Mitch Trubisky perfect for the “Grabowski” heritage in Chicago
One of the most iconic part of Bears folklore is the Saturday Night Live skits with Bill Swerski and the Superfans. They were the men who brought the term “Da Bears” into the cultural mainstream during the 1980s. This was fueled by former head coach Mike Ditka when he made a speech to his team during the fabled 1985 season.
In the NFC championship against the Rams, he stated they were the “Smiths.” Rich people who drove the fancy cars and lived the high life in California. The Bears were the “Grabowskis.” They were working class guys. They got the lunch buckets, kissed the wives, went to work and then came home.
All of that played into a forgotten aspect about Chicago. It’s one of the largest concentrations of Polish descendants in the western hemisphere. According to recent studies the city is home to over 210,000 Poles with another 1.5 million in the metropolitan area. Only New York has more. It was this reality that, to Eisen, made Trubisky the perfect fit for quarterback in Chicago.
It’s not clear whether Trubisky is a direct Polish surname or not. It’s definitely eastern European. Poland, Slovakia, the Chzech Republic and Russia all harbor populations with “ski” in their last names. Either way it gives Chicago a quarterback who identifies with a large part of its population.
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Throw in the athleticism, accuracy and leadership qualities and the reasons for not liking Trubisky are disappearing faster than ever.
