1971 Chicago Bears season
NFL team season
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The 1971 Chicago Bears season was their 52nd regular season completed in the National Football League. The team finished with a 6–8 record, another below .500 showing, eventually costing head coach Jim Dooley his job. This was their 1st season at Soldier Field.
| 1971 Chicago Bears season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | George Halas |
| Head coach | Jim Dooley |
| Home stadium | Soldier Field |
| Results | |
| Record | 6–8 |
| Division place | 3rd NFC Central |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
Offseason
NFL draft
| 1971 Chicago Bears draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Joe Moore | Running back | Missouri | |
| 2 | 28 | Jim Harrison | Running back | Missouri | |
| 2 | 36 | Charlie Ford | Cornerback | Houston | |
| 3 | 64 | Tony McGee | Defensive end | Bishop | |
| 3 | 71 | Bob Newton | Tackle | Nebraska | |
| 4 | 89 | Jerry Moore | Safety | Arkansas | |
| 6 | 135 | Earl Thomas | Wide receiver | Houston | |
| 7 | 167 | Buddy Lee | Quarterback | LSU | |
| 7 | 176 | Dennis Ferris | Running back | Pittsburgh | |
| 8 | 192 | Karl Weiss | Tackle | Vanderbilt | |
| 9 | 220 | Lester McClain | Wide receiver | Tennessee | |
| 10 | 245 | Larry Rowden | Linebacker | Houston | |
| 11 | 270 | Cliff Hardy | Cornerback | Michigan State | |
| 12 | 298 | Steve Booras | Defensive end | Mesa C. C. | |
| 13 | 323 | Ed Nicholas | Tackle | N. C. State | |
| 14 | 347 | Willie Lewis | Running back | Arizona | |
| 15 | 376 | Ron Maciejowski | Quarterback | Ohio State | |
| 16 | 401 | Sid Bailey | Defensive end | Texas–Arlington | |
| 17 | 426 | Ray Garganes | Linebacker | Millersville | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Roster
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 19 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 17–15 | 1–0 | Soldier Field | 55,049 | |
| 2 | September 26 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 20–17 | 2–0 | Metropolitan Stadium | 47,900 | |
| 3 | October 3 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 3–17 | 2–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 66,957 | |
| 4 | October 10 | New Orleans Saints | W 35–14 | 3–1 | Soldier Field | 55,049 | |
| 5 | October 17 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 0–13 | 3–2 | Candlestick Park | 44,000 | |
| 6 | October 24 | at Detroit Lions | W 28–23 | 4–2 | Tiger Stadium | 54,418 | |
| 7 | October 31 | Dallas Cowboys | W 23–19 | 5–2 | Soldier Field | 55,049 | |
| 8 | November 7 | Green Bay Packers | L 14–17 | 5–3 | Soldier Field | 55,049 | |
| 9 | November 14 | Washington Redskins | W 16–15 | 6–3 | Soldier Field | 55,049 | |
| 10 | November 21 | Detroit Lions | L 3–28 | 6–4 | Soldier Field | 55,049 | |
| 11 | November 29 | at Miami Dolphins | L 3–34 | 6–5 | Miami Orange Bowl | 75,312 | |
| 12 | December 5 | at Denver Broncos | L 3–6 | 6–6 | Mile High Stadium | 51,200 | |
| 13 | December 12 | at Green Bay Packers | L 10–31 | 6–7 | Lambeau Field | 56,263 | |
| 14 | December 19 | Minnesota Vikings | L 10–27 | 6–8 | Soldier Field | 55,049 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Game summaries
Week 1
Week One: Pittsburgh Steelers (0–0) at Chicago Bears (0–0)
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
- Date: September 19, 1971
- Game time: 2:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 63 °F (17 °C)
- Game attendance: 55,049
- Referee: Bernie Ulman
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 2
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Bears | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 20 |
| Vikings | 0 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
- Date: September 26
- Location: Metropolitan Stadium
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C); wind 13 mph (21 km/h)
- Referee: Fred Silva
| Q2 | MIN | Grim 4 yard pass from Cuozzo (Cox kick) | MIN 7–0 | |
| Q3 | CHI | Percival 45 yard field goal | MIN 7–3 | |
| Q3 | MIN | Grim 52 yard pass from Cuozzo (Cox kick) | MIN 14–3 | |
| Q3 | MIN | Cox 14 yard field goal | MIN 17–3 | |
| Q4 | CHI | Gordon 36 yard pass from Nix (Percival kick) | MIN 17–10 | |
| Q4 | CHI | Percival 45 yard field goal | MIN 17–13 | |
| Q4 | CHI | Gordon 19 yard pass from Nix (Percival kick) | CHI 20–17 | |
- Dick Gordon 10 Rec, 115 Yds
Week 6
Week Six: Chicago Bears (3–2) at Detroit Lions (4–1)
at Tiger Stadium, Detroit, Michigan
- Date: October 24, 1971
- Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C)
- Game attendance: 54,418
- Referee: Jack Reader
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Chuck Hughes became the first NFL player to die on the field during a game.
Standings
| NFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Minnesota Vikings | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 5–1 | 9–2 | 245 | 139 | W2 |
| Detroit Lions | 7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 2–3–1 | 3–6–1 | 341 | 286 | L2 |
| Chicago Bears | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2–4 | 5–6 | 185 | 276 | L5 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 8 | 2 | .333 | 2–3–1 | 2–7–2 | 274 | 298 | L1 |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
