The 1956 season was the Chicago Bears' 37th in the National Football League. The team improved on their 8–4 record from 1955 and finished with a 9–2–1 record, under first-year head coach Paddy Driscoll to win the Western Conference and played in their first NFL championship game since 1946.[1][2]
| 1956 Chicago Bears season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | George Halas |
| Head coach | Paddy Driscoll |
| Home field | Wrigley Field |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–2–1 |
| Division place | 1st NFL Western |
| Playoff finish | Lost NFL Championship (at Giants) 7–47 |
The title game against the New York Giants was at Yankee Stadium and the Giants won, 47–7.[3][4]
Schedule
edit| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 30 | at Baltimore Colts | L 21–28 | 0–1 | Memorial Stadium | 45,221 | Recap |
| 2 | October 7 | at Green Bay Packers | W 37–21 | 1–1 | City Stadium | 24,668 | Recap |
| 3 | October 14 | San Francisco 49ers | W 31–7 | 2–1 | Wrigley Field | 47,526 | Recap |
| 4 | October 21 | Baltimore Colts | W 58–27 | 3–1 | Wrigley Field | 48,364 | Recap |
| 5 | October 28 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 38–21 | 4–1 | Kezar Stadium | 52,612 | Recap |
| 6 | November 4 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 35–24 | 5–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 69,894 | Recap |
| 7 | November 11 | Green Bay Packers | W 38–14 | 6–1 | Wrigley Field | 49,172 | Recap |
| 8 | November 18 | Los Angeles Rams | W 30–21 | 7–1 | Wrigley Field | 48,102 | Recap |
| 9 | November 25 | at New York Giants | T 17–17 | 7–1–1 | Yankee Stadium | 55,191 | Recap |
| 10 | December 2 | at Detroit Lions | L 10–42 | 7–2–1 | Briggs Stadium | 57,024 | Recap |
| 11 | December 9 | Chicago Cardinals | W 10–3 | 8–2–1 | Wrigley Field | 48,606 | Recap |
| 12 | December 16 | Detroit Lions | W 38–21 | 9–2–1 | Wrigley Field | 49,086 | Recap |
Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text.
Postseason
edit| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | December 30 | New York Giants | Yankee Stadium | L 7–47 | 56,836 | Recap |
Standings
edit| NFL Western Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Chicago Bears | 9 | 2 | 1 | .818 | 8–2 | 363 | 246 | W2 | |
| Detroit Lions | 9 | 3 | 0 | .750 | 8–2 | 300 | 188 | L1 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 5 | 6 | 1 | .455 | 5–5 | 233 | 284 | W3 | |
| Baltimore Colts | 5 | 7 | 0 | .417 | 3–7 | 270 | 322 | W1 | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | 3–7 | 291 | 307 | W2 | |
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | 3–7 | 264 | 342 | L2 | |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Roster
edit| Chicago Bears 1956 roster | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
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- Source:
References
edit- ^ Strickler, George (December 17, 1956). "Bears win West title; beat Lions, 38-21". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, part 4.
- ^ Lea, Bud (December 17, 1956). "Bears win Western crown, 38-21". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 2, part 2.
- ^ Strickler, George (December 31, 1956). "Why Bears were crushed in title game". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, part 2.
- ^ Mosby, Wade (December 31, 1956). "Giants outclass Bears, 47-7 to win first pro title in 18 years". Milwaukee Journal. p. 2, part 9.
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