Tag: Gale Sayers

10 best first round picks in Chicago Bears history

Here’s a look at the 10 best first-round picks by the Bears in franchise history, a list that includes all Hall of Famers.

The Chicago Bears have had some memorable — and Hall of Fame — first-round picks during their storied 102-year history, with linebacker Brian Urlacher being the most recent.

Chicago hasn’t had much success in the first round in recent history — whether it was during the Jerry Angelo, Phil Emery or Ryan Pace eras. The hope is that changes with quarterback Justin Fields, who was the team’s last first-round pick in 2021.

After not having a first-round selection in three of the last four years, the Bears will pick in the top 10 in the 2023 NFL draft. They traded the No. 1 overall pick to the Carolina Panthers for two first-round picks, two second-round selections and wide receiver DJ Moore.

But Chicago does have the No. 9 pick — which will be Ryan Poles’ first-ever first-round selection — something that worked out well for the franchise back in 2000.

Here’s a look at the 10 best first-round picks by the Bears in team history, a list that includes all Hall of Famers:

Some of my favorite moments from ‘We Are Marshall’

Some clips from an inspiring movie

Notre Dame has “Knute Rockne, All American” and “Rudy” to be associated with. The Irish’s upcoming opponent, Marshall, has “We Are Marshall”, which was born out of circumstances far more tragic than those of a legendary coach or an inspiring walk-on. This movie deals with the aftermath of the plane crash that killed nearly every player and coach for the 1970 Herd. The effort to rebuild the program makes you get behind it.

I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t one of my favorite football movies. I guess I’m just a sucker for these feel-good movies, even if this one doesn’t happen against the best backdrop. After all, this isn’t something anyone in their right mind would wish on any community.

With the Irish and Herd about to have their first meeting, I thought this would be a good time to look at a few memorable moments from the flick:

Every Bears player wore Brian Piccolo’s retired No. 41 jersey during practice on 52nd anniversary of his death

We’re not crying. Someone’s definitely cutting onions somewhere.

On this date 52 years ago, former Bears running back Brian Piccolo died of embryonal cell carcinoma — a rare testicular cancer. Because of his extended battle with the terminal disease (which doctors first revealed in November 1969), Piccolo has lived on as a franchise legend ever since.

In the aftermath, ABC produced Brian’s Song in 1971, a TV movie that chronicled Piccolo’s (James Caan) close relationship with Hall of Famer Gale Sayers (Billy Dee Williams), especially as Piccolo fought cancer. Their interracial friendship was considered groundbreaking in American culture at the time in the late 1960s.

Sayers famously said in an award speech given roughly a month before Piccolo’s death, “I love Brian Piccolo, and I’d like all of you to love him, too.” The film documented and used that quote for effect. Sayers passed away in September 2020.

With the anniversary of Piccolo’s death falling on the same day as the 2022 Bears broke for the summer, the organization decided to honor him by having every rostered player wear his retired No. 41 jersey during practice:

Amazing. What a touching moment.

Running back David Montgomery recorded a personal video for Piccolo:

Before the Bears actually conducted their practice, Matt Eberflus spoke about Piccolo’s place in team history and why the organization wanted to honor him once more.

Via the Chicago Bears:

“That to me was really the main message,” Eberflus said. “For people or anybody, you go back so far and it’s hard sometimes for them to see the impact of Brian Piccolo that he had in the late ’60s. He was really a good teammate and he liked to have fun with his teammates. He liked to play practical jokes on them and stuff like that. Just a real man and a real person and a Chicago Bear. So, I wanted to make sure they got that message.”

In an interview about the gesture also on the Bears’ website, Piccolo’s widow, Joy Piccolo O’Connell, could not express enough happiness at honoring her late husband:

“It just blew me away, it really did,” she said. “It means a great deal to all of us. It’s just a very special tribute, it really is.”

Since Piccolo’s death in 1970, the Bears have awarded an annual “Brian Piccolo Award” to a rookie and veteran (starting in 1992) who best exemplifies the “courage, loyalty, teamwork, dedication, and sense of humor” of the late running back.

