The Greatest Chicago Bears Players of All Time
The Chicago Bears once won an NFL title game 73-0, and when you rank the greatest Chicago Bears players of all time, expect a much closer contest. To make it, a player has to be named on at least 5 of the 10 Bears honor rolls and all-time rankings counted for this list: the team's retired numbers, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the team's 2019 centennial top 100, and seven press rankings. Players left off no more than one of the sources that could have named them start in the top group; everyone else who clears the door starts below them, and your votes set the order from there.
Dick Butkus is #1 on “The Greatest Chicago Bears Players of All Time”.
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Dick Butkus
His 27 fumble recoveries were a record when he retired, and the NEA chose him as its top defender in 1969 and 1970. Chicago made him the 3rd overall pick of 1965, and from 1965 to 1973 he earned Pro Bowl invitations in 8 of his 9 seasons. His strangest play came on November 14, 1971, against Washington: tied 15-15, the extra-point snap got past holder Bobby Douglass, who looked to pass, and Butkus, lined up as a blocking back, leapt to catch it for a 16-15 win. A bad knee ended his career in May 1974, at 31, and in 1979, his first eligible year, Canton enshrined him. Each of the 10 sources behind this list names Butkus, 10 of 10.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Butkus - 2
Gale Sayers
His 22 touchdowns in 1965, his rookie season, set an NFL rookie record. Injuries limited his Chicago career, 1965 to 1971, to about 5 seasons, and he packed a lot into them. On December 12, 1965, on a muddy Wrigley Field, 6 of those touchdowns came in a 61-20 win over the 49ers, along with 326 yards: 113 rushing, 89 receiving and 134 on punt returns. He tore up his right knee in 1968, then led the league with 1,032 rushing yards in 1969. His 30.56-yard career kickoff return average leads all NFL players with at least 75 returns, and at 34 he became the youngest man ever enshrined in Canton. Sayers shows up on 10 of the 10 sources counted here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gale_Sayers - 3
Walter Payton
Drafted 4th overall in 1975, he carried the ball for the Bears through 1987. On November 20, 1977, against Minnesota, he ran for 275 yards, then a single-game record, while fighting the flu and a 101-degree fever, and the Associated Press made him its MVP that season. On October 7, 1984, against New Orleans, he passed Jim Brown's career rushing mark of 12,312 yards, and when he retired the record stood at his 16,726. His Pro Bowl total reached 9, and Chicago won Super Bowl XX 46-10 even though he never scored a postseason touchdown. The NFL's community award, Man of the Year, carries his name. Payton turns up on 10 of the 10 sources here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Payton - 4
Mike Singletary
The AP's defensive player award went to him in 1985 and 1988, and his 10 Pro Bowls set a Bears record. Taken 38th overall in 1981, he played middle linebacker for Chicago through 1992 and sat out 2 games in those 12 seasons, both in 1986. The Bears went 15-1 in 1985 and won Super Bowl XX, a game in which his 2 fumble recoveries tied the record for a Super Bowl. Samurai Mike, as he was nicknamed, started 172 games for the club before Canton inducted him in 1998. Singletary is on 9 of the 10 sources counted for this list.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Singletary - 5
Brian Urlacher
Associated Press voters picked him as 2000's top defensive rookie and 2005's top defender. New Mexico had turned him into a linebacker, Chicago drafted him 9th overall in 2000, and he played 13 seasons there, 2000 through 2012, with 8 Pro Bowl selections. On October 16, 2006, in Arizona, the Bears trailed 20-0 at halftime and 23-3 late in the third quarter, and their offense never scored a touchdown. He made 19 tackles and ripped the ball from Edgerrin James for a fumble Charles Tillman returned 40 yards for a score, and Chicago won 24-23 to go 6-0. Canton took him on his first ballot, in 2018. Urlacher appears on 9 of the 10 sources counted.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Urlacher - 6
Sid Luckman
In 1943 he threw 28 touchdown passes, a league record that lasted until 1959, and on November 14 of that year he beat the Giants 56-7 with 7 touchdown passes and 433 yards before being named the league's MVP. George Halas wanted a passer for the T-formation, so after Pittsburgh made him the 2nd pick of the 1939 draft Halas had him traded to Chicago, and he ran the T for the Bears from 1939 to 1950. He won 4 NFL titles there, starting with the 73-0 rout of Washington in the 1940 championship game. His career touchdown rate of 7.9 percent is the NFL record, and the Hall enshrined him in 1965. He has 9 of the 10 sources counted here behind him.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_Luckman - 7
Bronko Nagurski
Cold weather moved the 1932 playoff against the Portsmouth Spartans indoors to Chicago Stadium, and in the fourth quarter he took a handoff, pulled up and threw to Red Grange in the end zone. Portsmouth argued he hadn't dropped back 5 yards before passing, as the rules then required; the touchdown stood, and Chicago won 9-0, midway through his 1930 to 1937 run at fullback and tackle. With the war draining the roster in 1943, he came out of retirement to play tackle, then went back to fullback for the Cardinals game the Bears had to win to reach the title game. He won 3 championships here, and Canton put him in its charter class in 1963. Nagurski is named on 9 of the 10 sources counted here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronko_Nagurski - 8
