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1956 Chicago Bears
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Record: 9-2-1, Finished 1st in NFL West Division
NFL Season Summary
Scored 363 points (30.2/g), 1st of 12 in the NFL.
Allowed 246 points (20.5/g), 7th.
Differential of 117 points (9.8/g), 1st.
Expected W-L: 8.6-3.4.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +9 (0.8/g), 2nd.
Coached by Paddy Driscoll (9-2-1)
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1956 Statistics / Starters & Roster / Games & Schedule / Team Draftees
Starters
Glossary · ProBowl(*), 1st-team All-Pro(+), · CSV · PRE · Hide Non-primary Starters| Pos | Age | Yrs | GS | Summary of Player Stats | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Starters | Complete Team Stats | |||||
| QB | Ed Brown* | 28 | 2 | 12 | 96 for 168, 1,667 yards, 11 td, 12 int, & 40 rushes for 164 yards and 1 td | Chicago Bears / 6th / 68th pick / 1952 |
| QB | George Blanda | 29 | 7 | 0 | 37 for 69, 439 yards, 7 td, 4 int, & 6 rushes for 47 yards and 0 td | Chicago Bears / 12th / 119th pick / 1949 |
| FB | Rick Casares*+ | 25 | 1 | 0 | 234 rushes for 1,126 yards, 12 td, & 23 catches for 203 yards and 2 td | Chicago Bears / 2nd / 18th pick / 1954 |
| LH | Bobby Watkins | 24 | 1 | 0 | 68 rushes for 276 yards, 2 td, & 2 catches for 3 yards and 1 td | Chicago Bears / 2nd / 23rd pick / 1955 |
| RH | John Hoffman | 31 | 7 | 0 | 56 rushes for 272 yards, 2 td, & 7 catches for 85 yards and 0 td | Chicago Bears / 5th / 49th pick / 1949 |
| RH | Perry Jeter | 25 | Rook | 0 | 60 rushes for 316 yards, 2 td, & 5 catches for 52 yards and 0 td | Chicago Bears / 26th / 311th pick / 1955 |
| LE | Harlon Hill*+ | 24 | 2 | 0 | 47 catches for 1,128 yards, 11 td, & 2 rushes for 24 yards and 0 td | Chicago Bears / 15th / 174th pick / 1954 |
| LT | Bill Wightkin | 29 | 6 | 0 | Chicago Bears / 8th / 79th pick / 1949 |
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| LG | Herman Clark | 26 | 4 | 0 | Chicago Bears / 4th / 44th pick / 1952 |
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| C | Larry Strickland*+ | 25 | 2 | 0 | 1 fumble recovered | Chicago Bears / 13th / 150th pick / 1953 |
| RG | Stan Jones*+ | 25 | 2 | 0 | 1 fumble recovered | Chicago Bears / 5th / 54th pick / 1953 |
| RT | Kline Gilbert | 26 | 3 | 0 | Chicago Bears / 6th / 68th pick / 1953 |
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| RE | Bill McColl | 26 | 4 | 0 | 24 catches for 322 yards, 4 td | Chicago Bears / 3rd / 32nd pick / 1952 |
| RE | Gene Schroeder | 27 | 5 | 0 | 20 catches for 315 yards, 1 td | Chicago Bears / 1st / 12th pick / 1951 |
| Defensive Starters | ||||||
| LDE | Jack Hoffman | 26 | 4 | 0 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Chicago Bears / 5th / 54th pick / 1952 |
| LDT | Fred Williams | 27 | 4 | 0 | 1 interception, 1 fumble recovered | Chicago Bears / 5th / 56th pick / 1952 |
| MG | Bill George*+ | 27 | 4 | 0 | 2 interceptions, 3 fumbles recovered | Chicago Bears / 2nd / 23rd pick / 1951 |
| RDT | Bill Bishop | 25 | 4 | 0 | Chicago Bears / 8th / 90th pick / 1952 |
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| RDE | Ed Meadows | 24 | 2 | 0 | Chicago Bears / 3rd / 30th pick / 1954 |
