1971 Chicago Bears season
OwnerGeorge Halas
Head coachJim Dooley
Home fieldSoldier Field
Results
Record6–8
Division place3rd NFC Central
Playoff finishDid not qualify

The 1971 Chicago Bears season was their 52nd regular season completed in the National Football League. The team finished with a 6–8 record, another below .500 showing, eventually costing head coach Jim Dooley his job. This was their 1st season at Soldier Field.

Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 1971 NFL draft
1971 Chicago Bears draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 11 Joe Moore  Running back Missouri
2 28 Jim Harrison  Running back Missouri
2 36 Charlie Ford  Cornerback Houston
3 64 Tony McGee  Defensive end Bishop
3 71 Bob Newton  Tackle Nebraska
4 89 Jerry Moore  Defensive back Arkansas
6 135 Earl Thomas  Wide receiver Houston
7 167 Buddy Lee  Quarterback LSU
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Roster

1971 Chicago Bears final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad

  • -- Leo Johnson WR


Rookies in italics

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 September 19 Pittsburgh Steelers W 17–15 1–0 Soldier Field 55,049
2 September 26 at Minnesota Vikings W 20–17 2–0 Metropolitan Stadium 47,900
3 October 3 at Los Angeles Rams L 3–17 2–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 66,957
4 October 10 New Orleans Saints W 35–14 3–1 Soldier Field 55,049
5 October 17 at San Francisco 49ers L 0–13 3–2 Candlestick Park 44,000
6 October 24 at Detroit Lions W 28–23 4–2 Tiger Stadium 54,418
7 October 31 Dallas Cowboys W 23–19 5–2 Soldier Field 55,049
8 November 7 Green Bay Packers L 14–17 5–3 Soldier Field 55,049
9 November 14 Washington Redskins W 16–15 6–3 Soldier Field 55,049
10 November 21 Detroit Lions L 3–28 6–4 Soldier Field 55,049
11 November 29 at Miami Dolphins L 3–34 6–5 Miami Orange Bowl 75,312
12 December 5 at Denver Broncos L 3–6 6–6 Mile High Stadium 51,200
13 December 12 at Green Bay Packers L 10–31 6–7 Lambeau Field 56,263
14 December 19 Minnesota Vikings L 10–27 6–8 Soldier Field 55,049
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1

See also: 1971 Pittsburgh Steelers season
Week One: Pittsburgh Steelers (0–0) at Chicago Bears (0–0)
Period 1 2 34Total
Steelers 0 6 6315
Bears 0 3 01417

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Game information

Week 2

1 234Total
• Bears 0 0317 20
Vikings 0 7100 17
Scoring summary
Q2MINGrim 4 yard pass from Cuozzo (Cox kick)MIN 7–0
Q3CHIPercival 45 yard field goalMIN 7–3
Q3MINGrim 52 yard pass from Cuozzo (Cox kick)MIN 14–3
Q3MINCox 14 yard field goalMIN 17–3
Q4CHIGordon 36 yard pass from Nix (Percival kick)MIN 17–10
Q4CHIPercival 45 yard field goalMIN 17–13
Q4CHIGordon 19 yard pass from Nix (Percival kick)CHI 20–17

[1]

Week 6

See also: 1971 Detroit Lions season and Bears–Lions rivalry
Week Six: Chicago Bears (3–2) at Detroit Lions (4–1)
Period 1 2 34Total
Bears 7 14 0728
Lions 6 14 3023

at Tiger Stadium, Detroit, Michigan

Game information

Chuck Hughes became the first NFL player to die on the field during a game.

Standings

NFC Central
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Minnesota Vikings 11 3 0 .786 5–1 9–2 245 139 W2
Detroit Lions 7 6 1 .538 2–3–1 3–6–1 341 286 L2
Chicago Bears 6 8 0 .429 2–4 5–6 185 276 L5
Green Bay Packers 4 8 2 .333 2–3–1 2–7–2 274 298 L1

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

References

  1. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Dec-14.


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