Bears First-Round Draft Picks

 The first two players selected in the 1965 NFL draft, running backs Tucker Frederickson (New York Giants) and Ken Willard (San Francisco 49ers) ended up being good but not great. The next two picks belonged to the Bears, who selected two of the greatest players of all time--Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers.
     From 1975 (Walter Payton) through 1990 (Mark Carrier), every player selected by the Bears in the first round of the NFL draft became a productive player, and most became stars. For the past 30 years, it has been a lot more bad than good. Brian Urlacher is the only certified all-timer in the group, at least so far, while Tommie Harris and Kyle Long were stars that shone briefly. 

     The Bears' selection of quarterback Mitchell Trubisky with the second overall pick in 2017 will go down in history, and not in a good way. As every Bears fan knows all too well, general manager Ryan Pace traded up to get Trubisky while the great Patrick Mahomes was still available. Of course, the Bears also traded up this year to acquire Justin Fields--and let's hope that is where the comparison ends.

JUSTIN FIELDS

Below is the complete list of Bears first-round draft choices. The player's overall draft position is in parentheses, and an asterisk indicates a Hall of Famer. 

1936 - Joe Stydahar, tackle, West Virginia (6)*
1937 - Les McDonald, end, Nebraska (8)
1938 - Joe Gray, back, Oregon State (10)
1939 - Sid Luckman, quarterback, Columbia (2)*
1939 - Bill Osmanski, fullback, Holy Cross (6)

1940 - Bulldog Turner, center, Hardin-Simmons (7)*
1941 - Tom Harmon, halfback, Michigan (1)
1941 - Norm Standlee, fullback, Stanford (3)
1941 - Don Scott, back, Ohio State (9)
1942 - Frankie Albert, quarterback, Stanford (10)
1943 - Bob Steuber, halfback, DePauw (9)
1944 - Ray Evans, tailback, Kansas (9)
1945 - Don Lund, back, Michigan (7)
1946 - Johnny Lujack, quarterback, Notre Dame (4)
1947 - Bob Fenimore, halfback, Oklahoma State (1)
1947 - Don Kindt, defensive back, Wisconsin (11)
1948 - Bobby Layne, quarterback, Texas (3)*
1948 - Max Bumgardner, defensive end, Texas (10)
1949 - Dick Harris, center, Texas (11)

1950 - Chuck Hunsinger, halfback, Florida (3)
1950 - Fred Morrison, fullback, Ohio State (10)
1951 - Bob Williams, quarterback, Notre Dame (2)
1951 - Gene Schroeder, end, Virginia (12)
1952 - Jim Dooley, back, Miami - Florida (8)
1953 - Billy Anderson, defensive back, Compton - Calif. (6)
1954 - Stan Wallace, defensive back, Illinois (6)
1955 - Ron Drzewiecki, halfback, Marquette (11)
1956 - Tex Schriewer, end, Texas (10)
1957 - Earl Leggett, defensive tackle, LSU (13)
1958 - Chuck Howley, linebacker, West Virginia (7)
1959 - Don Clark, back, Ohio State (7)

1960 - Roger Davis, guard, Syracuse (7)
1961 - Mike Ditka, tight end, Pittsburgh (5)*
1962 - Ronnie Bull, running back, Baylor (7)
1963 - Dave Behrman, center, Michigan State (11)
1964 - Dick Evey, defensive tackle, Tennessee (14)
1965 - Dick Butkus, linebacker, Illinois (3)*
1965 - Gale Sayers, running back, Kansas (4)*
1965 - Steve DeLong, defensive end, Tennessee (6)
1966 - George Rice, defensive tackle, LSU (12)
1967 - Loyd Phillips, defensive end, Arkansas (10)
1968 - Mike Hull, running back, USC (16)
1969 - Rufus Mayes, tackle, Ohio State (14)

