The Meaning of 'Gsh' on the Chicago Bears Uniform and the Legend Behind It

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George Halas was born in Chicago in 1895. An elite athlete, he lettered in football, basketball, and baseball at the University of Illinois before playing briefly for the New York Yankees in 1919. A hip injury ended his Major League Baseball ambitions, sending him back to Illinois to work for the A.E. Staley Manufacturing Company in Decatur. The starch manufacturer sponsored a company football team called the Decatur Staleys, and the company owner handed Halas control of the operation.

In September 1920, Halas drove to an automobile showroom in Canton, Ohio. Sitting on car running boards alongside figures like Ralph Hay and Jim Thorpe, Halas helped organize the American Professional Football Association, which was renamed the National Football League two years later. Halas relocated the Staleys to Chicago in 1921, playing home games at Cubs Park. In 1922, he renamed the roster the Chicago Bears, reasoning that football players were naturally bigger than baseball players.

Halas operated the organization with fierce economy and unmatched tactical curiosity. He drove the team bus, sold tickets, taped ankles, and played end. Across four separate stints as head coach, spanning 1920 through 1967, he secured 318 coaching victories and captured six NFL championships as coach, adding two more solely as owner. When the Pro Football Hall of Fame opened its doors in Canton in 1963, Halas entered as part of the charter class. His career wins record stood unbroken until Don Shula passed him three decades later in 1993.