This latest heartwarming tribute seems to be another in a long line of remembrance for a team luminary.

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Chicago Bears pay tribute to Brian Piccolo

The Chicago Bears paid tribute to former running back Brian Piccolo at their minicamp on Thursday.

Brian Piccolo, whose story was the subject of the 1971 TV movie Brian’s Song, passed away on June 16, 1970. During their practice at minicamp Wednesday, the current Chicago Bears paid tribute to Piccolo, with all players taking the field wearing his number 41:

Piccolo played his college football at Wake Forest, but despite leading the nation in rushing and scoring as a senior and earning Player of the Year honors in the ACC, he was undrafted by both the AFL and the NFL. He tried out for the Bears as a free agent and made the team, eventually earning the backup running back spot behind Gale Sayers.

Piccolo would earn a place in the starting lineup during the 1969 season as a fullback, playing in front of Sayers. Late in that season Piccolo started struggling with his endurance and with breathing, and it was discovered that he had embryonal cell carcinoma.

He underwent multiple surgeries, first to remove a tumor and then a second procedure to remove his left lung and pectoral muscle. Unfortunately, the cancer had spread to his liver, and Piccolo passed away on June 16, 1970.

A month before his passing, Sayers accepted the George S. Halas Award as the Most Courageous Player on the Bears. During his remarks, Sayers noted that the wrong person was selected, stating “I love Brian Piccolo, and I’d like all of you to love him, too. Tonight, when you hit your knees to pray, please ask God to love him, too.”

 

Dick Butkus discusses Huddle Up: Let’s Talk Obesity campaign, current state of Bears and reflects on his playing days

We spoke with Dick Butkus about the “Huddle Up: Let’s Talk Obesity” campaign, Justin Fields, Roquan Smith and Gale Sayers.

Dick Butkus is a name synonymous with toughness, whether that was on the field as a linebacker for the Chicago Bears or in his work off the field to raise awareness about the importance of health.

Butkus, a Hall of Famer who spent his entire career with the Bears from 1965-1973, established himself as one of the best to ever play linebacker and the game itself. He’s a 5-time First-Team All-Pro, 8-time Pro Bowler, 2-time Defensive Player of the Year, a member of the 1960s and 1970s All-Decade Team and the list goes on.

We had a chance to talk to the legendary linebacker about his work with the NFL Alumni Association’s “Huddle Up: Let’s Talk Obesity” campaign, along with the current state of the Bears and reflecting on his playing days.

Looking back at the top Chicago Bears headlines of 2020

In many ways, this year has felt like 3 different seasons with the Bears. As we kick off 2021, let’s take a look back at the top headlines.

In many ways, this year has felt like three different seasons with the Chicago Bears. It’s certainly been a rollercoaster of a ride — from an unlikely offseason to a 5-1 start to a six-game losing streak to a late playoff push in Week 17.

As we kick off 2021, let’s take a look back at the top Bears headlines from 2020.

Saints RB Alvin Kamara ties touchdown record, but could have easily broken it

It took one drive longer than it should have, but Saints running back Alvin Kamara tied an epic NFL record. Sadly, he could have easily broken it.

In a history of the National Football League that goes back more than 100 years, only one player had ever scored six rushing touchdowns in a single game — Ernie Nevers of the Chicago Cardinals against the Chicago Bears on November 28, 1929. Dub Jones of the Cleveland Browns also scored six total touchdowns for the Cleveland Browns in 1951, and Gale Sayers did it for the Bears in 1965, but until Christmas Day, 2020, no other player had amassed six rushing touchdowns in a single game.

Then, Saints running back Alvin Kamara hit the field at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome against the Vikings’ stacked boxes, and added his name to history. On 22 carries, Kamara gained 155 yards and scored six touchdowns on the ground, establishing a modern NFL record that might never be broken — after all, it was never broken in the league’s previously run-heavier eras, and Kamara had just 10 rushing touchdowns on the season before this game.