1970 - none
1971 - Joe Moore, running back, Missouri (11)
1972 - Lionel Antoine, tackle, Southern Illinois (3)
1972 - Craig Clemons, defensive back, Iowa (12)
1973 - Wally Chambers, defensive tackle, Eastern Kentucky (8)
1974 - Waymond Bryant, linebacker, Tennessee State (4)
1974 - Dave Gallagher, defensive end, Michigan (8)
1975 - Walter Payton, running back, Jackson State (4)*
1976 - Dennis Lick, tackle, Wisconsin (8)
1977 - Ted Albrecht, tackle, California (16)
1978 - none
1979 - Dan Hampton, defensive end, Arkansas (4)*
1979 - Al Harris, defensive end, Arizona State (8)

1980 - Otis Wilson, linebacker, Louisville (19)
1981 - Keith Van Horne, tackle, USC (11)
1982 - Jim McMahon, quarterback, Brigham Young (5)
1983 - Jimbo Covert, tackle, Pittsburgh (6)*
1983 - Willie Gault, wide receiver, Tennessee (18)
1984 - Wilber Marshall, linebacker, Florida (11)
1985 - William Perry, defensive tackle, Clemson (22)
1986 - Neal Anderson, running back, Florida (27)
1987 - Jim Harbaugh, quarterback, Michigan (26)
1988 - Brad Muster, fullback, Stanford (23)
1988 - Wendell Davis, wide receiver, LSU (27)
1989 - Donnell Woolford, defensive back, Clemson (11)
1989 - Trace Armstrong, defensive end, Florida (12)

1990 - Mark Carrier, defensive back, USC (6)
1991 - Stan Thomas, tackle, Texas (22)
1992 - Alonzo Spellman, defensive end, Ohio State (22)
1993 - Curtis Conway, wide receiver, USC (7)
1994 - John Thierry, defensive end, Alcorn State (11)
1995 - Rashaan Salaam, running back, Colorado (21)
1996 - Walt Harris, defensive back, Mississippi State (13)
1997 - none
1998 - Curtis Enis, running back, Penn State (5)
1999 - Cade McNown, quarterback, UCLA (12)

2000 - Brian Urlacher, linebacker, New Mexico (9)*
2001 - David Terrell, wide receiver, Michigan (8)
2002 - Marc Colombo, tackle, Boston College (29)
2003 - Michael Haynes, defensive end, Penn State (14)
2003 - Rex Grossman, quarterback, Florida (22)
2004 - Tommie Harris, defensive tackle, Oklahoma (14)
2005 - Cedric Benson, running back, Texas (4)

2006 - none

2007 - Greg Olsen, tight end, Miami - Florida (31)
2008 - Chris Williams, tackle, Vanderbilt (14)
2009 - none

2010 - none

2011 - Gabe Carimi, tackle, Wisconsin (29)

2012 - Shea McClellin, defensive end, Boise State (19)

2013 - Kyle Long, tackle, Oregon (20)

2014 - Kyle Fuller, cornerback, Virginia Tech (14)

2015 - Kevin White, wide receiver, West Virginia (7)

2016 - Leonard Floyd, linebacker, Georgia (9)

2017 - Mitchell Trubisky, quarterback, North Carolina (2)

2018 - Roquan Smith, linebacker, Georgia (8)

2019 - none

2020 - none

2021 - Justin Fields, quarterback, Ohio State (11) 

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'Twas Thirty Years Ago: Chicago Sports Memories of 1991

 After losing the Eastern Conference finals to the Detroit Pistons in both 1989 and 1990, the Bulls vowed that it would not happen again in 1991. They won 20 of 21 games during a late-season surge that saw them overtake Detroit for the division title. Michael Jordan, in his seventh season, earned his second Most Valuable Player award, while fourth-year men Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant emerged as key contributors.
     

