The 1940 season was the Chicago Bears' 21st in the National Football League. The team matched on their 8–3 record from 1939 under head coach George Halas. Behind NFL great Sid Luckman, the club gained a berth in the NFL Championship. There the club stormed the Washington Redskins under the brand new formation known as the T formation to claim their fourth league title. This was the first of four consecutive NFL Western titles for the Bears.
Offseason NFL draft
Roster 1940 Chicago Bears final rosterQuarterbacks Sid Luckman P/S Bernie Masterson S Solly Sherman S Bob Snyder RB/CB/S/K
Ends/Receivers Ken Kavanaugh Eggs Manske Bob Nowaskey Dick Plasman Hamp Pool John Siegal George Wilson Linemen/Linebackers Lee Artoe T/DT Al Baisi G/DG Frank Bausch C/LB Ray Bray G/DG Aldo Forte G/DG Dan Fortmann G/DG Ed Kolman T/DT Joe Mihal T/DT George Musso G/DG Joe Stydahar T/DT/K Jack Torrance T/DT Bulldog Turner C/LB Backs Harry Clarke RB/CB Gary Famiglietti FB/LB Jack Manders RB/CB/K Joe Maniaci FB/LB George McAfee RB/CB/P Ray McLean RB/CB Ray Nolting RB/CB Bill Osmanski FB/LB Bob Swisher RB/CB
Special teams Phil Martinovich K
Rookies in italics
Regular season
Schedule Game Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap Sources 1 September 22 at Green Bay Packers W 41–10 1–0 City Stadium 22,557 Recap 2 at Chicago Cardinals L 7–21 1–1 Comiskey Park 23,181 Recap — Bye 3 October 6 at Cleveland Rams W 21–14 2–1 Cleveland Stadium 18,998 Recap 4 October 13 Detroit Lions W 7–0 3–1 Wrigley Field 34,217 Recap 5 October 20 Brooklyn Dodgers W 16–7 4–1 Wrigley Field 31,101 Recap 6 October 27 at New York Giants W 37–21 5–1 Polo Grounds 44,219 Recap 7 November 3 Green Bay Packers W 14–7 6–1 Wrigley Field 45,434 Recap 8 November 10 at Detroit Lions L 14–17 6–2 Briggs Stadium 21,735 Recap 9 November 17 at Washington Redskins L 3–7 6–3 Griffith Stadium 35,331 Recap 10 November 24 Cleveland Rams W 47–25 7–3 Wrigley Field 20,717 Recap 11 December 1 Chicago Cardinals W 31–23 8–3 Wrigley Field 13,902 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries Game 1: at Green Bay Packers
Game 2: at Chicago Cardinals
Game 3: at Cleveland Rams
Game 4: vs. Detroit Lions
Game 5: vs. Brooklyn Dodgers
Game 6: at New York Giants
Game 7: vs. Green Bay Packers
Game 8: at Detroit Lions
Game 9: at Washington Redskins
Game 10: vs. Cleveland Rams
Game 11: vs. Chicago Cardinals
Standings
NFL Championship Game
The Chicago Bears defeated the Washington Redskins 73–0 in the NFL's biggest scoring and most lopsided game in NFL history.
All-Star Game The Bears defeated the NFL All-Stars 28–14 on December 29, 1940.
References