The 1926 season was the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

' 7th in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

. 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 George Stanley Halas Sr. (; February 2, 1895October 31, 1983), nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was an American professional football player, coach, and team owner. He was the founder and owner of the National Football League's Chic ...

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 John Leo "Paddy" Driscoll (January 11, 1895 – June 29, 1968) was an American professional football and baseball player and football coach. A triple-threat man in football, he was regarded as the best drop kicker and one of the best overall pla ...

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 The Frankford Yellow Jackets were a professional American football team, part of the National Football League from 1924 to 1931, although its origin dates back to as early as 1899 with the Frankford Athletic Association. The Yellow Jackets won ...

, had lost an earlier game to the

Providence Steam Roller The Providence Steam Rollers (also referred to as the Providence Steam Roller, the Providence Steamroller and the Providence Steamrollers) were a professional American football team based in Providence, Rhode Island in the National Football Leagu ...

. 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 Frank Matthew "Duke" Hanny (October 12, 1897 – September 3, 1946) was an American football end who played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Hanny was the first player to be ejected in an NFL game in history, as he and Green ...

had 4 touchdown catches to lead the Bears.

Future Hall of Fame players

, back (from

Cardinals Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

) *

, end *

Ed Healey Edward Francis Healey Jr. (December 28, 1894 – December 9, 1978) was an American professional football player in the National Football League (NFL). Regarded as one of the best linemen in the league's early days, Healey was inducted into the P ...

, tackle *

Link Lyman William Roy "Link" Lyman (November 30, 1898 – December 28, 1972), also sometimes known as Roy Lyman, was an American football player and coach. Lyman was born in Nebraska and raised in Kansas. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornh ...

, tackle (from Frankford) *

George Trafton George Edward Trafton (December 6, 1896 – September 5, 1971) was an American professional football player and coach, boxer, boxing manager, and gymnasium proprietor. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964 and was also selec ...

, center

Other leading players

*William Senn, back (rookie from Knox College) * Ed Sternaman, back * Joe Sternaman, quarterback *

Laurie Walquist Lawrence Wilfred Walquist (March 9, 1898 – September 28, 1985) was a professional American football player who played quarterback for nine seasons for the Chicago Bears. He was also the first-ever head coach for the Chicago Bruins of the Ameri ...

, quarterback

Players departed from 1925

Hunk Anderson Heartley William "Hunk" Anderson (September 22, 1898 – April 24, 1978) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the Saint Louis University (1928–1929), University of Notre Dame (1931–1933), and Nort ...

, guard (retired) *

Red Grange Harold Edward "Red" Grange (June 13, 1903 – January 28, 1991), nicknamed "the Galloping Ghost" and "the Wheaton Iceman", was an American football halfback for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears, and the short-lived New York Yankees ...

, back (to New York Yankees of new American Football League)

Schedule

Standings

References

Pro Football Archives: 1926 Chicago Bears season
{{1926 NFL season by team

Chicago Bears seasons