The Chicago Bears have close ties to the 4th of July holiday. In fact, one of the best NFL players in history to be born on that celebrated date played the bulk of his career in Chicago. Think back for a moment with this question. Who were the best runners in Bears history? Odds are the same group of names will come up.
Walter Payton is at the top with Gale Sayers, Bronco Nagurski, Matt Forte, and Neal Anderson all lined up behind him in one order or another. Not nearly enough people bring up another name that was a Bear to the bone during his career. That was Rick Casares. The Tampa Bay native was a second round pick of the team in 1955 out of Florida.
Keep in mind this was an era where toughness was abundant around the league. If you wanted respect, you had to be tough. So think about this. Many other NFL greats of that time, not just teammates, stated that Casares was the single toughest player in the league.
That might explain why he was such a dominant player for a long stretch of his career.
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Rick Casares embodied Chicago Bears football to the core
Casares played fullback, so many might think he was just a great blocker right? Not at all. He could block of course, but he was also a ferocious runner. Through his first five seasons, all of which he made the Pro Bowl, he averaged over 900 yards from scrimmage and scored 43 touchdowns. He was pretty much the entire offense in 1956, helping the Bears to reach the NFL championship game.
Years later in 1963, he wasn’t the focal point anymore but his leadership played a huge role in helping the Bears win the championship that season. Not nearly enough people remember how great Casares actually was. So the next time you think about the 4th of July the birth of America, be sure to remember that it was also a day a Bears great was born too.
