1956 Chicago Bears season

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
OwnerGeorge Halas
Head coachPaddy Driscoll
Home fieldWrigley Field
Results
Record9–2–1
Division place1st NFL Western
Playoff finishLost 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

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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

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Round Date Opponent Result Venue Attendance Recap
Championship December 30 New York Giants Yankee Stadium L 7–47 56,836 Recap

Standings

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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

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Chicago Bears 1956 roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Source:

References

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  1. ^ Strickler, George (December 17, 1956). "Bears win West title; beat Lions, 38-21". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, part 4.
  2. ^ Lea, Bud (December 17, 1956). "Bears win Western crown, 38-21". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 2, part 2.
  3. ^ Strickler, George (December 31, 1956). "Why Bears were crushed in title game". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, part 2.
  4. ^ Mosby, Wade (December 31, 1956). "Giants outclass Bears, 47-7 to win first pro title in 18 years". Milwaukee Journal. p. 2, part 9.