Like their home city, the Chicago Bears are a legendary team of "broad shoulders" and boundless stamina. One of the original members of the National Football League (NFL), the Bears have captured the attention of football fans since the heyday of radio. An organization built on innovation and achievement both on and off the field, the Bears' remarkable victories earned them the nickname "Monsters of the Midway." Bears players from Red Grange to Walter Payton swell the ranks of the famous in football. By the 1990s the Bears had achieved more victories than any other team in the NFL, and have 26 members in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In 1920, A.E. Staley, owner of the Staley Starch Works in Decatur, Illinois, hired 25-year-old George Halas to organize a professional football team. It was a daunting task. Halas approached his former boss, Ralph Hay...