What was the original name of the Chicago Bears?
The Chicago Bears are one of only two charter members of the National Football League still in existence. Their 1,000-game history started in Decatur, Ill. in 1920 when the Staley Starch Company (they were named the Decatur Staleys) decided to sponsor a football team. Then on September 17, 1920 the Staleys (with George Halas as their representative) joined the American Professional Football Association. The APFA was renamed the National Football League in 1922.
The team was renamed the Chicago Bears in 1922.
In 1932, they defeated the Portsmouth Spartans 9-0 to win the championship in the first NFL game to be played indoors. The next year, they inaugurated the NFL championship series by defeating the New York Giants: 23-21.
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20 Comments
Rod Peel
Wrong answer again. I would really like to see a valid reference that the team were ever called the Decatur Staleys. The right answer is the Chicargo Staleys for 1 year only.
Larry Kuykendall
Wrong answer. The Chicago team's orignal name was Chicago Staleys. The Decatur team had same name but a different location.
Mariah Hartberg
n 1921, the Staley Starch Company gave Halas the team, $5,000 and permission to move the team to Chicago if he would agree to keep the Staleys name for a year. The Staleys won the 1921 league championship. A year later, the team was renamed the Chicago Bears.
But my research said Decatur Staleys too, so, both.
John W Shreve
That's right. In 1919, the Bears professional football team was founded and their name was the Decatur Staleys after A.E Staley, the owner of a manufacturing company. After successful, winning seasons, the Staleys and the sport of football became immensely popular. But, Staley had another business to attend to in corn processing. Plus, the town of Decatur couldn't possibly hold the potential this team had in terms of profitability. Staley went to George Halas with a proposition to take over the team and they struck a deal in October 1921 for the Staleys to move to Chicago and play at Wrigley Field. After the team's first season at Wrigley, the team knew they needed to change their name. They decided to call themselves the Bears because they made the analogy that football players were larger than baseball players; hence, Bears are larger than Cubs.
snowballs
Wrong wrong they were never called the Decatur Staleys 👎👎👎
elizawheeler
Da Bears:)
earlepg
Ingrid Blaschke Fugate, I also got this wrong, so, because of all the gripping, I checked online to find the answer. So many sites coorborated that the Chicago Bears began as the Decatur Staleys (the original team owners name) that I didn't bother to document it.
Terry Masterson
Wrong. The chicago Staley's was the name for one year.
David Bartlett
Wrong answer yet again! This has become a joke!!!
Edie Koller
Its the chicago staleys
Kathy Fodi
Another wrong answer! Look it up! Chicago Staleys was the original name
mikemerr
Wrong answer, why doesn't the reviewer find these questions inappropriate unless they have the right answer. The question is related to the city of Chicago
teacherchicky
Technically, this is wrong because the question is what was the original name of the Chicago bears but they weren't TRULY the Decatur Staleys. The Decatur Staleys transferred to Chicago and changed their name but you can see where the phrasing of the question makes this incorrect because the Chicago Bears were originally the Chicago Staleys!
Alana Kirk Studebaker
Sorry folks…from Decatur, Il…the Chicago Bears started out as the Decatur Staleys!
John W Shreve
That is from NBCSports.
Ingrid Blaschke Fugate
The franchise that became the Bears was founded by businessman A.E. Staley in 1920 and was first known as the Decatur (Illinois) Staley
I got it wrong-so what only want to make my way to 200 000, wished they take of these League thingy