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| RDE | Doug Atkins | 26 | 3 | 0 | Cleveland Browns / 1st / 11th pick / 1953 |
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| LLB | Wayne Hansen | 28 | 6 | 0 | 1 interception, 2 fumbles recovered | Chicago Bears / 6th / 76th pick / 1950 |
| RLB | Tom Roggeman | 25 | Rook | 0 | ||
| LDH | J.C. Caroline* | 23 | Rook | 0 | 6 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Chicago Bears / 7th / 82nd pick / 1956 |
| RDH | Ray Gene Smith | 28 | 2 | 0 | 4 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | |
| LS | Ken Gorgal | 27 | 6 | 0 | Cleveland Browns / 6th / 78th pick / 1950 |
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| LS | Stan Wallace | 25 | 2 | 0 | 1 interception, 1 fumble recovered | Chicago Bears / 1st / 6th pick / 1954 |
| RS | J.D. Smith | 24 | Rook | 0 | Chicago Bears / 15th / 179th pick / 1955 |
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| RS | Jesse Castete | 23 | Rook | 0 | 2 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | Chicago Bears / 24th / 287th pick / 1956 |
| Special Teams Starters | ||||||
| K | George Blanda | 29 | 7 | 0 | 12 of 28 field goals & 45 of 47 extra points | Chicago Bears / 12th / 119th pick / 1949 |
| P | Ed Brown* | 28 | 2 | 12 | 42 punts for a 39.1 average, 1 blocked | Chicago Bears / 6th / 68th pick / 1952 |
| PR | Don Bingham | 27 | Rook | 0 | 13 punt returns for a 0.5 average and 0 td | Chicago Bears / 7th / 78th pick / 1953 |
| KR | Don Bingham | 27 | Rook | 0 | 17 kick returns for a 26.1 average and 1 td | Chicago Bears / 7th / 78th pick / 1953 |
| Age | Pos | G | GS | Wt | Ht | College/Univ | BirthDate | Yrs | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doug Atkins | 26 | DE | 6 | 0 | 257 | 6-8 | Tennessee | 5/8/1930 | 3 | Cleveland Browns / 1st / 11th pick / 1953 |
| Don Bingham | 27 | HB | 12 | 0 | 185 | 6-0 | Sul Ross State | 11/7/1929 | Rook | Chicago Bears / 7th / 78th pick / 1953 |
| Bill Bishop | 25 | DT-T | 12 | 0 | 248 | 6-4 | North Texas | 5/8/1931 | 4 | Chicago Bears / 8th / 90th pick / 1952 |
| George Blanda | 29 | QB | 12 | 0 | 215 | 6-2 | Kentucky | 9/17/1927 | 7 | Chicago Bears / 12th / 119th pick / 1949 |
| M.L. Brackett | 23 | DE-DT-LB | 12 | 0 | 248 | 6-5 | Auburn | 7/4/1933 | Rook | Chicago Bears / 2nd / 22nd pick / 1956 |
| Ed Brown* | 28 | QB | 12 | 12 | 200 | 6-2 | San Francisco | 10/26/1928 | 2 | Chicago Bears / 6th / 68th pick / 1952 |
| Harland Carl | 25 | HB | 9 | 0 | 195 | 6-0 | Wisconsin | 10/1/1931 | Rook | Chicago Bears / 14th / 161st pick / 1953 |
| J.C. Caroline* | 23 | DB-HB | 12 | 0 | 185 | 6-0 | Illinois | 1/17/1933 | Rook | Chicago Bears / 7th / 82nd pick / 1956 |
| Rick Casares*+ | 25 | FB | 12 | 0 | 226 | 6-2 | Florida | 7/4/1931 | 1 | Chicago Bears / 2nd / 18th pick / 1954 |
| Jesse Castete | 23 | DB | 8 | 0 | 180 | 5-11 | McNeese State | 9/3/1933 | Rook | Chicago Bears / 24th / 287th pick / 1956 |
| Herman Clark | 26 | G-MG-LB | 12 | 0 | 256 | 6-3 | Oregon State | 11/30/1930 | 4 | Chicago Bears / 4th / 44th pick / 1952 |
| Jim Dooley | 26 | B-E-FL-TE | 3 | 0 | 198 | 6-4 | Miami (FL) | 2/8/1930 | 4 | Chicago Bears / 1st / 8th pick / 1952 |
