1961 Chicago Bears season

The 1961 Chicago Bears season was their 42nd regular season completed in the National Football League. The team finished with an 8–6 record under George Halas, which was an improvement over the 5–6–1 record of the previous season.

Offseason

On January 14, Chicago Bears End Willard Dewveall played out his option and joined the Houston Oilers of the American Football League. He became the first player to move deliberately from one league to another.NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, , p. 282

The Bears were notable for taking part in an exhibition game in their first ever game outside of the United States, taking on the CFL's Montreal Alouettes (the original team), winning 34–16.

Draft

Undrafted free agents

+ 1961 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeArt AndersonTackleIdahoDon MullinsSafetyHoustonRoosevelt TaylorSafetyGramblingPaul WardDefensive endWhitworth

Roster

Schedule

Game Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap Sources 1 September 17 at Minnesota Vikings L 13–37 0–1 Metropolitan Stadium 32,236 Recap 2 September 23 at Los Angeles Rams W 21–17 1–1 L.A. Memorial Coliseum 53,315 Recap 3 October 1 at Green Bay Packers L 0–24 1–2 City Stadium 38,669 Recap 4 October 8 at Detroit Lions W 31–17 2–2 Briggs Stadium 53,854 Recap 5 October 15 Baltimore Colts W 24–10 3–2 Wrigley Field 48,719 Recap 6 October 22 San Francisco 49ers W 31–0 4–2 Wrigley Field 49,070 Recap 7 October 29 at Baltimore Colts W 21–20 5–2 Memorial Stadium 57,641 Recap 8 November 5 at Philadelphia Eagles L 14–16 5–3 Franklin Field 60,671 Recap 9 November 12 Green Bay Packers L 28–31 5–4 Wrigley Field 49,711 Recap 10 November 19 at San Francisco 49ers L 31–41 5–5 Kezar Stadium 52,972 Recap 11 November 26 Los Angeles Rams W 28–24 6–5 Wrigley Field 45,965 Recap 12 December 3 Detroit Lions L 15–16 6–6 Wrigley Field 51,017 Recap 13 December 10 Cleveland Browns W 17–14 7–6 Wrigley Field 38,717 Recap 14 December 17 Minnesota Vikings W 52–35 8–6 Wrigley Field 34,539 Recap Note: Intra-conference opponents in bold.

Standings

Game summaries Week 1