Thanksgiving is nothing new for the Chicago Bears, who have played 37 times – third in the NFL. Known as the Decatur and then the Chicago Staleys for the first two Thanksgiving games, the team played the November holidays for 19 consecutive years from 1920 to 38 every year. The place where the bears received the most on Thanksgiving – 11 times – is Wrigley Field.
Let’s take a look at the team’s record for the past century at the holiday.
Memorable moments from the game “Bears” for Thanksgiving Day
- November 26, 1925: The Bears and the Chicago Cardinals play to zero at Wrigley Field in front of 36,000 people, then the largest crowd in professional football history. It is also the first professional soccer game, Red Grange, which the University of Illinois signed a few days ago helped legitimize the NFL. The teams will face each other on Thanksgiving Day in 1926, and in that game, another draw ended in a zero score.
- November 29, 1934: The reigning champion Bears defeat Lions 19-16 in the first nationwide NFL game to be televised on NBC radio.
- November 27, 1980: Dave Williams’ 97-yard hit back for a touchdown – in the first game in extra time – gives the Bears a 23-17 Thanksgiving win over Detroit.
Sources: Tribune records and archives; NFL; The Football Professionals Directory; Professional Football Hall of Fame; Sports news; American Football Database