| Joe Fortunato | 26 | LB | 12 | 0 | 225 | 6-1 | Mississippi State,VMI | 3/28/1930 | 1 | Chicago Bears / 7th / 80th pick / 1952 |
| Bill George*+ | 27 | LB-G-MG-DT | 12 | 0 | 237 | 6-2 | Wake Forest | 10/27/1929 | 4 | Chicago Bears / 2nd / 23rd pick / 1951 |
| Kline Gilbert | 26 | T-G | 12 | 0 | 233 | 6-2 | Mississippi | 11/22/1930 | 3 | Chicago Bears / 6th / 68th pick / 1953 |
| Ken Gorgal | 27 | DB | 6 | 0 | 200 | 6-2 | Purdue | 2/13/1929 | 6 | Cleveland Browns / 6th / 78th pick / 1950 |
| Jim Haluska | 24 | QB | 5 | 0 | 190 | 6-0 | Wisconsin | 10/9/1932 | Rook | Chicago Bears / 30th / 354th pick / 1954 |
| Wayne Hansen | 28 | LB-C-G-T | 12 | 0 | 231 | 6-2 | Texas-El Paso | 10/6/1928 | 6 | Chicago Bears / 6th / 76th pick / 1950 |
| John Helwig | 29 | LB-DB-DE | 6 | 0 | 208 | 6-2 | Notre Dame | 12/5/1927 | 3 | Chicago Bears / 11th / 140th pick / 1950 |
| Harlon Hill*+ | 24 | E-DB | 12 | 0 | 199 | 6-3 | North Alabama | 5/4/1932 | 2 | Chicago Bears / 15th / 174th pick / 1954 |
| Jack Hoffman | 26 | DE | 12 | 0 | 234 | 6-5 | Xavier (OH) | 3/11/1930 | 4 | Chicago Bears / 5th / 54th pick / 1952 |
| John Hoffman | 31 | HB-FB-E-LB | 12 | 0 | 215 | 6-2 | Arkansas | 12/8/1925 | 7 | Chicago Bears / 5th / 49th pick / 1949 |
| Perry Jeter | 25 | HB | 7 | 0 | 178 | 5-7 | Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo | 5/17/1931 | Rook | Chicago Bears / 26th / 311th pick / 1955 |
| Stan Jones*+ | 25 | G-DT-T | 11 | 0 | 252 | 6-1 | Maryland | 11/24/1931 | 2 | Chicago Bears / 5th / 54th pick / 1953 |
| Dick Klawitter | 27 | C | 5 | 0 | 270 | 6-7 | South Dakota State | 6/29/1929 | Rook | Chicago Bears / 8th / 95th pick / 1956 |
| Bill McColl | 26 | E | 12 | 0 | 230 | 6-4 | Stanford | 4/2/1930 | 4 | Chicago Bears / 3rd / 32nd pick / 1952 |
| Ed Meadows | 24 | DE-E | 12 | 0 | 221 | 6-2 | Duke | 2/19/1932 | 2 | Chicago Bears / 3rd / 30th pick / 1954 |
| John Mellekas | 23 | C-DT-T | 12 | 0 | 255 | 6-3 | Arizona | 6/14/1933 | Rook | Chicago Bears / 4th / 47th pick / 1956 |
| McNeil Moore | 23 | DB | 11 | 0 | 185 | 6-0 | Rice,Sam Houston State | 6/26/1933 | 2 | Chicago Bears / 18th / 210th pick / 1954 |
| Tom Roggeman | 25 | G | 12 | 0 | 235 | 6-0 | Purdue | 9/5/1931 | Rook | |
| Gene Schroeder | 27 | E-DB | 11 | 0 | 192 | 6-3 | Virginia | 3/3/1929 | 5 | Chicago Bears / 1st / 12th pick / 1951 |
| J.D. Smith | 24 | FB-HB-DB | 6 | 0 | 205 | 6-1 | North Carolina A&T | 7/19/1932 | Rook | Chicago Bears / 15th / 179th pick / 1955 |
| Ray Gene Smith | 28 | DB-HB | 12 | 0 | 187 | 5-10 | Midwestern State | 11/27/1928 | 2 | |
| Larry Strickland*+ | 25 | C | 12 | 0 | 248 | 6-4 | North Texas | 9/3/1931 | 2 | Chicago Bears / 13th / 150th pick / 1953 |
| Stan Wallace | 25 | DB-HB | 6 | 0 | 208 | 6-3 | Illinois | 11/15/1931 | 2 | Chicago Bears / 1st / 6th pick / 1954 |
| Bobby Watkins | 24 | HB | 9 | 0 | 198 | 5-10 | Ohio State | 3/30/1932 | 1 | Chicago Bears / 2nd / 23rd pick / 1955 |
| Bill Wightkin | 29 | T-DE-E | 12 | 0 | 235 | 6-3 | Notre Dame | 7/28/1927 | 6 | Chicago Bears / 8th / 79th pick / 1949 |
| Fred Williams | 27 | DT-G | 12 | 0 | 249 | 6-4 | Arkansas | 2/8/1929 | 4 | Chicago Bears / 5th / 56th pick / 1952 |
| Team Total | 25.8 | 12 | 218.8 | 6-2.0 | 2.4 |