MICHAEL JORDAN

In the postseason, the Bulls made quick work of the New York Knicks (three games to none) and Philadelphia 76ers (four games to one) to set up the opportunity that they had waited for all year—a rematch with Detroit in the conference finals.
     The Bulls not only won the series; they swept it in four straight games. They trailed for just 13 of the 192 minutes played. Detroit coach Chuck Daly frankly admitted that his team had no answer for the Bulls' quickness, athleticism, and desire. As the clock ticked down in the final game, Detroit's Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, Mark Aguirre, and Dennis Rodman embarrassed themselves more thoroughly than the Bulls' dominance had. They left the bench and slinked into the locker room before the game was over. 
     The Bulls then dispatched Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers with surprising ease in the NBA Finals to capture their first world championship. Jordan cradled the trophy in his arms and wept for joy, but also for relief that he was no longer a superstar whose team had never won a title. He didn't know yet that this first ascent to the pinnacle was not the culmination of his career, but just the beginning of a new phase. (Likewise for Phil Jackson, who had won two titles as a player and now had his first as a head coach. He would add ten more before he was through, setting a record that will last a long time.) 

     "They still haven't proved anything," Rodman had said after the Bulls eliminated the Pistons. "They've got to win about five or six [championships] before they're a great team." The Bulls obliged by capturing half a dozen world championships before the decade was out. Who could have guessed that Rodman himself would be aboard for the second three-peat from 1996 through 1998?

     

ED BELFOUR

The Blackhawks sailed through the 1990-91 season with a record of 49-23-8, racking up 106 points and capturing the President's Trophy as NHL regular-season champions. Ed Belfour won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year and the Vezina Trophy as the league's outstanding goalie. Laconic veteran right wing Steve Larmer and brash young center Jeremy Roenick were the club's top offensive threats, while Chicago native Chris Chelios, newly acquired from Montreal in a trade for star center Denis Savard, anchored the backline. The Hawks went into the postseason with justifiably high hopes—but they failed to advance beyond the first round. They lost the first series to the Minnesota North Stars, four games to two.

     

NEAL ANDERSON

In Mike Ditka's 10th year as their head coach, the Bears went 11-5 and qualified for the NFL playoffs as a wild-card entry. The streaky Bears won their first four games, lost two, won five, lost two, won two, and lost one. They were routed 52-14 by San Francisco in the season finale. The 49ers (who finished at 10-6) had already been eliminated from the postseason, and they took out their frustration on the Bears before a national audience on Monday Night Football.
     The Bears lost to Dallas, 17-13, at Soldier Field in the divisional playoff round. It turned out to be their last playoff game under Ditka, whose postseason record ended up at 6-6. 

      The Bears sent five players to the Pro Bowl: running back Neal Anderson, center Jay Hilgenberg, linebacker Mike Singletary, strong safety Shaun Gayle, and free safety Mark Carrier.

     

FRANK THOMAS

The White Sox moved into the new Comiskey Park (now known as Guaranteed Rate Field), directly across 35th Street from the site of their previous home. They drew over 2.9 million to the new park, shattering the franchise attendance record by 800,000. Coming off an excellent showing in 1990, the Sox slipped a bit in the standings, going 87-75 to finish eight games behind the world-champion Minnesota Twins. On the plus side, a pair of 23-year-olds, first baseman Frank Thomas and third baseman Robin Ventura, established themselves as rising stars.
     On August 11, 21-year-old lefty Wilson Alvarez made his White Sox debut a memorable one, tossing a no-hitter at Baltimore. (He had started one game for the Texas Rangers in 1989, becoming the first person born in the 1970s to play in the major leagues.) The 7-0 victory put the Sox 20 games over .500, but they proceeded to drop 15 of the next 17 and never threatened thereafter.

     

DON ZIMMER

The Cubs came into the season with three new big-name, big-money free agents on the roster—outfielder George Bell, lefty starter Danny Jackson, and closer Dave Smith. None of them performed up to expectations, and manager Don Zimmer didn't last through May. Club president Don Grenesko mentioned to reporters that Zimmer, like every employee of the Tribune Company, would be subject to an annual performance evaluation. When Zimmer (who was not familiar with or agreeable to the practices of corporate "suits" like Grenesko) took offense and demanded that he receive his evaluation then and there, Grenesko obliged by firing him. General manager Jim Frey, a boyhood friend of Zimmer's, apparently was not consulted.
     Zimmer's replacement was Iowa Cubs skipper Jim Essian, a catcher on the White Sox' beloved "South Side Hit Men" team of 1977. Essian guided the Cubs to a 59-63 mark for the remainder of the season and never managed in the majors again. Frey was also shown the door after the season, and he too was replaced by a White Sox alumnus, Larry Himes.
     

