With Lebron James staking personal claim to one of the four spots on the NBA's all time Mt. Rushmore, it set off a buzz around the sports media world with all sorts of possibilities, which begs the question, who should be on the Chicago Bears version of Mount Rushmore?
Ditka in his playing daysMike Florio from ProFootballTalk.nbcsports.com put together his own list:
George Halas, Dick Butkus, Walter Payton and Gale Sayers.
Several other websites have followed suit, but we here at FantasyKnuckleheads want you to decide for yourself so, after some dutiful research, we narrowed it down to the top 10 individuals. Below, we have a quick fact brief for each one.
(Note: All stats listed are for their Chicago Bears' career only)
Honorable Mentions:
Brian Urlacher (13 seasons) and Richard Dent (12 seasons)
Mike Ditka - 6 seasons (player) 11 seasons (coach) - "Da Coach"
- 316 receptions, 4,503 yards, 34 TDs
- Rookie of the Year (1961)
- 1963 NFL Champion
- 4x All NFL
- 1988 Hall of Fame Inductee
- Chicago Bears retired #89 in his honor
- Super Bowl XX Champion (Coach)
- NFL Coach of the Year (1985, 1988)
- 106-62 record as Chicago Bears Coach
Bill George - 14 seasons
- 18 interceptions and 19 fumble recoveries
- 8x All NFL
- 1963 NFL Champion
- 1974 Hall of Fame inductee
- Chicago Bears retired the #61 in his honor
- Credited for being the first true Middle linebacker in the NFL
Sid Luckman - 12 seasons
- 14,686 passing yards, 137 passing TDs (Most in Chicago Bears history) 7 passing TD's in single game (Tied for most ever in NFL game)
- 4x NFL Champion
- 5x All NFL (1943 MVP)
- 1965 Hall of Fame Inductee
- Chicago Bears retired the #42 in his honor
- Quarterbacked the largest margin of victory in a NFL game (73-0 vs Washington Redskins in the 1943 Championship)
Bronko Nagurski - 9 seasons
- 2778 career rush yds, 25 rushing TDs, 7 passing TDs
- 5x All NFL
- 3x NFL Champion
- Member of the first Hall of Fame class ever (1963)
- Chicago Bears retired the #3 in his honor
- Two way player (fullback and defensive line)
George Stanley Halas
- Chicago Bears owner (63 years) Coach (40 years) Player (10 years)
- 324 wins as coach
- 8 NFL titles (6 as coach and additional 2 as owner)
- Member of the first Hall of Fame class ever (1963)
- Represented the franchise at the meeting that created what is now known as the National Football League
- Chicago Bears retired #7 in honor of him
- Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio is located on George Halas Dr. and the NFC Championship Trophy is named after Halas
Gale Sayers - 7 seasons - "The Kansas Comet"
- 4,956 rushing yards and 39 career TDs (5.0 avg), 1.307 receiving yards and 9 TDs (11.7 avg) 2 punt returns and 6 kick off returns for TDs
- 6 touchdowns in a single game (Tied for most ever in a NFL game)
- 4x All NFL
- 1997 Hall-of-Fame Inductee
- Chicago Bears retired #40 in honor of him
- Record for most TDs by a NFL rookie (22)
Red Grange - 7 seasons - "The Galloping Ghost"
- 10 Passing TDs, 21 rushing TDs, 10 receiving TDs and one interception returned for TD
- 1920 All Decade Team
- 2x NFL Champion
- Member of the first Hall of Fame class ever (1963)
- Chicago Bears retired #77 in honor of him
- 1925 Chicago Bears went on what was called a "19 game barnstorming tour" across the U.S. that drew in hundreds of thousands of people and put professional football on the map, Grange was the main attraction and first NFL Superstar
Mike Singletary - 12 seasons - "Samurai Mike"
- 1,488 tackles, 12 fumble recoveries, 7 interceptions, 51 pass defended and 19 sacks
- 8x All Pro
- 2x Defensive Player of the Year (1985, 1988)
- Super Bowl XX Champion
- 1998 Hall of Fame Inductee
- Most Pro Bowls ever by a Chicago Bear (10)
Walter Payton - 13 seasons - "Sweetness"
- 16,726 yards off of 3,838 rushes, 110 rushing TDs, 4,538 yards from 492 receptions (team record for receptions), 15 receptions TDs.
- Super Bowl XX Champion
- 7x All Pro
- 2x MVP (1977 & 1985)
- 1993 Hall of Fame Inductee
- Chicago Bears retired #34 in his honor
- 178 consecutive games played (record for a running back), 77 games with 100+ rushing yards (2nd all time)
Dick Butkus - 9 seasons
- 1,020 tackles, 22 interceptions, 25 fumble recovery, 1 safety
- 6x All NFL
- 2x Defensive Player of the Year (1969, 1970)
- 1979 Hall of Fame Inductee
- Chicago Bears retired #51 in his honor
- Was considered one of the best all time at forcing fumbles (NFL only started keeping track of those stats within the last 20 years or so)
So, who should it be?
All old school? Halas, Grange, Nagurski and Luckman?
All running backs? Halas, Grange, Sayers and Payton?
All linebackers? George, Butkus, Singletary and Urlacher?
I personally would go with Halas, Ditka, Payton and Butkus. Halas for being instrumental in the creation of both the Bears and the NFL. Payton for being arguably the best running back of all time. Ditka for creating the modern day tight end position and coaching arguably the greatest team of all time and Butkus for defining what the quintessential linebacker should be.
But I am not sure you can name four without feeling like you are leaving an equally worthy player out.
What do you think?