1939 Chicago Bears season

1939 Chicago Bears season
Head coach	George Halas
Home field	Wrigley Field
Results
Record	8–3
Division place	2nd NFL Western
Playoff finish	did not qualify

The 1939 Chicago Bears season was their 20th regular season completed in the National Football League. They finished second in the Western Division with an 8–3 record. The Bears started the season well, winning 4 of their first 5 games. However, two mid-season losses to New York and Detroit cost them the Division to Green Bay. The Packers went on to win the NFL championship.

Season highlights

The Bears were much improved from 1938, adding two new players who contributed immediately and would be part of the great Chicago teams of the 1940s. Overall, the Bears had a potent offense, leading the NFL in scoring, touchdowns, total yards (averaging 364 yards per game), rushing yards, rushing average per carry, rushing touchdowns, passing yards, and passing yards per attempt. Perhaps most impressively, the club led the NFL with a gaudy 22.1 average yards per pass completion. The T-formation was beginning to demonstrate itself as a superior passing scheme, particularly regarding the deep game.

Luckman Arrives

Sid Luckman was a Single Wing tailback at Columbia University before joining the Bears. Coach Halas traded with Pittsburgh for the rights to Luckman, seeing potential to run the complicated T-formation in the relatively unknown player. It took a $5,000 bonus to convince Luckman to sign with the Bears. Bernie Masterson continued to be the primary quarterback, but Luckman played more in the second half of the season. Luckman was a more accurate passer than Masterson, with a flair for the long ball. His first NFL touchdown pass was a 68-yard bomb to Dick Plasman in the fourth quarter of the October 22 game against the Giants, a game the Bears lost despite Luckman leading a furious fourth quarter comeback. By the end of the year, Luckman was playing in the first half ahead of Masterson; he finished the season with 636 yards passing, completing 23 of 51 attempts, with 5 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He also had an interception return for a touchdown.

Osmanski

The other major rookie performer was Bill Osmanski from Holy Cross, a hard-running fullback who led the league in rushing with 699 yards, averaging 5.8 yards per carry and finishing with 7 rushing touchdowns. Osmanski possessed great speed and was a threat to go all the way from anywhere on the field; he burned the Cardinals with an 86-yard run and the Eagles with a 65-yard scamper. Osmanski's arrival freed up running room for Joe Maniaci, who averaged 7.1 yards per carry for his 544 yards.

Other Top Performances

Dick Plasman and Les McDonald continued to play well at end, combining for 35 receptions and 6 touchdowns. Jack Manders continued to kick well in his last season and led the team in scoring. The interior line continued to be strong, with Bausch, Fortmann, Stydahar, and Musso representing one of the strongest units in football. The defense fell down a bit this season, and probably cost the Bears the division, allowing 157 points including more than 20 four times. The pieces were almost in place for the Bears to dominate the league, but that would have to wait for the next decade.

Future Hall of Fame Players

• Dan Fortmann, Guard
• Sid Luckman, Quarterback (rookie from Columbia University)
• George Musso, Guard
• Joe Stydahar, Tackle

Other Leading Players

• Frank Bausch, Center
• Jack Manders, Fullback / Kicker
• Joe Maniaci, Back
• Bernie Masterson, Quarterback
• Les McDonald, End
• Ray Nolting, Halfback
• Bill Osmanski, Fullback (rookie from Holy Cross)
• Richard Plasman, End

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Location	Result	Score
Sep 15	Cleveland Rams	Soldier Field	Win	30–21
Sep. 24	Green Bay Packers	City Stadium (Green Bay)	Loss	16–21
Oct 2	Pittsburgh Pirates	Forbes Field	Win	32–0
Oct 8	Cleveland Rams	Municipal Stadium (Cleveland)	Win	35–21
Oct 15	Chicago Cardinals	Wrigley Field	Win	44–7
Oct 22	New York Giants	Polo Grounds	Loss	13–16
Oct 29	Detroit Lions	Wrigley Field	Loss	0–10
Nov. 5	Green Bay Packers	Wrigley Field	Win	30–27
Nov. 12	Detroit Lions	Briggs Stadium	Win	23–13
Nov. 19	Philadelphia Eagles	Wrigley Field	Win	27–14
Nov. 23	Chicago Cardinals	Wrigley Field	Win	48–7

Standings

NFL Western Division
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA	STK
Green Bay Packers	9	2	0	.813	6–2	233	153	W4
Chicago Bears	8	3	0	.727	6–2	298	157	W4
Detroit Lions	6	5	0	.545	4–4	145	150	L4
Cleveland Rams	5	5	1	.500	4–4	195	164	W1
Chicago Cardinals	1	10	0	.091	0–8	84	254	L8

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.