The Chicago Bears subtly revealed this week they have added the initials of late founder, owner and coach George S. Halas to the left sleeve of their 1936 throwback uniforms, matching their navy blue home, white road and orange alternate jerseys.
Introduced in 2019 as part of Chicago’s 100th season celebration, the throwback uniforms include navy blue helmets with a winged design, white jerseys with alternating stripes on the sleeves and shoulders, navy blue pants and striped socks.
The Bears initially honored Halas, who passed away in 1983, by wearing a football-shaped patch with his initials on their left shoulder. His initials were then added to the left sleeve stripe the following season, where they have remained ever since.
Halas’ initials did not appear on the 1946 throwback uniforms Chicago wore during its Thanksgiving Day matchup with the Dallas Cowboys in 2004, though those uniforms were intended to honor his time roaming the sidelines.
This will actually mark the first time his initials appear on a throwback uniform, as they were also absent from the 1925 design the Bears wore in 1994 to celebrate the NFL’s 75th season and the “Monsters of the Midway” set worn in 2010 and from 2011-18.
Other NFL teams with a permanent memorial to a former owner on their uniforms include the Detroit Lions (William Clay Ford), Houston Texans (Bob McNair), Kansas City Chiefs (Lamar Hunt) and Las Vegas Raiders (Al Davis).
The Lions used to have Ford’s initials on their left sleeve, but it’s now a helmet decal after their redesign this offseason. The Texans and Raiders also use decals, while the Chiefs have a patch on their left shoulder in honor of Hunt.
