After several unsuccessful surgeries, he passed away on June 16, 1970, at the age of 26. Every NFL player today stands on the shoulders of the legends who came before him. Casares left the Windy City for Washington in 1965, but he is revered today as one of the greatest Bears running backs of all time. He also caught 118 passes for 724 yards. Grange joined the Bears for the 1925 Thanksgiving Day game, a mere 10 days after his college season ended. In 2014, he caught 102 passes while also rushing for 1,038 yards. Penn State alum Matt Suhey arrived in the Windy City in 1980 and took over fullback duties the following year. He was enshrined in the Hall of Fame with the class of 1966. Will Tarik Cohen go on to become one of the greatest Bears running backs of all time? In 2020, Waldron’s former team, the Los Angeles Rams, had three running backs get 100 carries or more. He set the NFL career-rushing record, which stood for 15 years, and he scored 125 total touchdowns in his career. Whether its GOOD training remains to be seen….. IMHO adding new coaches won’t do any good for the team until the replace both inadequate quarterbacks. A string of knee injuries cut Sayers's career short. At that time, player hotel rooms were still segregated. Speed Round: Which FAs will get quick interest? Enter your zip code to find NBCSN near you. Dak Prescott becomes highest-paid player in league history, based on value at signing. It would be the last championship for Chicago until the 1985 season. The 2021 NFL draft has many options for the teams across the league when the draft begins. Galimore was a great one, though. You must be logged in to leave a comment. Despite Payton’s greatness and the impressive numbers he put up, Harper still managed to amass 3,044 career rushing yards during his career, which puts him ninth in Bears history. Since 2017, nominees wear a decal on their helmets during the regular season, and past winners display a patch on their jersey. The intent was to expose more of the public to pro football—and the Galloping Ghost was the main attraction. © 2021 ABG-SI LLC. While his stats may not merit a higher placing on the list of best pure running backs in Bears history, it is hard to think of a player more versatile and valuable than George McAfee. In addition to rushing for 8,602 yards and scoring 45 touchdowns on the ground, Forte caught 487 passes for 4,116 yards and 19 touchdowns during his time in the Windy City. Suhey played at a time when the fullback was still an important ball carrier. In the 1920s, college football was incredibly popular in America, but many fans saw the pro game as a low-rate imitation. The two players joined the league together in 1975, and they remained together until Harper retired after the '82 season. He was a former boxer known for his toughness and hard-charging playing style. It has to be tough to walk in the shadows of players like Walter Payton, Gale Sayers, Bronko Nagurski and Red Grange. It was tough choosing between Willie Galimore and Matt Suhey for the 10th spot on the list above. In the 1970s and ‘80s, a man they called Sweetness became the greatest running back in NFL history. Bronko Nagurski was a 225-pound fullback who outweighed many of the offensive tackles of his day. He ran for over 1,000 yards in five of his eight seasons as a Bear and led the team in rushing each year. As a 22-year-old college senior at Illinois in 1925, Grange was one of the best college football players in the country. According to Adam Rittenberg of ESPN, the Bears are set to hire Michael Pitre away from Oregon State to take over the role with their team. But for the five seasons before that, there was not a more dangerous back in the NFL. The Bears have fielded some of the greatest running backs in NFL history, including one player who might be the best of all time. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Many NFL teams can say some of the greatest running backs in history wore their colors, but few have as strong a claim as the Bears. Who Are the Best Running Backs of All Time? He also caught 302 passes for 2,763 yards and 20 touchdowns as a Bear. I have been a loyal student of NFL football for over 40 years. He was also known for the jump pass, and he threw for 474 yards and seven touchdowns in his career. Brian Piccolo was a free agent who worked hard to make the Bears' roster as a halfback. Below is each running back that played at least eight games. Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year winner J.J. Watt of the Texans, Feb. 3, 2018. He played for three more teams after leaving the Bears, but he never again ran for 1,000 yards in a season. In fact, he played tackle later in his career, but he made his mark as a bone-crushing ball carrier no opponent looked forward to tackling. It is tough to know where to rank Harold “Red” Grange on a list of the best Bears running backs of all time. In fact, aside from 1965, the Bears had losing seasons every year until after Bull moved on to play for the Eagles in '71. It will be interesting to see where teams value running backs as the position has become more replaceable. He led the team in rushing from 1955 to '60, and by the time he was done he had amassed 5,657 career rushing yards and scored 59 total touchdowns. In all three of his seasons with the Bears, Jones led the team in rushing, totaling 3,493 yards and 22 touchdowns on the ground. This makes him eighth all-time in Bears history. From that point, he and Sayers became a formidable rushing duo. The decline in “good games” was fairly steep as it is in every season. He had 11 carries for 52 yards and a touchdown in the game. From 1921 to '46, the Bears appeared in 10 NFL championship games and won seven of them. As a rookie in 1966, he found himself stuck behind Gale Sayers on the depth chart. He even threw three touchdown passes in his eight seasons with the team. He had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2016 and '17 before his rushing productivity dropped a bit in '18. His productivity dropped a bit in 2019, but he remains a powerful offensive weapon. It is amazing to think back to where it all began and incredible that so many of the past legends were Bears. By 1984, things were beginning to change. He also served under Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy in 2011 when he was the offensive coordinator at Colorado. There is a strong argument for Jim Brown, but for me, it's Walter Payton. What running backs have had 100-yard games in the Super Bowl? Not a member? As it stands, McAfee rushed for 1,685 yards and 21 touchdowns, caught 85 passes for 1,359 yards and 11 touchdowns, intercepted 25 passes and ran back two each punts and kicks for touchdowns. Suhey started at fullback and helped blow out the Patriots by a score of 46–10. But Sayers was most dangerous as a return man. A bruising fullback named Bronko dominated the 1930s. Payton tragically passed away in 1999 at the age of 45. Still, he rushed for 2,871 yards as a Bear, putting him No. For 13 seasons he was nearly unstoppable, and by the time he was done he was the No. At 6'2" and 225 pounds, Rick Casares had the size to play even in today’s NFL. Cohen is a player built for today’s wide-open offenses, and if he can stay healthy, he may find himself ranking in the top 10 on lists like this one someday. He carried 11 times for 34 yards and a touchdown as his Bears defeated the Washington Football Team by a score of 41–21. He caught 112 passes for 1,307 yards and nine touchdowns. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, six touchdowns in one game against the 49ers. In 1977, the NFL honored Payton with the Man of the Year award, an annual accolade presented to one NFL player for his volunteer charity work and involvement in the community. A great collegiate running back known as the Galloping Ghost helped put the Bears, and the NFL, on the map in those early days. Source: #OregonState running backs coach and recruiting coordinator Michael Pitre is set to join the #ChicagoBears staff as running backs coach. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. Pitre has served as the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator at Oregon State the last three seasons. He was a versatile, durable back who deserved more accolades than he received during his playing time. Incredible. But Bears owner George Halas saw an opportunity, and he offered Grange a contract that would change pro football forever. According to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, the Chicago Bears are set to hire Michael Pitre as their new running backs coach. Pace and Nagy will be grasping at straws to try to turn this train wreck around. However, Suhey’s value as a blocker and receiver tipped the scales. All Rights Reserved. To save his body from the punishment that went along with his running style, Nagurski committed to playing tackle that final season, but he was called into the backfield one last time in the championship game. His stats for the day included carrying the ball nine times for 113 yards and four touchdowns, catching two passes for 89 yards and a touchdown and returning five punts for 134 yards and a touchdown. During his time with the Beavers, Jermar Jefferson posted stellar seasons at the position. Former Bears running back Jordan Howard on a run against the Bills, Nov. 4, 2018. In the '60s, Gayle Sayers—one of the best Chicago backs of all time—set records and put up stunning performances before knee injuries cut his career short. One thing is for sure—Payton was anything but sweet to opponents on the field. It is, in my subjective opinion, the greatest and noblest sport, with a long and fascinating history. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Report: Bears to add Michael Pitre as running backs coach, Report: Cam Newton re-signing with Patriots. In 1985, the Bears made it to Super Bowl XX. But they are the forefathers of pro football and, without them, we would not have the NFL as we know it. His struggles and his relationship with Sayers were immortalized in the 1971 movie Brian’s Song. From 1975 to '83, the Bears only had two winning seasons. The following year, Payton and his Bears finally made it to the Super Bowl and won a championship. Grange helped the Bears win two championships during his time with the team. Texans inviting more questions about Watson stance. Payton retired as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher after the 1987 season, and he was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in '93. I would argue that Walter Payton was the best Bears running back ever, one of the best running backs in NFL history and one of the greatest football players of all time. The fantasy scoring used was 1 point per 10 yards rushed or received and with six-point touchdowns and one point per reception. Neal Anderson started his career parked behind Walter Payton on the Bears’ depth chart. New Lions general manager Brad Holmes was part of a St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams organization that drafted eight running backs between 2012-2020, with five of them going in the second round or earlier. Forte never won a championship and only made the Pro Bowl twice. In 1963, the Bears defeated the Giants to win the NFL championship; in that game Bull led his team in rushing with 42 yards. Report: Bears’ top priority at QB is a Russell Wilson trade, Report: Dak Prescott’s deal is for four years, $160 million. Jefferson rushed for 1,380 yards as a freshman and was named a Freshman All-American in 2018. Thomas Jones was an outstanding running back who had a stellar 12-year NFL career in which he rushed for over 10,000 yards. Had he been a Bear for his whole career, he would undoubtedly rank higher on this list. He became one of the best running backs in the NFL, and the Bears’ rushing attack was able to keep on charging forward despite losing Payton. McAfee was a shifty back with blazing speed who earned the nickname “One-Play McAfee.” He’s also a good example of a back whose numbers would have been much more impressive had he not shared rushing duties with several other players and spent time playing defense. He currently ranks third in franchise history for rushing yards (with 6,166) and second for rushing touchdowns (51). While he never had a 1,000-yard season, he managed to rush for 2,946 yards and 20 touchdowns in his career. The Running Back Postion isn’t an immediate need for the Raiders this offseason but here are a few they could target in the draft to improve their depth. He earned the Offensive Rookie of the Year award for his 1,183-yard performance in 2001, but he never quite got his footing after that. Pitre played as a running back at UCLA from 2003-07. The Chicago Bears reportedly have a new running backs coach. Prior to Oregon State, Pitre spent four years as an assistant at Oregon State. Speaking of Bears running backs, I hope nobody is blaming him for what happened on Sunday. Unlike today’s NFL, back in the 1940s it was very much a rushing league, and teams stocked up on good running backs. In college, Grange earned the nickname “The Galloping Ghost” due to his shifty running style. His true stats have gone largely unrecorded, but his legend is the greatest in franchise history. Pace, Nagy and Phillips don’t seem to have a clue when it comes to winning. The Chicago Bears reportedly have a new running backs coach. Will the Bears be able to land Russell Wilson? The on the job training program for coaches who want NFL experience that is the Chicago Bears is open for business ! Sayers and Piccolo became the NFL’s first interracial roommate pair and a positive example of the change needed in the country. Founded in 1920 as the Decatur Staleys, owner and head coach George Halas cultivated the team into one of the NFL’s first championship dynasties. According to Adam Rittenberg of ESPN, the Bears are set to hire Michael Pitre away from Oregon State to take over the role with their team. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. 1 rusher in NFL history with 16,726 total yards on the ground. He had led his team to a national championship in 1923 and was selected to the All-America team three times. Does Cam's return to Pats end Jimmy G speculation? In the 1950s, he was an opposing defense’s nightmare. Still, with all due respect to George McAfee, Forte well deserves to be in the top five on any list of the greatest Chicago running backs. Seattle this past season had one back do that and that was Carson. Back then, if you were going to win in pro football, you did it on the ground. After the 2018 season, Bears coach Matt Nagy wanted a better fit than Jordan Howard at running back. Each year there is one nominee from each team. He won two during his first stint in the league from 1930 to '37, then came out of retirement in '43 at the age of 35 to win one more. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! He made five Pro Bowls and one All-Pro team. Are Patriots done at QB after re-signing Newton? It was rare for a college player to go on to play pro football, let alone one as famous as Grange. He was also a receiving threat out of the backfield and caught 492 passes for 4,538 yards and 15 touchdowns in his career. These numbers are staggering, but even more so considering that he played on sub-par teams for most of his career. He was, in my opinion, the greatest running back in NFL history, and one of the best all-around football players of all time. Following the regular season, Grange and the Bears went on what would be called barnstorming tours where they traveled across the country and faced off against independent pro teams, all-star teams and local football clubs. As with Grange, statistics are a little shaky for Nagurski’s time in the league. During his brief seven-year career, he rushed for 4,956 yards and 39 touchdowns with an amazing 5.0 yards-per-carry average. If the Bears want to take a big swing in free agency at the running back position, Aaron Jones is the guy. For 10 seasons in Chicago, Casares plowed his way over opponents. It is a fitting memorial to a player who was as great off the field as he was on it. He ran two punts and six kickoffs back for touchdowns in his career. Had he played longer, and had he not shared rushing duties during his career with fullbacks Brian Piccolo and Ronnie Bull, Sayers might today hold every NFL rushing record. Though he only played three seasons in Chicago, Jones had an impressive impact, ranking sixth all-time for the franchise in rushing yards. Casares and the Bears lost the NFL championship game in 1956, but they finally won it in '63 when they defeated the Giants by a score of 14–10. Comparing Running Backs Across Different Eras. He was a key part of the championship team in 1985, and he remains a fan favorite to this day. After Payton's passing, the NFL honored him by renaming the NFL Man of the Year award to the Walter Payton Man of the Year award. That might not seem like a big deal—except Piccolo was white, Sayers was Black and it was the 1960s. When Payton retired following the 1987 season, Anderson got his chance to show the world what he could do. Anderson led the Bears in rushing for seven straight seasons. Tarik Cohen is a dangerous triple-threat player made in the molds of Geoge McAfee and Gale Sayers before him. Here are a few more great Bears running backs who were considered for this top 10 list but didn’t quite make the cut. As a punt returner, he had a career average of 14.5 yards per return, and his average as a kick returner was 30.6 yards per return. The Bears are in trouble. He also caught 260 passes for 2,113 yards. It was tough for Bears fans to watch Payton retire after giving the city so many great seasons, not to mention a Lombardi Trophy. He put up some impressive numbers, but whether they will be good enough to get him into the Hall of Fame remains to be seen. Dominic Rhodes rushed for 113 yards, one better than Thomas Jones of the Bears, who had 112. When the team traveled, Sayers and Piccolo were assigned as roommates and quickly became friends. Source: #OregonState running backs coach and recruiting coordinator Michael Pitre is set to join the #ChicagoBears staff as running backs coach. Anthony Thomas spent four seasons with the Bears and totaled 3,332 yards rushing along with 21 touchdowns. The Bears finished first in the NFC Central but lost the NFC championship to the 49ers. With their simple gear and grubby uniforms, they are hardly what we’d expect to see while watching pro football today. Every football fan has their own opinion on who was the greatest NFL running back of all time. Ronnie Bull played for nine seasons in Chicago. I think the fact that he played for the Bears is a big reason for that. For Roland Harper’s entire career, he played fullback alongside Walter Payton. In my opinion, Matt Forte was underrated as a running back during his playing years. However, Anderson's emergence helped to quell the sting a bit. Pitre would replace Charles London in the role for the Bears. Because of this, I have compiled a list of 4 running backs that the Seahawks should reach out to. Oregon State running backs coach Michael Pitre is leaving the school in order to coach running backs with the NFL’s Chicago Bears… Grange—arguably more than any other player in history—made the NFL and the Bears what they are today. McAfee helped Chicago win three NFL championships during his career. Most