1936 Chicago Bears season

NFL team season November 2013 March 2026 Chicago Bears 1936 9–3 2nd NFL Western George Halas Wrigley Field Did not qualify Bears seasons The 1936 season was the Chicago Bears' 17th in the National Football League and 14th season under head coach George Halas. The team was able to improve on their 6–4–2 record from 1935 and finished with a 9–3 record. The team also finished in second place in the Western Division behind the Green Bay Packers. After week 10, the Bears were tied with the Packers in first place with identical 9–1 records, having split their season series. However, the club swooned at the end of the year, losing their last two games on the road to Detroit and the Cardinals. Green Bay went on to easily defeat the Boston Redskins and win the NFL title. 1936 NFL draft 1936 NFL draft 1936 Chicago Bears 1 6 Joe Stydahar Offensive tackle West Virginia yes yes 2 14 Ed Michaels Offensive guard Villanova yes 3 24 George Roscoe Back Minnesota 4 32 Bob Allman Offensive end Michigan State yes 5 42 Vern Oech Offensive guard Minnesota yes 6 50 Ted Christofferson Back Washington State 7 60 Dick Smith Tackle Minnesota 8 68 John Sylvester End Rice 9 78 Dan Fortmann Guard Colgate yes Season highlights The Bears featured a high-powered offense with a dynamic rushing scheme and a "vertical" passing attack. Bill Hewitt starred at end, catching 15 passes for 358 yards and 6 touchdowns (this fine performance was overshadowed by that of Don Hutson, who led the league in receiving). Bernie Masterson and Carl Brumbaugh shared quarterbacking duties, although coach Halas continued to feature passing, rushing, and receiving from all the backs in his still fairly primitive T-formation scheme. As a team, the Bears averaged 18.9 yards per pass completion for 17 touchdowns. Keith Molesworth continued as a triple-threat from the halfback position. Bronko Nagurski returned to form and led the team in rushing. Rookie linemen and future hall of famers Joe Stydahar and Danny Fortmann joined tackle George Musso on the line. Rookie Ray Nolting joined the strong backfield. Jack Manders had a fine season as a rusher and kicker, scoring 4 touchdowns while making 7 of 8 field goals and 17 of 21 PATs. He was second in the league in scoring, behind the Lions' all-purpose threat Dutch Clark. The Bear defense led the league in points allowed, giving up only 94 points and allowing more than 14 points only once, to the Packers. Future Hall of Fame players Dan Fortmann, guard (rookie from Colgate) Bill Hewitt, end George Musso, tackle Bronko Nagurski, fullback Joe Stydahar, tackle (rookie from West Virginia University) Other leading players Beattie Feathers, halfback Luke Johnsos, end Bill Karr, end Jack Manders, fullback/kicker Bernie Masterson, quarterback Keith Molesworth, halfback Ray Nolting, halfback (rookie from University of Cincinnati) Gene Ronzani, back Players departed from 1935 Art Buss (went to Philadelphia) Fred Crawford (quit after one season) Bob Dunlap (went to the New York Giants) Joe Kopcha, guard (went to Detroit) Schedule Game Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap Sources 1 September 20 at Green Bay Packers W 30–3 1–0 City Stadium 14,312 Recap 2 September 27 at Philadelphia Eagles W 17–0 2–0 Municipal Stadium 25,000 Recap 3 October 4 at Pittsburgh Pirates W 27–9 3–0 Forbes Field 29,000 Recap 4 October 11 Chicago Cardinals W 7–3 4–0 Wrigley Field 16,288 Recap 5 October 18 Pittsburgh Pirates W 26–7 5–0 Wrigley Field 20,000 Recap 6 October 25 Detroit Lions W 12–10 6–0 Wrigley Field 27,424 Recap 7 November 1 Green Bay Packers L 10–21 6–1 Wrigley Field 31,346 Recap 8 November 8 New York Giants W 25–7 7–1 Polo Grounds 25,325 Recap 9 November 15 at Boston Redskins W 26–0 8–1 Fenway Park 12,000 Recap 10 November 22 at Philadelphia Eagles W 28–7 9–1 Municipal Stadium 10,000 Recap 11 November 26 at Detroit Lions L 7–13 9–2 Titan Stadium 22,000 Recap 12 November 29 Chicago Cardinals L 7–14 9–3 Wrigley Field 13,704 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Thanksgiving: November 26. Standings Chicago Bears Category:Chicago Bears seasons Chicago Bears Category:1936 in Chicago