Beloved Chicago Bears head coach and owner George Stanley Halas (1895–1983), “Papa Bear,” was born in Chicago, Illinois. A founder of the modern game, he helped lay the foundation for the establishment and growth of the National Football League.

He built teams the way he built a life, with vision and purpose. Halas once said, “Many people flounder about in life because they do not have a purpose, an objective toward which to work.”

His own path had range. He graduated from the University of Illinois, served in the military during both World War I and World War II, and played major league baseball with the New York Yankees. He was “replaced” in right field by Babe Ruth.

In 1921, Halas moved his Bears football team to Chicago, which laid the groundwork for decades of growth in professional football. He was tough, crafty, and competitive, and his teams wore tenacity like a badge of courage.

“At least 80 percent of the success of the football team is determined by the fight and spirit that they put into their play,” Halas said.

With assistant coach Clark Shaughnessy, Halas revived the T formation and used it with brilliant timing and speed. Rather than waiting for the ball, running backs hit the holes quickly, and the offense could roll forward with force and precision.

Coach to Red Grange, Sid Luckman, George McAfee, Gale Sayers, and other greats, in his remarkable 40 seasons as a coach, he won 321 regular-season games, seven NFL championships, and four division titles. “Nothing is work unless you'd rather be doing something else,” he said.

After his death, the Bears added his initials “GSH” to the left sleeve of their jerseys to honor him. The NFC Championship trophy bears his name, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, can be found on George Halas Drive.

He once said, “If you live long enough, lots of nice things happen.” Maybe that’s one more quiet reward of showing up fully, year after year, and giving the day your best.

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