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Chicago Bears' fans, we've had a rough go of things the last couple of decades. While it's a bit melancholy for us as fans to be missing out on cheering on a Champion since the 1985 season, we still love and support our team no matter what.
Sure, we can gripe, bitch and moan with the best of them, but at the end of the day, we're there with a cold beer in one hand and an Italian Beef (or another tasty Chicago-type food item) in the other, cheering on the greatest team in the wide world of sports, the Chicago Bears.
As the greatest team in the history of great teams, it's only fitting that we, as a fanbase, have at least a conversational understanding of our great history.
Now it's not a must to know the boxer/brief preference of every member of the 1963 NFL Champion Chicago Bears like Todd does, but any self-respecting Bears fan should know about the greatness of that team. Mike Ditka is the first name that comes to mind, but that defense was incredible. Bill George, Doug Atkins and Ed O'Bradovich led a ferocious front seven, with the secondary of Rosey Taylor, Richie Petitbon, Dave Whitsell and Bennie McRae taking advantage with 9, 8, 6 and 6 interceptions respectively.
There is a recently published book put out by the Chicago Tribune that goes over the decade by decade history of the Bears. If you thought the 1963 team and the 60s was a great time to be a Bears fan, just wait til you brush up on the 1940s.
In fact, every decade since the 1920s has a rich Chicago Bears tradition.
From George Halas and Red Grange in the early years, on to Sid Luckman and 4 Championships in 7 seasons, to the great QB/P Ed Brown and the not talked about enough Joe Fortunato, on to Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus, and the wildly entertaining Bobby Douglass.
The greatest football player to ever play the game, Walter Payton, gave way to the under-appreciated Neal Anderson. Brian Urlacher continued Chicago's great linebacker tradition and Matt Forte is doing his best to live up to the Bears' long run of awesome tailbacks.
The neat thing about The Chicago Tribune Book of the Chicago Bears: A Decade-By-Decade History, is that they can pull photos and articles from the Trib's archives to give us fans a true look into the past.
So as we get ready for another season of exciting Chicago Bears football, we'll leave you with four words.
Bear Down My Friends...