1963 Chicago Bears season
















1963 Chicago Bears season
Head coachGeorge Halas
General managerGeorge Halas, Jr.
OwnerGeorge Halas
Home fieldWrigley Field
Results
Record11–1–2
Division place1st Western
Playoff finish
Won NFL Championship

  • ← 1962

  • Bears seasons


  • 1964 →

The 1963 Chicago Bears season was their 44th regular season and 12th post-season appearance in the National Football League. The club posted an 11–1–2 record to gain their first Western Conference championship since 1956, and the berth to host the NFL Championship Game against the New York Giants (11–3–0).[1][2]


In the regular season, Chicago defeated the rival Green Bay Packers (11–2–1) twice to deny them a third consecutive NFL title; the Packers had won the previous five meetings with Chicago.[3][4] In the championship game on December 29, the Bears defeated the Giants 14–10 at Wrigley Field for the club's eighth league title, their first since 1946 and the last under legendary head coach and founder George Halas.[5][6][7][8]


This was the Bears' last playoff berth prior to the AFL-NFL merger, and their last NFL championship until 1985 and Super Bowl XX. The Bears' defense in 1963 was the third in history to lead the NFL in fewest rushing yards, fewest passing yards, and fewest total yards;[9] the defense also allowed only 144 points, formerly an NFL record.[10]


In 2007, ESPN.com ranked the 1963 Bears as the ninth-greatest defense in NFL history,[11] noting, "[i]n 1963, Bears defensive coach George Allen came up with a new zone defense against the pass, befuddling opponents. With Doug Atkins and Ed O'Bradovich pressuring opposing QBs from their defensive end slots, and Bill George and Larry Morris defending against short passes from the linebacker position, the Bears picked off 36 passes, and allowed just 10.3 points and 227 yards per game. The Bears went on to win the NFL championship, thanks to the Defense. In the title game against Y. A. Tittle and the Giants, who had the best offense in the NFL, Chicago's five picks were the key, as the Bears won 14–10. George Allen got the game ball."




Contents





  • 1 Offseason

    • 1.1 NFL Draft



  • 2 Personnel

    • 2.1 Coaches


    • 2.2 Roster



  • 3 Regular season

    • 3.1 Schedule


    • 3.2 Game summaries

      • 3.2.1 Week 1


      • 3.2.2 Week 2


      • 3.2.3 Week 3


      • 3.2.4 Week 4


      • 3.2.5 Week 5


      • 3.2.6 Week 6


      • 3.2.7 Week 7


      • 3.2.8 Week 8


      • 3.2.9 Week 9


      • 3.2.10 Week 10


      • 3.2.11 Week 11


      • 3.2.12 Week 12


      • 3.2.13 Week 13


      • 3.2.14 Week 14




  • 4 Standings


  • 5 NFL Championship


  • 6 References




Offseason



NFL Draft




















































































































































1963 Chicago Bears draft
Round
Pick
Player
Position
College
Notes
1
11

Dave Behrman 
C

Michigan State
Pick from trade with PIT
2
20

Steve Barnett 
T

Oregon
Pick from trade with DAL
2
25

Bob Jencks 
E

Miami (OH)

3
38

Larry Glueck 
DB

Villanova

4
49
Stan Sanders 
E

Whittier
Pick from trade with SF
4
52

Charley Mitchell 
HB

Washington
Pick from trade with PIT
6
80

John Johnson 
T

Indiana
Pick from trade with PIT
6
81
Dave Mathieson 
QB

Washington State

7
94
Paul Underhill 
B

Missouri

8
109
Dennis Harmon 
DB

Southern Illinois

9
118
Monte Day 
T

Fresno State
Pick from trade with DAL
9
122

Dave Watson 
LB

Georgia Tech

10
137
Ed Hoerster 
LB

Notre Dame

11
150
James Tullis 
DB

Florida A&M

12
165
Dick Drummond 
B
George Washington

13
178
John Szumcyk 
B

Trinity (CT)

14
193
Gordan Banks 
B

Fisk

15
206
Bob Dentel 
C/LB

Miami (FL)

16
221
Lowell Caylor 
DB
Miami (OH)

17
234
John Sisk 
B
Miami (FL)

18
249
Jeff Slabaugh 
E
Indiana

19
262
Bob Yaksick 
DB

Rutgers

20
277
John Gregory 
E

Baldwin-Wallace


      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Source:[12]



Personnel



Coaches


  • Head Coach – George Halas

  • Assistants – George Allen (Defensive Coordinator), Jim Dooley, Phil Handler, Luke Johnsos, Sid Luckman, Chuck Mather[13]


