1968 Chicago Bears season

The 1968 season was the Chicago Bears' 49th in the National Football League. The team failed to improve on their 7–6–1 record from 1967 and finished with a 7–7 record nder first-year head coach Jim Dooley and earning them a second-place finish in the Central Division within the NFL's Western Conference, a game behind the Minnesota Vikings.[1]

1968 Chicago Bears season
OwnerGeorge Halas
Head coachJim Dooley
General managerGeorge Halas
Home fieldWrigley Field
Results
Record7–7
Division place2nd Central
Playoff finishDid not qualify

Star running back Gale Sayers tore the ligaments in his right knee against San Francisco on November 10 and was lost for the season.[2][3]

The Bears had the tiebreaker advantage over Minnesota, after defeating them twice.[4] They needed a win over the Green Bay Packers in the season finale to clinch the division title,[4] but lost by a point at home.[5][6]

The following season, Chicago posted its worst record in franchise history at 1–13. The Bears' next postseason appearance was in 1977, as a wild card team, and the next division title came in 1984.

Offseason

George Halas, age 73, retired as head coach of the Bears for the fourth and final time on May 27.[7][8][9][10] Dooley, 38, was promoted and introduced as head coach the following day.[11][12]

NFL/AFL Draft
Main article: 1968 NFL/AFL Draft
1968 Chicago Bears draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 16 Mike Hull  Fullback USC
2 46 Bob Wallace  Tight end Texas at El Paso
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Roster
Chicago Bears 1968 roster
Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

 Offensive Linemen

Defensive Linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive Backs

Special Teams

Regular season
Main article: 1968 NFL season

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result Record Attendance
1 September 15 Washington Redskins L 38–28 0–1
41,321
2 September 22 at Detroit Lions L 42–0 0–2
50,688
3 September 29 at Minnesota Vikings W 27–17 1–2
47,644
4 October 6 at Baltimore Colts L 28–7 1–3
60,238
5 October 13 Detroit Lions L 28–10 1–4
46,996
6 October 20 at Philadelphia Eagles W 29–16 2–4
60,858
7 October 27 Minnesota Vikings W 26–24 3–4
46,562
8 November 3 at Green Bay Packers W 13–10 4–4
50,861
9 November 10 San Francisco 49ers W 27–19 5–4
46,978
10 November 17 Atlanta Falcons L 16–13 5–5
44,214
11 November 24 Dallas Cowboys L 34–3 5–6
46,667
12 December 1 at New Orleans Saints W 23–17 6–6
78,285
13 December 8 at Los Angeles Rams W 17–16 7–6
66,368
14 December 15 Green Bay Packers L 28–27 7–7
46,435

Week 3
1 234Total
• Bears 14 607 27
Vikings 0 3014 17

[13]

Week 6
1 234Total
• Bears 7 6313 29
Eagles 3 1030 16

[14]

Week 7
1 234Total
Vikings 7 7010 24
• Bears 7 676 26

[15]

Week 8
1 234Total
• Bears 0 373 13
Packers 0 073 10

[16]

Standings
NFL Central
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Minnesota Vikings 8 6 0 .571 4–2 6–4 282 242 W2
Chicago Bears 7 7 0 .500 3–3 5–5 250 333 L1
Green Bay Packers 6 7 1 .462 1–4–1 2–7–1 281 227 W1
Detroit Lions 4 8 2 .333 3–2–1 4–5–1 207 241 L1

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

References
  1. "Pro football standings". Milwaukee Journal. December 16, 1968. p. 13, part 2.
  2. "Bears beat 49ers, 27-19, but lose Sayers for year". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. November 11, 1968. p. 1, part 2.
  3. "Bears down 49ers, 27-19, but lose Sayers for season". Milwaukee Journal. press dispatches. November 11, 1968. p. 12, part 2.
  4. Bledsoe, Terry (December 15, 1968). "Packers' bad year to end at last". Milwaukee Journal. p. 1, sports.
  5. Bledsoe, Terry (December 16, 1968). "Horn and Packers knock Bears out of title, 28-27". Milwaukee Journal. p. 13, part 2.
  6. "Horn answers Pack's call, blows Bears out of race". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 16, 1968. p. 3B.
  7. Strickler, George (May 28, 1968). "Halas retires as Bears' coach". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, sec. 1.
  8. "George Halas drops reins". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. May 28, 1968. p. 15.
  9. McHugh, Roy (May 28, 1968). "Papa Bear recognizes Father Time". Pittsburgh Press. p. 33.
  10. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 283
  11. Hollow, Cooper (May 29, 1968). "Dooley, 38, named head coach of Bears". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, sec. 3.
  12. "Dooley moves up as Bears' coach". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. May 29, 1968. p. 16.
  13. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Oct-27.
  14. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Oct-28.
  15. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Oct-29.
  16. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Oct-31.
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