importantly, his presence drew attention to pro football and set it on the path to becoming what it is today. This grueling schedule often pitted them against several teams in the same week, which seems like madness today. In contrast to backs like Jim Brown and Emmitt Smith, Payton didn’t have the luxury of running behind a championship-level offensive line for most of his career. With all of that in mind, here are the top running backs in Bears history. He was one more outstanding running back in a city that is known for them. Official stats have him rushing for 2,778 yards in his career, though his first two seasons are missing from that number. Today, these men are like mythical beings from another time and place. The move to Chicago would be his first stint in the NFL as a coach. I could not end this article without a few comments on the importance of many of the players listed here—not just for the Bears but for pro football history. Near the end of the 1969 season, Piccolo was diagnosed with embryonal cell carcinoma. In 2006, Jones and the Bears made it as far as the Super Bowl, where they lost to Peyton Manning and the Colts on a rain-drenched Miami field. However, he is the second-leading rusher in franchise history. He made All-Pro twice and was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1963. Many of which are deserving to make this list, but there is only room for the 25 best. London left the team to become the quarterbacks coach of the Atlanta Falcons. To make this list I considered three important qualities. As a rookie in 1965, Sayers scored an amazing six touchdowns in one game against the 49ers. He also made nine Pro Bowls and five All-Pro teams—and won the 1985 Bert Bell award, 1977 NFL MVP and 1977 NFL Offensive Player of the Year. In 1967, Piccolo moved to fullback. Register now! Super Bowl XLVII 12 in team history. Chiefs release Eric Fisher, Mitchell Schwartz, Aaron Rodgers still has “a competitive drive for excellence”. David was awesome. He earned a Pro Bowl nomination and made the All-Pro team in 2018, a year where he rushed for 444 yards and caught 71 passes for 725 yards. A second-consecutive week with at least 26 fantasy points. All 4 of these players should be available for anything between a one-year to a three-year deal. Still, I found myself humbled while writing this article, walking the line between awestruck fan and fascinated historian. During his last two seasons in Chicago, he played in only four total games and managed only 90 yards rushing. How about a Deshaun Watson for Kyler Murray trade? That’s because the Bears are a storied franchise dating back to the very dawn of the NFL. Will Jimmy Garoppolo return to the Patriots? Payton even passed for 331 yards and eight touchdowns as a Bear! Over the years, there have been numerous outstanding running backs. Gale Sayers was a triple-threat player who could change a game in the blink of an eye. Nagurski helped the Bears win three NFL championships. He ranks 10th all-time in franchise history for rushing yards, and he made one Pro Bowl in his career. There was a pair of running backs over 100 yards as the Indianapolis Colts downed the Chicago Bears. Both have championships under their belts, but Galimore has slightly better rushing stats. Just keep communicating and making a ton of money….Boycott the games..only way. Note: All stats were taken from Pro Football Reference. He rushed for over 1,200 yards every season from 1976 to '86 (not counting the strike-shortened '82 season). He scored 110 rushing touchdowns and averaged 4.4 yards-per-carry for his career. However, he only spent three of those years with the Bears, so it didn’t seem right to rank him higher than some of the players who spent their entire careers in Chicago. Jordan Howard spent his first three seasons in Chicago and made the Pro Bowl his rookie year. Given such an impressive legacy, how do we choose the best of these legendary backs? For the 2019 season, he signed with the Eagles. From 1981 to '89, he shared the backfield with All Pro tailback Walter Payton and Pro-Bowl tailback Neal Anderson. I wondered what it was like to watch Red Grange, Bronko Nagurski or George McAfee play football so many decades ago. Learn how your comment data is processed. Though no one can say for sure how he got the nickname "Sweetness," it has often been attributed to his soft voice and laid-back disposition. He spent a year as a scouting intern with the New England Patriots in 2009. Of course, before they will be able to do that they need to get rid of Phillips and Pace, neither of whom appear to be qualified to lead a girl scout troop let alone an NFL franchise. I don’t expect to see a comparable player in my lifetime. During his tenure in Chicago he ran for 3,370 yards and 24 touchdowns, which is good enough to land him in the seventh spot for Bears all-time leading rushers.