But with Drew Brees still feeling the effects of multiple fractured ribs, and the Saints trying to wrap up the NFC South, it was going to be on Kamara to get it done, which he certainly did. He scored three touchdowns in the first half, and three more in the second in a 52-33 win.

Actually, had the Saints’ offense not been so efficient in getting downfield, Kamara may have missed the mark. With 4:03 left in the game and the ball at the Minnesota one-yard line, head coach Sean Payton put backup quarterback/running back/tight end Taysom Hill in the game, and a one-yard Hill touchdown run was the result.

Not to denigrate Hill’s efforts, but what the heck was Payton thinking here? Kamara had been blasting through Minnesota’s stacked boxes all day, he could have set a record that might never be broken, and this is what happens. It will be interesting to see how Payton explains himself in the post-game press conference. Unless Kamara was injured or worn out from all those previous touchdowns, that was a weird call.

But there one one more shot for Kamara with 1:55 left on the next drive, and this time, Payton made the smart choice. Bummer that Kamara doesn’t have the record all by himself with seven rushing touchdowns; that would be one of the most epic feats in sports history.

As for the Vikings, who were essentially eliminated from postseason consideration, this was the most points the franchise had allowed since the 56 they allowed to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1963. Can’t imagine head coach Mike Zimmer is pleased about that.

James Caan remembers Gale Sayers, Brian Piccolo, ‘Brian’s Song’

Actor James Caan says he gets emotional every time he watches “Brian’s Song,” the legendary movie.

The 1971 telemovie “Brian’s Song” came to the forefront again last week with the death of Chicago Bears legendary running back Gale Sayers.

The Boston Globe’s Tara Sullivan reached out to actor James Caan, who played the role of Brian Piccolo in the movie that chronicled the friendship between the Bears’ running backs and the tragic death of Piccolo, who suffered from cancer.

Caan said he still cries when he watches the movie, almost 50 years later.

“He was a blessing to the planet Earth,” Caan told the Globe about Sayers, who died after a years-long battle with dementia. “Everybody cries when they see it. I cry every time I see it.

“I grew up with really strong relationships and my friends were real friends and still are. Friends were the only things we had, and their relationship was pretty genuine, and pretty great.

One fascinating note: Billy Dee Williams almost did not have the role of Sayers in the movie. It was originally cast for Louis Gossett Jr, The actor tore his Achilles before filming and Williams was given the role and the rest is history.

To read the entire piece, click here.

 

Billy Dee Williams, James Caan express sadness over death of Gale Sayers

The stars of “Brian’s Song” expressed sadness at the death of Gale Sayers at 77.

Billy Dee Williams famously played Gale Sayers in “Brian’s Song,” the television movie about the friendship between Chicago Bears running backs Sayers and Brian Piccolo.

The actor was close friends with the “Kansas Comet” through the years and tweeted his sadness Wednesday over the running back’s death at 77.

James Caan played the role of Piccolo, who died at a young age of cancer. He offered his condolences.

Brian’s Song is the ultimate tearjerker. An incredible movie.

 

 

Twitter reacts to the passing of Bears legend RB Gale Sayers

Bears and NFL fans shared their thoughts about Bears legendary RB Gale Sayers as news broke of his death on Wednesday.

Chicago Bears fans around the world are reacting to the sad news that Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers has passed away at the age of 77.

The “Kansas Comet” was one of the most electrifying players in NFL history, let alone Bears history, setting the league on fire in the 1960s with his play and totaling 2,272 all-purpose yards in his rookie season. Sayers would burn bright during his seven seasons with the Bears, but had his career cut short due to injuries. The running back was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977 and was the youngest player ever inducted.

In 2013, Sayers was diagnosed with dementia, likely due to head injuries sustained in the NFL, according to his wife. He passed away on Wednesday morning.

Bears and NFL fans are sharing their thoughts about the Bears legend as news broke of his death.

https://twitter.com/RyanCovay/status/1308763146308341760