Mike Ditka
Chicago's 1st-round pick in 1961, 5th overall, he spent 6 seasons at tight end, 1961 to 1966, and was a Pro Bowl selection after every season from 1961 through 1965. His rookie year produced 1,076 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns, plus UPI's rookie award. His 4 touchdown catches against the Rams in 1963 tied the franchise record for a game, and Chicago won the NFL title that season. He caught 75 passes for 897 yards in 1964, then moved on to Philadelphia and Dallas. In 1988 he became the first tight end enshrined in Canton, and the Bears took number 89 out of circulation in 2013. The count has Ditka on 9 of the 10 sources.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Ditka - 9
Richard Dent
Super Bowl XX ended with him as its MVP, after 1.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and a blocked pass in the 46-10 rout of New England. Chicago had waited until the 8th round of the 1983 draft, pick 203, to take him, and his Bears years at defensive end ran from 1983 to 1993, with a return in 1995 after a year in San Francisco. His 17.5 sacks in 1984 set a team mark at the time, and in 1985 nobody in the NFL had more sacks. His first stint in Chicago produced 124.5 sacks and 4 Pro Bowl selections, and his bust went up in Canton in 2011. Every source counted here but 1 names Dent, 9 of the 10.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Dent - 10
Dan Hampton
His style of play earned him the nickname Danimal, and his body kept needing knee surgery. Chicago spent the 4th overall pick of 1979 on him and got 12 seasons out of him anyway, 1979 to 1990. His 11.5 sacks from defensive tackle in 1984 matched his 1980 total, and that 1984 season got him onto All-Pro's first team; 1980 had brought his first Pro Bowl. In the middle of 1985 he moved from right defensive tackle to left defensive end, and the line that won Super Bowl XX played with him out there. Canton's selectors picked him in 2002, after 4 Pro Bowl trips and a place among the 1980s All-Decade players. Hampton made 8 of the 10 honor rolls and rankings counted here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Hampton - 11
Bill George
He is credited as the first true middle linebacker, a role that began in a 1954 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, when he noticed that hitting the center right after the snap let the quarterback throw right over his head, so he began to drop back from the line. Chicago had drafted him in 1951, his Bears career ran from 1952 to 1965, and in that same 1954 season he also kicked 13 extra points and 4 field goals for 25 points. He earned 8 Pro Bowl nods as a Bear and led the defense that won the 1963 title, and over a career that ended with the 1966 Rams he intercepted 18 passes and recovered 19 fumbles. Number 61 was retired in his honor. George is named on 8 of the 10 sources counted here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_George_(linebacker) - 12
Red Grange
His debut, on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1925, drew 40,000 to a scoreless tie with the Cardinals in which he ran for 92 yards. He had signed with Chicago right after his last college game at Illinois, and he played for the Bears that year and again from 1929 to 1934, after 1926 and 1927 with the New York Yankees. The 1925 barnstorming tour he played on spanned 19 games in 67 days. Back from a bad knee, he won NFL titles with the Bears in 1932 and 1933, and in the 1933 title game he made the tackle on Red Badgro that saved the win. In the count for this list Grange turns up on 8 of the 10 sources.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Grange - 13
Bulldog Turner
The 7th overall pick in 1940, he played center on offense and linebacker on defense for Chicago from 1940 through 1952 and was part of 4 championship teams. In 1942 his 8 interceptions led the NFL, an unusual line for a center, and the 1940s All-Decade selectors chose him at center. On December 3, 1944, against Card-Pitt, he was shifted into the backfield and ran 48 yards to score. He also returned interceptions off Sammy Baugh for touchdowns of 29 yards in the 1940 title game and 96 yards in 1947, and the Bears retired number 66 for him. Turner gets named on 7 of the 10 sources counted for this list.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulldog_Turner - 14
Devin Hester
He took the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XLI back for a touchdown, something no one had done in a Super Bowl, though Indianapolis won the game 29-17. The Bears had used the 57th pick of 2006 on him, and he returned kicks for them through 2013. In that rookie year, on November 12, 2006, at the Giants, he caught a missed field goal and took it 108 yards, and in 2007 he scored 6 return touchdowns, 4 on punts and 2 on kickoffs. He finished with the NFL career record of 20 return touchdowns after a move to Atlanta, and he entered Canton with the 2024 class. Of the sources counted here, Hester has 7 of the 10.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devin_Hester - 15
Doug Atkins
He stood 6 feet 8, had been a college high jumper, and used the spring to leapfrog blockers on his way to the quarterback. Cleveland traded him to Chicago with Ken Gorgal for a 3rd-round and a 6th-round pick, and he played end on the Bears' defense from 1955 to 1966. His Pro Bowl count in Chicago reached 8. On December 29, 1963, at Wrigley Field, he was on the defensive line when the Bears intercepted Y. A. Tittle 5 times and beat the Giants 14-10 for the NFL title. He went on to New Orleans for 3 more seasons, and the Hall inducted him in 1982. Atkins is on 6 of the 10 sources in this count.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Atkins - 16
