TAMPA, FL – CIRCA 1988: Middle Linebacker Mike Singletary #50 of the Chicago Bears in action against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during an NFL football game circa 1988 at Tampa Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida. Singletary played for the Bears from 1981-92. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
As one of the NFL’s classic franchises, the competition to make the all-time Mount Rushmore for the Chicago Bears is absolutely fierce.
There isn’t an NFL franchise older than the Chicago Bears, who have been playing in the league since its very first season. Known as the Decatur Staleys at their inception, the Bears have played a role in many of the key moments in the early history of the NFL.
Chicago was a powerhouse prior to the AFL-NFL merger, winning eight NFL championships while playing host to a number of future Hall-of-Fame players. There hasn’t been a ton of elite success for the Bears since the merger, but they did assemble an all-time team in 1985 that easily won Super Bowl XX.
The Bears have so many storied players that they have actually stopped retiring numbers, a sign of how glorious the team’s history has been. Legends like Gale Sayers, Brian Urlacher, Bronko Nagurski, and Mike Singletary couldn’t even crack the Bears’ all-time Mount Rushmore.
Who did make the cut for Chicago’s four greatest football players? Read on to find out.