People talk about who the greatest Chicago Bears of all-time are. Especially this time of year when there isn’t much NFL news to satiate the rabid fanbase. However, what about a different sort of list? Perhaps a list covering the most underrated Chicago Bears ever. This is something that would help to educate younger fans about the importance of remembering it’s a team game.
Superstars may lead the way, but they never would’ve done it without the guys doing the dirty work. Then there were those who didn’t get the due they so richly deserved for one reason or another. Maybe they were overshadowed by others. Maybe they excelled during a down period. Or maybe they simply slipped through the cracks.
This list is for them. Here are the 10 most underrated in Bears history. See how many you don’t have to look up after it’s over.
#10: George Wilson (E-DE)
It’s little wonder that George Halas and others loved George Wilson so much back in the olden days. He was born in Chicago and played the game the right way. If people try to dig into the numbers they won’t be impressed. Yet it wasn’t the numbers that made him such a good player. It was the unselfish and right way he played the game.
If the Bears needed him to catch passes, he’d do that. If they needed him to play defense, he’d do that. Special teams work? No problem. The greatest play of Wilson’s career wasn’t a touchdown or an interception. It was a thunderous block that helped spark the greatest rout in football history. The famed 73-0 thrashing by the Bears over the Giants in 1940.
#9: Donnell Woolford (CB)
There were a number of reasons that Donnell Woolford never got the recognition he deserved. The peak of his career with the Bears came in the 1990s when the team was falling apart at the end of the Ditka era. He was also just 5’9 and shorter cornerbacks never get the recognition they deserve. It’s the only way to explain how he went to just one Pro Bowl.
That was in 1993. What’s funny about it is his 1992 and 1994 seasons were even better. He had seven and five interceptions respectively those years with just two during his “best” season. Woolford totaled 32 interceptions in just eight years. People love to talk about Charles Tillman but “Peanut” had 38 interceptions in 13 years.
Maybe it’s time to give Donnell more love.
#8: Jay Cutler (QB)
Was he the franchise savior many dreamed when the Bears trade for him in 2009? No. It’s a hard pill to swallow but it’s true. Jay Cutler wasn’t what he was hyped up to be. That being said, some people aren’t showing enough appreciation for what the quarterback did do during his extended run as the Bears starter under center.
He owns every major passing record in franchise history and also started the most games. He also got them to an NFC championship in 2010. When the man had an actual decent team around him, he was the kind of quarterback they could win with. The problem was the Bears could never settle on a stable coaching staff. As a result, it’s likely fans never got to see the true Cutler.
If nothing else his 16 comebacks in the fourth quarter were a fitting testament to how valuable he was to the team, even in the darker periods.
#7: Johnny Morris (FL)
Officially he’s still the best wide receiver in Bears history. Let that sink in. A man who retired in 1968 and is 82-years old remains the best pass catcher this franchise has produced to date. Johnny Morris had 5,059 yards through the air during his career, but this didn’t tell the complete story.
In truth, Morris was a true offensive weapon. He was a good receiver but also rushed for over 1,000 yards in his career, averaging 4.6 per carry. Throw in his contributions on special teams and he was responsible for 8,259 all-purpose yards in 10 seasons. Given the offensive era he played in, that’s an impressive accomplishment.
#6: Shaun Gayle (S)
Most remember Shaun Gayle for one moment in Bears history. That came in January of 1986 when he recovered a badly whiffed punt by the Giants’ Sean Landeta for a touchdown, setting the tone for the Chicago’s eventual 21-0 triumph. As in most cases, this covers up so much more about what turned out to be a good player.
Gayle is the epitome of a player who took the long way to respect in the NFL. A 10th round pick in 1984, he spent the first five seasons of his career as a special teams ace. It wasn’t until 1989 that he finally got his chance to start on defense. Two years later he was in the Pro Bowl. Four times he had over 100 tackles in a season.
It’s also worth noting the Bears would not make the playoffs again for seven years after he left in 1995. So he wasn’t just a good player but a good luck charm too.
#5: Marty Booker (WR)
Not many people remember him these days. A lot of that was due to his forgettable second run with the Bears in 2008. This overshadows the great few seasons he had from 2001 to 2003. During that time Marty Booker topped 1,000 yards twice and went to the Pro Bowl.
Keep in mind he did this despite catching those passes from quarterbacks like Jim Miller, Shane Matthews, Chris Chandler and a rookie Rex Grossman. It’s fair to wonder how different things might’ve been had Chicago had a better QB situation when he was in his prime.
Instead they traded him to Miami where he continued to be stuck with bad ones. Booker, if nothing else, was a master of doing more with less.
#4: Bennie McRae (CB)
Cornerbacks, in general, have never gotten the spotlight when it comes to Bears defenses. It’s always the linebackers, the linemen and in certain cases the safeties. An even greater example than Woolford of this has to be Bennie McCrae. Here’s a guy who played on one of the best defenses in history, the 1963 Bears. It was the #1 pass defense that season. It didn’t get that way by accident. They needed good corners to pull it off.
McCrae was their main man, snagging six interceptions that season alone. He had 27 interceptions across nine years in Chicago and yet didn’t make a single Pro Bowl. It seems playing in the era of Doug Atkins and Dick Butkus did more harm to his career than good. It’s time people remembered his vital contributions.
#3: Keith Van Horne (RT)
Not everybody can get the notoriety when a unit is stacked with talent. It’s the same on many great rosters. The Bears offensive line of the 1980s was no exception. The big trio during that time was center Jay Hilgenberg, tackle Jimbo Covert and guard Mark Bortz. All became multi-time Pro Bowlers while helping the team to a championship.
Sadly this put right tackle Keith Van Horne out in the cold. This man was one of the fixtures on that offensive line and a big part of why they were so dominant running the football the entire decade. He started 169 games for them stretching from 1981 to 1993. Not even one Pro Bowl for his efforts. Nobody mentions his name. Such a shame given the sacrifices he made for that team.
#2: Jim Osborne (DT)
A seventh round pick in 1972, Jim Osborne always had people overlooking him. That included his own team. The Bears drafted several defensive tackles during his career with the idea of replacing him long-term. He just wasn’t big enough at 6’3, 245 lbs. Yet he was arguably their best defender throughout the 1970s.
Official records won’t say it, but research revealed that Osborne finished his career with 81.5 sacks, good for the fourth-most in franchise history. He played 13 seasons in the league and was a valued mentor to future superstars like Dan Hampton, Steve McMichael, and Richard Dent before retiring after the 1984 season.
#1: Doug Buffone (OLB)
It’s sad that most Bears fans remember Buffone best for being an entertaining radio personality more than a really good football player. That’s exactly what he was for a long time. Here’s a guy who had 24 interceptions, several sacks and forced fumbles as a linebacker and yet his name is rarely mentioned among the best.
How could that be? A few factors play into it. Buffone was drafted one year after the Bears brought in Dick Butkus. So right away he was overshadowed by his all-time great teammate. Then when Butkus was gone the team slid into its darkest period ever as a franchise during the early and mid-1970s.
By the time the team started being good again, he was already approaching his mid-30s. Where would his name be in the history books had he done his work in the ’80s? I think we all know the answer to that question.
