In 2013, when the Bears retired Mike Ditka’s No. 89, they also declared that Ditka would be the final player to have his jersey number inducted into the team’s permanent history. Ditka’s number, one of the 14 retired by the Bears, is tied with the Giants for the most in the NFL. The Bears would soon run out of numbers for everyone else if they kept up the practice. As things stand, the Bears need players to double up on numbers~, meaning that at this stage of the NFL schedule when teams can have 90 players on the roster, they need a No. 67 on offense and a No. 67 on defense.
However, there are still a ton of other players that are worthy of the distinction. These players would be the first to have their numbers retired if the Bears ever decided to change their mind.
Players who have had a significant impact on the game or their team are eligible to retire from the jersey. Hester carried out both. With a record 21 total return touchdowns, he is the most productive return man in NFL history. In terms of kick and punt return yards, Hester twice held the league record. Twice he led the league in kick return scores and twice in punt return scores. In addition to becoming a First-Team All-Pro three times, he was named to four Pro Bowls. However, Hester’s most noteworthy historical achievement was being the first man to return the Super Bowl’s opening kickoff for a score. Nobody has succeeded in doing it since either.
Although Doug Plank inspired the moniker of Buddy Ryan’s dominant “46” defense, it was Singletary who served as the team’s on-field coach and mixed the drink. Despite not being very large or quick, Singletary outmanoeuvred everyone in terms of preparation. It is been reported that rival coaches thought Singletary understood their offenses better than their own players since he was one of the first players to fully commit to video study. He was a brutal tackler on the field, particularly terrifying when it came to run defense. In addition to winning Defensive Player of the Year twice, Singletary was named to ten Pro Bowls and was selected to the First Team All-Pro seven times and the Second Team All-Pro twice. In 1998, Singletary received his Hall of Fame induction.
Although Urlacher’s status as the greatest Bears linebacker of all time is up for debate, there is no denying that he was the biggest and fastest. Urlacher, a converted safety, was a hero in the middle of Lovie Smith’s take on the Tampa 2, thanks to his amazing range in both run and pass coverage. His 1,361 career tackles set an all-time high for the team. His 22 interceptions are second only to Doug Buffone’s 24 among all Bears linebackers, tying the record set by Dick Butkus. In addition to being an eight-time Pro Bowler, Urlacher won Rookie of the Year in 2000, Defensive Player of the Year in 2005, First-Team All-Pro four times, and Second-Team All-Pro once. 2018 saw Urlacher’s induction into the Hall of Fame.
A piece of Bears history will always belong to Dent, who was the team’s first (and thus far only) MVP of the Super Bowl. Though his 1.5 sack and two forced fumble effort in Super Bowl XX are what people remember most about him, he was one of the most consistently dangerous pass rushers outside of that historic game. Dent is second in the Bears’ all-time forced fumble count with 34 and holds the all-time record for sacks with 124.5. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011 and once led the league in forced fumbles and sacks.
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