Season overview

The 1928

1928 NFL season

The 1928 NFL season was the 9th regular season of the National Football League. The league dropped to 10 teams after both the Cleveland Bulldogs and the Duluth Eskimos folded before the season. The Buffalo Bisons also had a year out from the league. The Detroit Wolverines were an expansion club...

 Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears

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 in the National Football League...

 season was their ninth regular season

Regular season (NFL)

The National Football League regular season begins the weekend after Labor Day. Each team plays 16 games during a 17-week period. Traditionally, the majority of each week's games are played on Sunday afternoon, with weekly games on Sunday night and Monday night, and occasional games on Thursday...

 completed in the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

. The club posted a 7-5-1 record under head coach George Halas

George Halas

George Stanley Halas, Sr. , nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was a player, coach, owner and pioneer in professional American football. He was the iconic longtime leader of the NFL's Chicago Bears...

, earning them a fifth place finish in the team standings, their worst record to date. The season had its high points, including two shutout wins over the crosstown rival Chicago Cardinals, a shutout win over the defending champion New York Giants

New York Giants

The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

, and convincing victories over Frankford, Dayton

Dayton Triangles

The Dayton Triangles were an original franchise of the American Professional Football Association in 1920. The Triangles were based in Dayton, Ohio, and took their nickname from their home field, Triangle Park, which was located at the confluence of the Great Miami and Stillwater Rivers in north...

, and Pottsville

Pottsville Maroons

The Pottsville Maroons were an American football team based in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1920, they went on to play in the National Football League for four seasons, from 1925–1928...

. However, two losses each to Detroit

Detroit Wolverines

The Detroit Wolverines were a 19th century baseball team that played in the National League from 1881 to 1888 in the city of Detroit, Michigan. In total, they won 426 games and lost 437, taking their lone pennant in 1887. The team was disbanded following the 1888 season.-Franchise...

 and the eventual champion Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...

 made 1928 a disappointment to the normally contending Bears. Chicago's problem was the old guard was aging with Joey Sternaman

Joey Sternaman

Joey Sternaman was a former professional American football player, born in Springfield, Illinois, who played quarterback for nine seasons for the Chicago Bears and Duluth Kelleys. In 1926, he was the quarterback, head coach, and owner of the Chicago Bulls of the first American Football League...

, Paddy Driscoll

Paddy Driscoll

John Leo "Paddy" Driscoll was a professional American football quarterback. Driscoll was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965 and is a member of the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team...

, and George Halas

George Halas

George Stanley Halas, Sr. , nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was a player, coach, owner and pioneer in professional American football. He was the iconic longtime leader of the NFL's Chicago Bears...

 all now in their early 30s, but not enough new talent was on the team to compete. Also, the Bears were now faced with an equal number of away games as at home, whereas in the early 1920s almost all their games were at home as they drew much larger crowds than most other teams. The pace of playing 3 games in 8 days around Thanksgiving, then a standard practice—the Thanksgiving game was not a substitute for the Sunday game but just an extra game, also hurt the veteran Bears down the stretch as in previous years.
Joe Sternaman and William Senn

Bill Senn

William Franklin Senn was a professional American football running back in the National Football League. He played eight seasons for the Chicago Bears, the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the Cincinnati Reds/St. Louis Gunners....

 starred on offense with 4 and 5 touchdowns each. Sternaman also shared kicking duties with Driscoll. The passing game became more important and the Bears scored 11 touchdowns via the air, versus 13 on the ground. This was a league-wide trend, foreshadowing the ascendancy of Don Hutson

Don Hutson

Donald Montgomery Hutson was the first star wide receiver in National Football League history. He is considered by many to have been the first modern receiver....

 and Sammy Baugh

Sammy Baugh

Samuel Adrian "Slingin' Sammy" Baugh was an American football player and coach. He played college football for the Horned Frogs at Texas Christian University, where he was a two-time All-American. He then played in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins from 1937 to 1952...

 of the 1930s.

Future Hall of Fame players

• Paddy Driscoll
  Paddy Driscoll
  John Leo "Paddy" Driscoll was a professional American football quarterback. Driscoll was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965 and is a member of the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team...
  
  , Back
• George Halas
  George Halas
  George Stanley Halas, Sr. , nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was a player, coach, owner and pioneer in professional American football. He was the iconic longtime leader of the NFL's Chicago Bears...
  
  , End
• Ed Healey
  Ed Healey
  Edward Francis Healey, Jr. was a professional football player for the Rock Island Independents, and best known with the Chicago Bears.-College years:...
  
  , Tackle
• Link Lyman, Tackle
• George Trafton
  George Trafton
  George Edward Trafton , was an American football player. He played as a center for the Decatur Staleys of the National Football League from 1920 to 1921 and 1923–1932. He is credited as being the first center to snap the ball with one hand...
  
  , Center

Other leading players

• William Senn
  Bill Senn
  William Franklin Senn was a professional American football running back in the National Football League. He played eight seasons for the Chicago Bears, the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the Cincinnati Reds/St. Louis Gunners....
  
  , Back
• Ed Sternaman
  Edward Sternaman
  Edward Sternaman , better known as Dutch, was an American player, coach, and owner in professional football for the NFL's Chicago Bears....
  