BLACK TIE AFFAIR

Owned by suburban auto dealer Jeff Sullivan and trained by Ernie Poulos, the Irish-bred gray stallion Black Tie Affair won his last six starts at six different racetracks—all in graded-stakes competition—to take home the Eclipse Award as thoroughbred Horse of the Year. The five-year-old was the first Chicagoland-based Horse of the Year since the 1950s, and he remains the last to date. Given the lamentable state of racing in Illinois, he was almost certainly the last ever.

 

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Jake Arrieta and the 2015 Cubs

Jake Arrieta’s second tour of duty with the Cubs recently ended with his unconditional release after a series of disastrous outings that gave club president Jed Hoyer no alternative but to pull the plug. But it wasn’t so long ago that Arrieta’s emergence as the best pitcher in baseball signalled that the Cubs’ infamous world championship drought was likely to end sooner rather than later.

Arrieta started the 2015 season at 4-4 before winning 18 of his last 20 starts. For good measure, he then won his first nine decisions in 2016. For almost exactly a year—June 4, 2015 to May 31, 2016—Arrieta went 27-2 with a 1.32 ERA, an 0.81 WHIP, and two no-hitters.

The passage below reviews the Cubs’ heady late-season run in 2015, for which Arrieta deserved much of the credit.   

 

  

JAKE ARRIETA

After 99 games, the 2015 Cubs were 52-47. What would happen next? Would they a) fade away as the pennant race heated up? b) continue to muddle along near the break-even mark? or c) prove to be genuine contenders?

The correct answer is “c.” The rebuilt Cubs were for real. They won 15 of their next 16 games, including a four-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants (one of their main rivals for a postseason berth) at Wrigley Field. They won more games after August 1 than any other team in either league. They ended up at 97-65, an amazing achievement for a club which featured four rookies (Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber, and Jorge Soler) in the starting lineup and whose oldest regular (catcher Miguel Montero) was just 31.

The Cubs’ record was the third best in all of baseball—but also third in their own division, behind St. Louis and Pittsburgh. Therefore, they needed to win the National League wild-card game vs. the Pirates in order to go any further. Fortunately, the right man for the job was on hand; righthander Jake Arrieta was in the midst of one of the greatest stretches for any pitcher in history. Over his last 20 starts, he had gone 16-1 with an 0.86 earned run average and three shutouts, including a no-hitter at Los Angeles on August 30. He was soon to receive the Cy Young Award.

Arrieta remained true to form in the wild-card game. He went the distance in blanking the Pirates on five hits and no walks, while striking out eleven. Dexter Fowler scored three runs, Schwarber knocked in three, both homered, and the Cubs won 4-0. 

After the game, manager Joe Maddon was asked if he’d had a maximum pitch count in mind for his ace. “Yes, I did,” he replied. “Infinity.”

Next, the Cubs dispatched the arch-rival Cardinals in the National League Division Series. After dropping the first game 4-0, the Cubs bludgeoned St. Louis pitchers for 20 runs in the next three games, all victories. They also pounded ten home runs, including a monumental shot by Schwarber that landed atop the new video board behind the right-field bleachers at Wrigley.

The Cubs advanced to their first National League Championship Series since 2003 with high hopes and growing respect from all quarters. Alas, they ran into the proverbial buzzsaw in the form of the New York Mets’ outstanding starting rotation. The Cubs were swept out of the postseason in four games.

It was a disappointing end to a thrilling season, but in truth the Cubs had been playing with house money. The rebuild was ahead of schedule, and its ultimate objective was just a year away.

Check out our book Heydays: Great Stories in Chicago Sports on Amazon.