The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Bears have won nine (9) NFL Championships (eight pre-merger, and one Super Bowl). The Bears hold the NFL records for the most enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with 27 members, and the most retired jersey numbers (13). The Bears have also recorded more regular season and overall victories than any other NFL franchise. The franchise recorded its 700th win on November 18, 2010.
The club was founded in Decatur, Illinois, in 1919, and moved to Chicago in 1921. Along with the Arizona Cardinals (originally from Chicago), it is one of only two remaining franchises from the NFL's founding. The team played home games at Wrigley Field on Chicago's North Side through the 1970 season. With the exception of the 2002 season, they have played their home games at Chicago's Soldier Field every year since 1971. The stadium is located next to Lake Michigan, and was recently remodeled in a modernization intended to update stadium amenities while preserving a historic Chicago structure. The team has a storied, long-standing rivalry with the Green Bay Packers, whom they have played 184 times. The Bears currently hold the edge in head-to-head matchups with a record of 92–86–6. The two teams have only met each other twice in the postseason. The Bears won in 1941 and the Packers won in 2011.
Chicago (i/ʃɪˈkɑːɡoʊ/ or /ʃɪˈkɔːɡoʊ/) is the largest city in the US state of Illinois and the third most populous city in the United States after New York City and Los Angeles. The city has around 2.7 million residents. Its metropolitan area, sometimes called "Chicagoland", is the third largest in the United States, with an estimated 9.8 million people. Chicago is the county seat of Cook County, though a small portion also extends into DuPage County.
Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1837, near a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed. Today, Chicago is listed as an alpha+ global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network, and ranks seventh in the world on the 2012 Global Cities Index. The city retains its status as an international hub for finance, industry, telecommunications and infrastructure, with O'Hare International Airport being the second busiest airport in the world in terms of traffic movements. In 2008[update], the city hosted 45.6 million domestic and overseas visitors. Among metropolitan areas, Chicago has the 4th largest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the world, ranking just behind Tokyo, New York City, and Los Angeles. Chicago is one of the most important Worldwide Centers of Commerce and trade.
Martellus Demond Bennett (born March 10, 1987 in Alief, Houston) is an American football tight end for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was drafted in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Texas A&M.
Bennett played football and basketball at Alief Taylor High School in Alief, Texas. He was a three-year starter and two-time All-District and All-Greater Houston selection at tight end. As a sophomore, he averaged 12.4 yards per catch. During his junior year, he grabbed 13 catches for 170 yards and two touchdowns. In his senior year, he caught a team-high of 42 catches for 487 yards and six touchdowns, earning first-team Class 5A all-state honors from the Texas Sports Writers Association. He also averaged 23 points and 8.2 rebounds per game as a senior in basketball.
As a college football prospect in his senior year of high school, Bennett was a five-star recruit ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 1 tight end and No. 8 best player in the 2005 prospect class. He was recruited by Texas A&M, Duke, Kansas, LSU, Miami, Oklahoma, and Texas. Although originally committed to play for Miami, he chose to sign a National Letter of Intent to play for Texas A&M.
Tim Jennings (born December 24, 1983 in Orangeburg, South Carolina) is an American football cornerback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Georgia.
Jennings was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2006 NFL Draft. From 2006-2009, Jennings recorded four interceptions and played in 53 games.
Marc Trestman (born January 15, 1956) is the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. In four seasons at Montreal, Trestman has guided the Alouettes to three Grey Cup appearances, including back-to-back Grey Cup Championships in 2009 and 2010.
He graduated in 1974 from Saint Louis Park High School in Minnesota. He played quarterback for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers football team for three seasons. He transferred as a senior to play quarterback at Minnesota State University Moorhead. Trestman received a bachelor's degree in political science from Minnesota in 1979 and is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Law. He has been a member of the Florida bar since 1983.
Trestman went to training camp with the Minnesota Vikings in both 1978 and 1979 as a defensive back.
He entered football coaching at the University of Miami in 1981 as a volunteer coach. In 1983 he was named quarterbacks coach. That year quarterback Bernie Kosar passed for 2,329 yards and Miami won the national championship. The next year Kosar completed 262 passes for 3,642 yards, both school records.