  , Back
• Joe Sternaman
  Joey Sternaman
  Joey Sternaman was a former professional American football player, born in Springfield, Illinois, who played quarterback for nine seasons for the Chicago Bears and Duluth Kelleys. In 1926, he was the quarterback, head coach, and owner of the Chicago Bulls of the first American Football League...
  
  , Quarterback
• Laurie Walquist
  Laurie Walquist
  Lawrence "Laurie" Walquist was a professional American football player who played quarterback for nine seasons for the Chicago Bears. He was born in Rockford, Illinois....
  
  , Quarterback

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Location	Result	Score	Record
Sep. 23	Chicago Cardinals	Normal Park Normal Park Normal Park is the name of a former football field in Chicago, Illinois. It was on Racine Avenue between 61st and 63rd Streets. Normal Avenue is also sometimes given as one of its bordering streets, although Normal Avenue is about 7 blocks east of Racine , at least under the current city grid...	Win	15-0	1-0-0
Sep. 30	Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...	Green Bay City Stadium	Tie	12-12	1-0-1
Oct. 14	New York Giants New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...	Wrigley Field Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...	Win	13-0	2-0-1
Oct. 21	Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...	Wrigley Field Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...	Loss	6-16	2-1-1
Oct. 28	Detroit Wolverines Detroit Wolverines The Detroit Wolverines were a 19th century baseball team that played in the National League from 1881 to 1888 in the city of Detroit, Michigan. In total, they won 426 games and lost 437, taking their lone pennant in 1887. The team was disbanded following the 1888 season.-Franchise...	Wrigley Field Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...	Loss	0-6	2-2-1
Nov. 4	New York Yankees	Wrigley Field Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...	Win	27-0	3-2-1
Nov. 11	Dayton Triangles Dayton Triangles The Dayton Triangles were an original franchise of the American Professional Football Association in 1920. The Triangles were based in Dayton, Ohio, and took their nickname from their home field, Triangle Park, which was located at the confluence of the Great Miami and Stillwater Rivers in north...	Wrigley Field Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...	Win	27-0	4-2-1
Nov. 18	Pottsville Maroons Pottsville Maroons The Pottsville Maroons were an American football team based in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1920, they went on to play in the National Football League for four seasons, from 1925–1928...	Wrigley Field Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...	Win	13-6	5-2-1
Nov. 25	Detroit Wolverines Detroit Wolverines The Detroit Wolverines were a 19th century baseball team that played in the National League from 1881 to 1888 in the city of Detroit, Michigan. In total, they won 426 games and lost 437, taking their lone pennant in 1887. The team was disbanded following the 1888 season.-Franchise...	University of Detroit	Loss	7-14	5-3-1
Nov. 29	Chicago Cardinals	Wrigley Field Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...	Win	34-0	6-3-1
Dec. 2	Frankford Yellowjackets	Wrigley Field Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...	Win	28-6	7-3-1
Dec. 9	Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...	Wrigley Field Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...	Loss	0-6	7-4-1
Dec. 15	Frankford Yellowjackets	Frankford Stadium Frankford Stadium Frankford Stadium was a football field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that was the home of the Frankford Yellow Jackets football team of the National Football League, which predated the Philadelphia Eagles. The stadium was also known as Yellow Jacket Field.The stadium, located at Frankford Avenue...	Loss	0-19	7-5-1

Standings

W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972

Team	W	L	T	PCT
Providence Steam Roller 1928 Providence Steam Roller season The 1928 Providence Steam Roller season was their fourth in the league. The team improved on their previous season's output of 8-5-1, losing only one game. As the team with the best win percentage, they were the 1928 NFL Champions.-Schedule:-Standings:...	8	1	2	.889
Frankford Yellow Jackets 1928 Frankford Yellow Jackets season The 1928 Frankford Yellow Jackets season was their fifth in the National Football League. The team improved on their previous league output of 6-9-3, winning eleven games. They finished second in the league standings.-Schedule:-Standings:-References:...	11	3	2	.786
Detroit Wolverines	7	2	1	.778
Green Bay Packers 1928 Green Bay Packers season The 1928 Green Bay Packers season was their eighth season in the National Football League. The club posted a 6-4-3 record under player/coach Curly Lambeau earning them a fourth place finish.-Schedule:-Standings:...	6	4	3	.600
Chicago Bears	7	5	1	.583
New York Giants 1928 New York Giants season The 1928 New York Giants season was the fourth season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-External links:*...	4	7	2	.364
New York Yankees 1928 New York Yankees (NFL) season The 1928 New York Yankees season was their second and final in the league. The team failed to improve on their previous output of 7-8-1, winning only four games. They finished seventh in the league.-Schedule:-Standings:-References:...	4	8	1	.333
Pottsville Maroons 1928 Pottsville Maroons season The 1928 Pottsville Maroons season was their fourth in the league and their last before changing their name to the Boston Bulldogs. The team failed to improve on their previous league output of 5-8, winning only two games. They finished eighth in the league....	2	8	0	.200
Chicago Cardinals 1928 Chicago Cardinals season The 1928 Chicago Cardinals season was their ninth in the league. The team failed to improve on their previous output of 3-7-1, winning only one game. They finished ninth in the league....	1	5	0	.167
Dayton Triangles 1928 Dayton Triangles season The 1928 Dayton Triangles season was their ninth in the league. The team failed to improve on their previous output of 1-6-1, losing seven games. They finished tenth in the league.-Schedule:-Standings:-References:...	0	7	0	.000