Some fans choose their team, and some fans are chosen by their team. Which was it for you? Today, we want to hear your story from you: How you became a fan of the Chicago Bears.
When did you first become a fan? Were you born into it? Was there a specific game or season that pulled you in? What’s the earliest moment you remember as a fan?
Here’s my Navy and Orange origin story.
I always have to take a deep breath before telling my story because it’s a long one.
Let’s start from the beginning.
I was born in 1986 in a town called Pine Bluff, about 45 minutes south of Little Rock, Arkansas. This, of course, meant no local NFL team. Which wasn’t really a problem for me, because by the time we left Pine Bluff, I was still barely putting together cohesive sentences. Around the age of three, my family and I moved up to the Chicagoland area.
My father was born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. He grew up when “Mean” Joe Greene and Dwight White were part of the Steel Curtain defense that won four Super Bowls under Chuck Noll. But my dad believed in letting his kids make their own decisions in life, and sports were no exception. He never forced his fandom on me. In fact, I didn’t even know he was a Steelers fan until I started talking about football as a real interest.
In the early 90s my dad became a huge John Elway fan because of Elway’s comeback ability and unparalleled arm. It was around this time that I started watching football passively, so for a few years in the early 90s I rooted for John Elway and the orange-clad Denver Broncos. I mean, how could you not love those uniforms?
The first season I remember with any real clarity is 1991, when the Broncos went 12-4 and lost to the Bills in the conference championship. Elway led four game-winning drives that season. His numbers were not eye-popping, but I was a kid who loved hearing my dad recite all of Elway’s late-game heroics.
Enter my best friend Marky.
Marky was a Cowboys fan. And if you know anything about NFL history, you know the early-to-mid 90s Cowboys were America’s Team. Three Super Bowl wins in four years, capped by the 1995 title. We would watch Cowboys games together and I, admittedly, became a Cowboys fan.
I know. It’s awful.
But in my defense, I loved Michael Irvin. To me, he personified everything that made a great wide receiver when I was a kid. Cocky. Entertaining. And absolutely loaded with elite skills. When I started playing Pop Warner, I even wanted to be a wide receiver wearing number 88. I got the position, but another kid got 88. I eventually settled on 87 for the Broncos’ Ed McCaffrey, one of my favorite wide receivers of all time. It became my number from then on.
But 1994 brought the firing of Jimmy Johnson, and I swore off the Cowboys for dumping the head coach who delivered back-to-back Super Bowl wins.
It also didn’t help that I was wearing a Cowboys Starter jacket to school every day while living in the Chicagoland area, with every kid asking me why I wasn’t a Bears fan.
Then came the 1995 season. Erik Kramer. My first full year really watching Bears football.
I still remember it clear as day. Week 1. Kramer standing in the pocket, taking a hit from a defender, and delivering a 73-yard touchdown to one of my all-time favorite Bears receivers, Curtis Conway.
Kramer outdueled Hall of Famer Warren Moon that day as the Bears cruised to a 31-17 win. He went on to post the best statistical passing season by a Bears quarterback in franchise history at the time.
I was hooked.
Unfortunately, Kramer never quite replicated the magic of 1995, and I had to wait nearly 30 years to see a Bears quarterback season in that neighborhood.
Thank the football gods for Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson.
The 1995 season was a watershed moment for me as a fan. It marked both the start of my love affair with the game and my permanent bond with the Chicago Bears.
Now it’s your turn, let’s hear your story in the comment section!
Gary Baugher Jr. is a rookie contributor to WCG, bringing football insight backed by over 16 years of experience in organized football and more than 30 years as a passionate fan of the game. You can follow him on Twitter at @iamcogs.