Tweet   This episode we fire up the DeLorean and head back to explore the life and career of George Halas, also known as "Papa Bear".  George was the founder of the Chicago Bears.  He was also a player, coach, and owner throughout 63 of his 88 years on this planet.  So strap on your seatbelt, and let’s get ready to take this baby up to 88mph.
 
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Read Full Transcript Introduction George Halas put 63 of his 88 years into the game of football. He quite possibly contributed more to the NFL than any other person to date. In this episode I’m going to tell you about the incredible impact that "Papa Bear" (affiliate link) had….on the NFL.
Intro Music Welcome to the Football History Dude Podcast, where each episode is a journey back in time to learn about the rich history of the NFL. Your host is Arnie Chapman. Football is his passion and he wants you to come along with him to explore the yesteryear of the gridiron. So hop on board his DeLorean and lets get this baby up to 88 miles per hour (Great Scott).
George Halas Early Life This time as we step off our DeLorean, the date is February 2nd, 1895 and we are in Chicago, Illinois. This is the day that our hero was born. This time our hero is none other than Mr. George Stanley Halas. They called him Mr. Football for everything because he was a player, a coach, an administrator, an owner, a founder, probably painted the lines on the field, everything. He did all of it. So basically what I want to say is before I go any further there is a disclaimer I am going to issue to you. There is no way that this episode, or even multiple episodes could cover everything that George Halas did for the game of football and the NFL. I could create an entire podcast revolving around the life and career of George Halas aka “Papa Bear”. I’m just going to hint and touch on some of the highlights and I’m going to continue to bring him up throughout the rest of The Football History Dude. But before I get into his career, we are going to take it back a little bit. His parents were immigrants from Pilsen, Bohemia back in the 1880’s. His father was Frank Sr. and he was a tailor. His mother’s name was Barbara and she was a grocer. His father would end up passing away in 1910, so George and his four siblings would end up helping their mother (Barbara) at the grocery store and also at the apartment building that the family owned. George had to grow up quick and toughen up. George lost his father at the age of 15, and it seems that this unfortunate event forced him to become a leader. He had to take charge and help his mom out. During this time, George went to Chicago’s Crane Technical High School where he played baseball, basketball and football. To sum up his love for sports George Halas is quoted as saying on the Pro Football Hall of Fame (affiliate link) website, “I've loved sports since I was old enough to cross a Chicago street by myself. I'm happy that I made pro football a career. It has been good to me in the material sense, but more important is that I have been associated with youth in all my years as a pro football coach and owner.” Throughout this episode, we are going to find out that a lot of people thought of him as a crusty old dude on the outside, but a teddy bear on the inside. He was known to help many youth in the area and paid for kids to go to school among other things.
College and Baseball Career He was a kid himself, and then he graduated from Chicago’s Crane Technical High School back in 1913. Then he would proceed to enter the University of Illinois. His best sport, even though he ended up becoming known for footb