Okay, so I’ve been digging into the Chicago Bears lately, specifically their kicker history, and man, it’s been a wild ride! Let me tell you all about it.
I started off by just wanting to know who the best kicker in Bears history was. You know, the basics. That led me down a rabbit hole of stats and names, starting way back in 1920 when they were the Decatur Staleys, then the Chicago Staleys, and finally, the Chicago Bears we know and love. It is incredible to think they’ve been around for 105 seasons!
First, I grabbed a notebook and started jotting down the big names. The first one that popped up was Robbie Gould. No surprises there, right? The guy was with the Bears from 2005 to 2015, and he’s pretty much a legend. Most people agree he’s the best they ever had.
But I couldn’t stop there. I wanted to see the full picture. So, I went year by year, noting down every kicker who’s ever scored points for the team. I found this cool list of their all-time roster, and I started cross-referencing it with scoring leaders. It was like putting together a giant puzzle!
Some interesting names I found:
- Of course, Robbie Gould, a true legend.
- Then there’s Cairo Santos. Did you know he’s the most accurate kicker in Bears history? He’s made over 90% of his field goal attempts! And he does this cool celebration after a big kick.
I spent hours going through old game results, and news articles. It’s crazy to think about all the games that came down to a field goal. And some of those kicks were absolute nail-biters! I even found some funny stories about kickers who missed big kicks and the aftermath that followed.
While I was at it, I also started looking into the Bears’ overall history. They’ve won nine championships and one Super Bowl! Their all-time passing leader is Jay Cutler, with over 23,000 yards. And they have more players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame than any other team – 32 of them made their main mark with the Bears. Names like Red Grange, Bronko Nagurski, Sid Luckman, and Walter Payton – these guys are icons!
By the end of it, my notebook was filled with names, dates, and stats. I felt like I’d really gotten to know the team and its history, especially on the kicking front. It was a lot of work, but totally worth it. I feel way more connected to the Bears now, knowing all this history. It made me appreciate all the players who’ve worn the Bears uniform, especially those kickers who had to deal with all that pressure!
And you know what? I’m not stopping here. Next, I think I’ll dive into their biggest rivalries. That’s gotta be a whole other story. It was a fun project, and I’m excited to keep exploring the history of this legendary team.
