1961 Chicago Bears season

The 1961 Chicago Bears season was their 42nd regular season completed in the National Football League. The team finished with an 8–6 record under George Halas, which was an improvement over the 5–6–1 record of the previous season.

1961 Chicago Bears season
OwnerGeorge Halas
Head coachGeorge Halas
General managerGeorge Halas
Home fieldWrigley Field
Results
Record8–6
Division place3rd NFL Western
Playoff finishDid not qualify

Offseason

On January 14, Chicago Bears End Willard Dewveall played out his option and joined the Houston Oilers of the American Football League. He became the first player to move deliberately from one league to another.[1]

The Bears were notable for taking part in an exhibition game in their first ever game outside of the United States, taking on the CFL's Montreal Alouettes (the original team), winning 34–16.[2]

Roster
1961 Chicago Bears offensive line in action. "Bears Workout at Soldier Field for Armed Forces game Friday."
1961 Chicago Bears final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists



Practice squad



Rookies in italics
 , 5 practice squad

Regular season

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 September 17, 1961 at Minnesota Vikings L 37–13
32,236
2 September 23, 1961 at Los Angeles Rams W 21–17
53,315
3 October 1, 1961 at Green Bay Packers L 24–0
38,669
4 October 8, 1961 at Detroit Lions W 31–17
53,854
5 October 15, 1961 Baltimore Colts W 24–10
48,719
6 October 22, 1961 San Francisco 49ers W 31–0
49,070
7 October 29, 1961 at Baltimore Colts W 21–20
57,641
8 November 5, 1961 at Philadelphia Eagles L 16–14
60,671
9 November 12, 1961 Green Bay Packers L 31–28
49,711
10 November 19, 1961 at San Francisco 49ers L 41–31
52,972
11 November 26, 1961 Los Angeles Rams W 28–24
45,965
12 December 3, 1961 Detroit Lions L 16–15
51,017
13 December 10, 1961 Cleveland Browns W 17–14
38,717
14 December 17, 1961 Minnesota Vikings W 52–35
34,539

Week 1
1 234Total
Bears 0 607 13
• Vikings 3 71413 37
  • Date: September 17
  • Location: Metropolitan Stadium
  • Game attendance: 32,236
  • Game weather: 61°F; wind 13

[3]

Week 2
1 234Total
• Bears 7 077 21
Rams 3 707 17

[4]

Week 3
1 234Total
Bears 0 000 0
• Packers 7 377 24
  • Date: October 1
  • Location: City Stadium
  • Game attendance: 38,669
  • Game weather: 46°F; wind 19

[5]

Week 4
1 234Total
• Bears 0 7321 31
Lions 10 070 17
  • Date: October 8
  • Location: Tiger Stadium
  • Game attendance: 53,854
  • Game weather: 60°F; wind 7

[6]

Week 5


1 234Total
Colts 0 703 10
• Bears 3 7014 24

[7]

Week 6
1 234Total
49ers 0 000 0
• Bears 0 14710 31
  • Date: October 22
  • Location: Wrigley Field
  • Game attendance: 49,070
  • Game weather: 49°F; wind 8

[8]

Week 7
1 234Total
• Bears 0 777 21
Colts 7 760 20

[9]


Week 8
1 234Total
Bears 7 700 14
• Eagles 3 760 16
  • Date: November 5
  • Location: Franklin Field
  • Game attendance: 60,671
  • Game weather: 68°F; wind 9

[10]

Week 9
1 234Total
• Packers 7 2130 31
Bears 7 0714 28
  • Date: November 12
  • Location: Wrigley Field
  • Game attendance: 49,711
  • Game weather: 52°F; wind 13

[11]

Week 10
1 234Total
Bears 7 3714 31
• 49ers 17 3210 41
  • Date: November 19
  • Location: Kezar Stadium
  • Game attendance: 52,972
  • Game weather: 48°F; wind 7

[12]

Week 11
1 234Total
Rams 7 0314 24
• Bears 7 1407 28
  • Date: November 26
  • Location: Wrigley Field
  • Game attendance: 45,965
  • Game weather: 49°F; wind 12

[13]

Week 12
1 234Total
• Lions 0 907 16
Bears 3 363 15
  • Date: December 3
  • Location: Wrigley Field
  • Game attendance: 51,017
  • Game weather: 44°F; wind 10

[14]

Week 13
1 234Total
Browns 14 000 14
• Bears 0 0017 17
  • Date: December 10
  • Location: Wrigley Field
  • Game attendance: 38,717
  • Game weather: 30°F; wind 15

[15]

Week 14
1 234Total
Vikings 14 777 35
• Bears 7 14247 52

[16]


Standings
NFL Western Conference
W L T PCT CONF PF PA STK
Green Bay Packers 11 3 0 .786 9–3 391 223 W1
Detroit Lions 8 5 1 .615 7–4–1 270 258 L1
Chicago Bears 8 6 0 .571 7–5 326 302 W2
Baltimore Colts 8 6 0 .571 6–6 302 307 W1
San Francisco 49ers 7 6 1 .538 6–5–1 346 272 L1
Los Angeles Rams 4 10 0 .286 3–9 263 333 L1
Minnesota Vikings 3 11 0 .214 3–9 285 407 L2

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

References
  1. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 282
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-08-24. Retrieved 2012-03-19.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Dec-05.
  4. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Dec-05.
  5. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Dec-05.
  6. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Dec-05.
  7. Pro-Football-Reference.com
  8. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Dec-05.
  9. Pro-Football-Reference.com
  10. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Dec-05.
  11. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Dec-05.
  12. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Dec-05.
  13. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Dec-05.
  14. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Dec-05.
  15. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Dec-05.
  16. Pro-Football-Reference.com
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.