Steve McMichael
In a 1991 game against the Jets he forced a fumble and recovered it himself, setting up the tying touchdown in a game Chicago won in overtime. New England had cut him before his 2nd season, Chicago signed him in 1981, and he anchored the interior of the Bears' line through 1993, winning Super Bowl XX with the 1985 team. Known as Mongo, he started 101 straight games in a streak that ran until 1990, led the club with 11.5 sacks in 1988 and earned Pro Bowl spots in 1986 and 1987. His career, which closed with a 1994 season in Green Bay, produced 95 sacks, and in 2024 the selectors in Canton voted him in. McMichael is named on 7 of the 10 sources counted here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMichael - 17
Charles Tillman
On November 4, 2012, in a 51-20 win at Tennessee, he forced 4 fumbles, part of 10 he forced that season. Chicago took him 35th overall in 2003, and he played cornerback there through 2014 under the nickname Peanut. His 36 interceptions as a Bear share the club record for a cornerback with Donnell Woolford, and his 9 defensive touchdowns are the franchise record. He made Pro Bowls for the 2011 and 2012 seasons, and in 2013 he won the award that carries Walter Payton's name, given for his work in the community. His career total of 44 forced fumbles includes 2015, a final season in Carolina. Tillman is on 5 of the 10 sources within this list's count.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Tillman - 18
Jimbo Covert
Lawrence Taylor lined up across from him in 3 games against the Giants, and all 3 times he held Taylor without a sack. Chicago made him the 6th pick of 1983, and Mike Ditka put him at left tackle from his first day; he stayed there through 1990. That 1983 season put him on the UPI and PFWA All-Rookie teams, and the Bears, 18th in rushing in 1982, led the NFL in rushing for 4 straight seasons, 1983 to 1986. Pro Bowl selections followed in 1985 and 1986, and back surgery put him on injured reserve for all of 1991 before he retired in March 1992. The 1980s All-Decade squad included him, and Canton's 2020 Centennial Class did too. Count Covert on 5 of the 10 sources.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Covert - 19
Gary Fencik
He and Doug Plank were dubbed the Hit Men, and he captained the Bears' defense through the 1980s, 1985 included. He reached Chicago in 1976 after Miami, which had drafted him out of Yale, released him with a ruptured lung, and he was the Bears' safety from 1976 to 1987. For 1981 the All-Pro selectors placed him on their first team, in his 2nd straight Pro Bowl year. His 38 interceptions are the franchise record, he took 1 of them back for a touchdown, and he retired holding the club's career tackles record as well. He also picked up a gold record for the Super Bowl Shuffle. Put Fencik down for 5 of the 10 sources here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Fencik - 20
Lance Briggs
Chicago's 3rd-round choice in 2003, 68th overall, he spent 12 seasons at outside linebacker for the Bears, 2003 to 2014. The touchdowns started in his rookie year: on December 7, 2003, at Green Bay, he picked off Brett Favre for his first career interception and returned it 45 yards for his first touchdown, though the Bears lost 34-21. From 2005 through 2011 he drew 7 straight Pro Bowl selections; the 2005 and 2006 All-Pro teams had him on the first unit. In 2006 his 134 tackles were a career high, for a defense that reached Super Bowl XLI, and he finished with 16 interceptions. His name turns up on 5 of the 10 sources counted here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lance_Briggs - 21
Olin Kreutz
He was the Bears' center from 1998 through 2010, starting 182 regular-season games after they took him 64th overall in the 3rd round. From 2001 through 2006 he never missed out on a Pro Bowl spot, and when the 2000s All-Decade Team was named, he was its second-team center. The last of those Pro Bowl years, 2006, was the season the Bears reached Super Bowl XLI, which the Colts won 29-17. He played 4 games for New Orleans in 2011, and college football's Hall of Fame took him in January 2026. Kreutz is listed on 5 of the 10 counted sources.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olin_Kreutz - 22
Matt Forte
The 44th pick of the 2008 draft, he was the Bears' running back for 8 seasons, through 2015. His debut, on September 7, 2008, at Indianapolis, went 23 carries for 123 yards, a franchise record for a debut, including a 50-yard touchdown run in a 29-13 win over the Colts. In 2014 he caught 102 passes, breaking the season record for a running back that Larry Centers had set in 1995. He made Pro Bowl rosters for the 2011 and 2013 seasons and left Chicago second on the franchise's career rushing list, then played 2016 and 2017 for the Jets. The tally for Forte is 5 of the 10 sources counted here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Forte - 23
Stan Jones
The Bears drafted him in the 5th round in 1953, and he played for them from 1954 to 1965, first at tackle and then, from 1955, at guard, where he earned 7 straight Pro Bowl berths. He's credited as the first pro player to use weight training for football conditioning. He played both ways in 1962 and moved to defensive tackle for good in 1963, a season that ended with Chicago's NFL title. His last season, 1966, was spent in Washington, and the Hall's 1991 class included him. Jones has the support of 5 of the 10 sources counted for this list.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Jones_(American_football)
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