Roster










1963 Chicago Bears final roster



Quarterbacks

  •  9 Billy Wade

Running backs



  • 29 Ronnie Bull FB


  • 28 Willie Galimore


  • 34 Joe Marconi

Wide receivers



  • 47 Johnny Morris

Tight ends



  • 89 Mike Ditka


Offensive linemen

  • 50 Mike Pyle C


  • 63 Bob Wetoska T

Defensive linemen



  • 81 Doug Atkins DE


  • 87 Ed O'Bradovich DE



Linebackers

  • 31 Joe Fortunato


  • 61 Bill George

Defensive backs



  • 26 Bennie McRae CB


  • 17 Richie Petitbon S


  • 24 Rosey Taylor S


  • 23 Dave Whitsell CB


  • 23 J. C. Caroline CB

Special teams



  • 88 Bobby Joe Green P


Reserve lists



Practice squad




Rookies in italics

53 Active, 5 Inactive, 5 Practice squad


  • Team photo [14]

  • Rosters - 1963 NFL title game [15]


Regular season



Schedule











































































































WeekDateOpponentResultGame siteRecordAttendance
1September 15at Green Bay Packers

W 10–3
City Stadium1–042,327
2September 22at Minnesota Vikings

W 28–7
Metropolitan Stadium2–033,923
3September 29at Detroit Lions

W 37–21
Tiger Stadium3–055,400
4October 6Baltimore Colts
W 10–3
Wrigley Field4–048,998
5October 13at Los Angeles Rams

W 52–14
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum5–040,476
6October 20at San Francisco 49ers

L 20–14
Kezar Stadium5–135,837
7October 27Philadelphia Eagles
W 16–7
Wrigley Field6–148,514
8November 3at Baltimore Colts
W 17–7
Memorial Stadium7–160,065
9November 10Los Angeles Rams
W 6–0
Wrigley Field8–148,312
10November 17Green Bay Packers
W 26–7
Wrigley Field9–149,166
11November 24at Pittsburgh Steelers

T 17–17
Forbes Field9–1–136,465
12December 1Minnesota Vikings
T 17–17
Wrigley Field9–1–247,249
13December 8San Francisco 49ers
W 27–7
Wrigley Field10–1–246,994
14December 15Detroit Lions
W 24–14
Wrigley Field11–1–245,317


Game summaries



Week 1























1234Total
• Bears307010
Packers30003

  • Date: September 15


  • Location: City Stadium, Green Bay, Wisconsin


  • Game attendance: 42,327


  • Game weather: 54°F • Wind 7
















Source:[3][16]




Week 2























1234Total
• Bears7701428
Vikings07007

  • Date: September 22


  • Location: Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, MN


  • Game attendance: 33,923


  • Game weather: 51°F; wind 9



























  • Mike Ditka 8 Rec, 124 Yds

[17]




Week 3























1234Total
• Bears7280237
Lions0014721

  • Date: September 29


  • Location: Tiger Stadium, Detroit, MI


  • Game attendance: 55,400


  • Game weather: 54°F; wind 13














































[18]




Week 4























1234Total
Colts00303
• Bears0001010

  • Date: October 6


  • Location: Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL


  • Game attendance: 48,998


  • Game weather: 73°F; wind 11
















[19]




Week 5























1234Total
• Bears72132152
Rams070714

  • Date: October 13


  • Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum


  • Game weather: 66°F; wind 9




















































  • Mike Ditka 9 Rec, 110 Yds

[20]




Week 6























1234Total
Bears070714
• 49ers1073020

  • Date: October 20


  • Location: Kezar Stadium

[21]




Week 7























1234Total
Eagles07007
• Bears1006016

  • Date: October 27


  • Location: Wrigley Field

[22]




Week 8























1234Total
• Bears707317
Colts00707

  • Date: November 3


  • Location: Memorial Stadium

[23]




Week 9























1234Total
Rams00000
• Bears30306

  • Date: November 10


  • Location: Wrigley Field

[24]




Week 10























1234Total
Packers00077
• Bears13031026

  • Date: November 17


  • Location: Wrigley Field

[25]




Week 11























1234Total
Bears770317
Steelers0140317

  • Date: November 24


  • Location: Forbes Field

[26]




Week 12























1234Total
Vikings3140017
Bears307717

  • Date: December 1


  • Location: Wrigley Field

[27]




Week 13























1234Total
49ers07007
• Bears1407627

  • Date: December 8


  • Location: Wrigley Field

[28]




Week 14























1234Total
Lions07007
• Bears3014724

  • Date: December 15


  • Location: Wrigley Field

[29]




Standings











































































NFL Western Conference



W

L

T

PCT

CONF

PF

PA

STK

Chicago Bears
11
1
2
.917
10–1–1
301
144
W2

Green Bay Packers
11
2
1
.846
9–2–1
369
206
W2

Baltimore Colts
8
6
0
.571
7–5
316
285
W3

Detroit Lions
5
8
1
.385
4–7–1
326
265
L1

Minnesota Vikings
5
8
1
.385
4–7–1
309
390
W1

Los Angeles Rams
5
9
0
.357
5–7
210
350
L2

San Francisco 49ers
2
12
0
.143
1–11
198
391
L5

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.



