting 14 PATs. Senn scored 7 rushing touchdowns and Frank Hanny had 4 touchdown catches to lead the Bears.
Future Hall of Fame players
- Paddy Driscoll, back (from Cardinals)
- George Halas, end
- Ed Healey, tackle
- Link Lyman, tackle (from Frankford)
- George Trafton, center
Other leading players
- William Senn, back (rookie from Knox College)
- Ed Sternaman, back
- Joe Sternaman, quarterback
- Laurie Walquist, quarterback
Players departed from 1925
- Hunk Anderson, guard (retired)
- Red Grange, back (to New York Yankees of new American Football League)
Schedule
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 19 | at Milwaukee Badgers | W 10–7 | 1–0–0 | Athletic Park |
| 2 | September 26 | at Green Bay Packers | T 6–6 | 1–0–1 | City Stadium |
| 3 | October 3 | at Detroit Panthers | W 10–7 | 2–0–1 | Navin Field |
| 4 | October 10 | New York Giants | W 7–0 | 3–0–1 | Wrigley Field |
| 5 | October 17 | at Chicago Cardinals | W 16–0 | 4–0–1 | Soldier Field |
| 6 | October 24 | Duluth Eskimos | W 24–6 | 5–0–1 | Wrigley Field |
| 7 | October 31 | Akron Indians | W 17–0 | 6–0–1 | Wrigley Field |
| 8 | November 7 | Louisville Colonels | W 34–0 | 7–0–1 | Wrigley Field |
| 9 | November 11 | Chicago Cardinals | W 10–0 | 8–0–1 | Wrigley Field |
| 10 | November 14 | Milwaukee Badgers | W 10–7 | 9–0–1 | Wrigley Field |
| 11 | November 21 | Green Bay Packers | W 19–13 | 10–0–1 | Wrigley Field |
| 12 | November 25 | Chicago Cardinals | T 0–0 | 10–0–2 | Wrigley Field |
| 13 | November 28 | Canton Bulldogs | W 35–0 | 11–0–2 | Wrigley Field |
| 14 | December 4 | at Frankford Yellow Jackets | L 6–7 | 11–1–2 | Shibe Park |
| 15 | December 12 | Pottsville Maroons | W 9–7 | 12–1–2 | Wrigley Field |
| 16 | December 19 | Green Bay Packers | T 3–3 | 12–1–3 | Soldier Field |
Standings
| NFL standings | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |||
| Frankford Yellow Jackets | 14 | 1 | 2 | .933 | 236 | 49 | W6 | ||
| Chicago Bears | 12 | 1 | 3 | .923 | 216 | 63 | L1 | ||
| Pottsville Maroons | 10 | 2 | 2 | .833 | 155 | 29 | T1 | ||
| Kansas City Cowboys | 8 | 3 | 0 | .727 | 76 | 53 | W7 | ||
| Green Bay Packers | 7 | 3 | 3 | .700 | 151 | 61 | T1 | ||
| New York Giants | 8 | 4 | 1 | .667 | 151 | 61 | W3 | ||
| Los Angeles Buccaneers | 6 | 3 | 1 | .667 | 67 | 57 | L1 | ||
| Duluth Eskimos | 6 | 5 | 3 | .545 | 113 | 81 | L1 | ||
| Buffalo Rangers | 4 | 4 | 2 | .500 | 53 | 62 | T1 | ||
| Chicago Cardinals | 5 | 6 | 1 | .455 | 74 | 98 | L1 | ||
| Providence Steam Roller | 5 | 7 | 1 | .417 | 89 | 103 | L1 | ||
| Detroit Panthers | 4 | 6 | 2 | .400 | 107 | 60 | L3 | ||
| Hartford Blues | 3 | 7 | 0 | .300 | 57 | 99 | L1 | ||
| Brooklyn Lions | 3 | 8 | 0 | .273 | 60 | 150 | L3 | ||
| Milwaukee Badgers | 2 | 7 | 0 | .222 | 41 | 66 | L5 | ||
| Dayton Triangles | 1 | 4 | 1 | .200 | 15 | 82 | L2 | ||
| Akron Indians | 1 | 4 | 3 | .200 | 23 | 89 | T1 | ||
| Racine Tornadoes | 1 | 4 | 0 | .200 | 8 | 92 | L4 | ||
| Columbus Tigers | 1 | 6 | 0 | .143 | 26 | 93 | L5 | ||
| Canton Bulldogs | 1 | 9 | 3 | .100 | 46 | 161 | L1 | ||
| Hammond Pros | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | 3 | 56 | L4 | ||
| Louisville Colonels | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 108 | L4 | ||
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
References
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| Franchise | |
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| Stadiums | |
| Culture |
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| Lore | |
| Rivalries | |
| Minor league affiliates |
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| Retired numbers | |
| Key personnel |
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| Division championships (21) | |
| Conference championships (4) | |
| League championships (9) | |
| Media |
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| Current league affiliations |
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