Few organizations understand the value of special teams like the Chicago Bears. They have a rich history of success at it whether that be the superb kicking of Robbie Gould, elite snapping of Patrick Mannelly, or surgical punting of Brad Maynard. Yet what they’ve always been most famous for is their return game.
Every decade it seems like they’ve had one great returner for a number of years that provided unforgettable highlights. This begs an interesting question. On a list of the all-time best returners in NFL history, how present on the Bears on it?
According to John Turney of Pro Football Journal, who just did an extensive breakdown of punters and kickers as well, left no room for debate. Chicago is the unquestioned king of the return game. This is proven by having two of their names own the top two spots.
Devin Hester and Gale Sayers rep Chicago Bears at the top
When you collect two of the most unique athletes in NFL history, it leads to something like this. Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers and all-time return TD record holder Devin Hester took the #2 and #1 spots respectively on the ranking and it wasn’t particularly close.
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Here’s what was said of Sayers.
“Still the top kickoff returner ever with a 30.6 average and six touchdowns (6.6% of his total kick returns). He was also a great punt returner but didn’t have enough attempts to qualify for the NFL’s leader boards in that category.”
As great as he was, not even the “Kansas Comet” himself could catch Hester who pretty much owned the top spot before his 30th birthday.
“Fourteen times he was the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. He holds the NFL record for punt return touchdowns with 14 and also has five kick returns for touchdowns for a total of 19. he led the NFL in punt return average twice and led in TD returns three times and led or tied for the NFL lead in KR TDs twice.”
Despite those two hogging the spotlight, two other Bears were in the top 10 as well. Hall of Famer George McAfee of the 1940s dynasty came in at #7 and recent free agent pickup Cordarrelle Patterson dropped in right behind him at #8. The list is littered with navy blue and orange. A beautiful sight.