NFL Championship
























1234Total
Giants730010
• Bears707014

  • Date: December 29


  • Location: Wrigley Field


  • Game attendance: 45,801


  • Game weather: 4°F; wind 11


  • Referee: Norm Schachter


  • TV announcers (NBC): Jack Brickhouse, Chris Schenkel & George Connor





















The Giants opened the scoring in the first quarter when quarterback Y. A. Tittle led New York on an 83-yard drive that was capped off by a 14-yard touchdown pass to Frank Gifford. The drive was set up by Bears quarterback Bill Wade's fumble deep in the Giants territory, which was recovered by former Bear Erich Barnes.[30] However, later in the first period, Tittle suffered an injury to his left knee when Larry Morris hit him during his throwing motion. For the rest of the game, Tittle would never be the same. Morris then intercepted Tittle's screen pass and returned the ball 61 yards to the Giants 6-yard line. Two plays later, Wade scored a touchdown on a two-yard quarterback sneak to tie the game at 7.


In the second quarter, the Giants retook the lead, 10–7, on a 13-yard field goal. But on New York's next drive, Tittle re-injured his left knee on another hit by Morris. With Tittle out for two possessions, the Giants struggled, only able to advance 2 yards in 7 plays. New York coach Allie Sherman even punted on third down, showing no confidence in backup Glynn Griffing. However, the score remained 10–7 at halftime.


Tittle came back in the third period, but due to the injury, Tittle was forced to throw off his back foot. An interception on a screen pass by the Bears' Ed O'Bradovich was brought deep into Giant territory, setting up Wade's 1-yard touchdown to give Chicago a 14–10 lead. The score held up, and the Bears iced the game on Richie Petitbon's interception in the end zone with 10 seconds left. It was Tittle's 5th interception. At the end of the game, defensive coordinator George Allen was given the game ball due to his defense's spectacular play.




References




  1. ^ Strickler, George (December 29, 1963). "Bears battle Giants for title today". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, section 2..mw-parser-output cite.citationfont-style:inherit.mw-parser-output .citation qquotes:"""""""'""'".mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registrationcolor:#555.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration spanborder-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output code.cs1-codecolor:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-errordisplay:none;font-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-errorfont-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-maintdisplay:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-formatfont-size:95%.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-leftpadding-left:0.2em.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-rightpadding-right:0.2em


  2. ^ Hand, Jack (December 29, 1963). "Offensive Giants, defensive Bears in NFL finale". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. p. 1, sports.


  3. ^ ab Strickler, George (September 16, 1963). "Bears shatter Packers' invincibility". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, section 3.


  4. ^ Strickler, George (November 18, 1963). "Here's how Bears won". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, section 1.


  5. ^ Strickler, George (December 30, 1963). "Bears the champions! Win, 14-10". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, section 1.


  6. ^ Sell, Jack (December 30, 1963). "Bears stop Giants, win NFL title". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. pp. 1, 18.


  7. ^ Livingston, Pat (December 30, 1963). "Bears open 'screen' door to title". Pittsburgh Press. p. 18.


  8. ^ "Papa's polar Bears whittle Tittle; intercept five, win title 14-10". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 30, 1963. p. 8.


  9. ^ The Best Show in Football:The 1946–1955 Cleveland Browns, p.294, Andy Piascik, Taylor Trade Publishing, 2007,
    ISBN 978-1-58979-360-6



  10. ^ "Happy Birthday George Halas". Chicago Bears. January 31, 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-02-19. Retrieved February 2, 2014.


  11. ^ The List: Best NFL defense of all-time, 2007


  12. ^ 1963 Draft at Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2013-Dec-08.


  13. ^ Chicago Bears media guide. Retrieved 2015-Aug-23.


  14. ^ "Team photo". Chicago Tribune. December 14, 1963. p. 1, section 2.


  15. ^ "TV numbers". Chicago Tribune. December 29, 1963. p. 2, section 2.


  16. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com


  17. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Nov-30.


  18. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Dec-04.


  19. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Dec-06.


  20. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Dec-08.


  21. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-Feb-17.


  22. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-Feb-17.


  23. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-Feb-17.


  24. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-Feb-17.


  25. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-Feb-17.


  26. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-Feb-17.


  27. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-Feb-17.


  28. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-Feb-17.


  29. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-Feb-17.


  30. ^ Coppock, Chet (December 27, 2013). "Bears defeat Giants 14–10 for 1963 championship". Chicago Bears. Retrieved December 27, 2013.



  • NFL Record and Fact Book (
    ISBN 978-1-932994-36-0)










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