Chicago Bears: 15 greatest linebackers of all time

One of the fathers of the middle linebacker position, George Connor was more than just a linebacker to the Bears. He was a homegrown kid who rose to stardom in his city. A Chicago native, Connor would attend high school on the South Side of Chicago and then would later attend the University of Notre Dame.

Originally, when he began playing for the Bears, he was a tackle on defense. However, in a mid-October game in 1949, Bears head coach George Halas ordered Connor to stand up on defense. The goal? To shut down Philadelphia Eagles running back Steven Van Buren, who led the NFL in rushing yards four different times in the 1940s.

In what was considered to be a revolutionary moment in the game of football, what’s to be learned here from Halas telling Connor to “stand up”? Connor was a major reason why linebackers came to be. Once he’d transition to being a linebacker full-time, Connor would end up being one of the most feared defensive players of his era.

He’d be named First-team All-Pro in five different seasons from 1950 to 1953 and then again in 1955. Besides that, he’d be named to the 1940s NFL All-Decade Team and he inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1969.

After a knee injury forced him to retire in 1956, Connor would continue to stay in the City of Chicago, but this time, work in sales. In eight seasons with the Bears, Connor would start 78 games, have seven interceptions and 10 forced fumbles.