1973 Chicago Bears season
NFL team season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1973 Chicago Bears season was their 54th regular season completed in the National Football League. Unable to improve on their 4–9–1 record from 1972, the Bears failed to qualify for the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season, and instead went 3–11 for their fifth consecutive losing season. Their .214 winning percentage was the second-worst in franchise history until 43 years later in 2016, when the team went 3–13. This was the final season of Dick Butkus's career, as he was forced to retire due to a knee injury.
| 1973 Chicago Bears season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | George Halas |
| General manager | George Halas, Jr. |
| Head coach | Abe Gibron |
| Home stadium | Soldier Field |
| Results | |
| Record | 3–11 |
| Division place | 4th NFC Central |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
Offseason
NFL draft
| 1973 Chicago Bears draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Wally Chambers * | Defensive end | Eastern Kentucky | |
| 2 | 33 | Gary Huff | Quarterback | Florida State | |
| 2 | 48 | Gary Hrivnak | Defensive tackle | Purdue | |
| 5 | 107 | Allan Ellis * | Cornerback | UCLA | |
| 6 | 138 | Mike Creaney | Center | Notre Dame | |
| 8 | 187 | Conrad Graham | Defensive back | Tennessee | |
| 9 | 216 | Mike Deutsch | Running back | North Dakota | |
| 10 | 241 | William Barry | Wide receiver | Ole Miss | |
| 11 | 266 | Ed Siegler | Kicker | Clemson | |
| 12 | 291 | Mike Griffin | Guard | Arkansas | |
| 13 | 320 | John Cieszkowski | Running back | Notre Dame | |
| 14 | 345 | Dave Juenger | Wide receiver | Ohio | |
| 15 | 370 | Don Rives | Linebacker | Texas Tech | |
| 17 | 424 | Larry Roach | Defensive back | Oklahoma | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Roster
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 16 | Dallas Cowboys | L 17–20 | 0–1 | Soldier Field | 49,970 | |
| 2 | September 23 | Minnesota Vikings | L 13–22 | 0–2 | Soldier Field | 52,035 | |
| 3 | September 30 | at Denver Broncos | W 33–14 | 1–2 | Mile High Stadium | 51,159 | |
| 4 | October 7 | at New Orleans Saints | L 16–21 | 1–3 | Tulane Stadium | 56,561 | |
| 5 | October 14 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 6–46 | 1–4 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 58,850 | |
| 6 | October 21 | New England Patriots | L 10–13 | 1–5 | Soldier Field | 47,643 | |
| 7 | October 28 | Houston Oilers | W 35–14 | 2–5 | Soldier Field | 43,755 | |
| 8 | November 4 | at Green Bay Packers | W 31–17 | 3–5 | Lambeau Field | 56,267 | |
| 9 | November 12 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 7–19 | 3–6 | Arrowhead Stadium | 70,664 | |
| 10 | November 18 | Detroit Lions | L 7–30 | 3–7 | Soldier Field | 48,625 | |
| 11 | November 25 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 13–31 | 3–8 | Metropolitan Stadium | 46,430 | |
| 12 | December 2 | Los Angeles Rams | L 0–26 | 3–9 | Soldier Field | 47,620 | |
| 13 | December 9 | at Detroit Lions | L 7–40 | 3–10 | Tiger Stadium | 41,729 | |
| 14 | December 16 | Green Bay Packers | L 0–21 | 3–11 | Soldier Field | 29,157 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Game summaries
Week 1 vs. Cowboys
Week One: Dallas Cowboys (0–0) at Chicago Bears (0–0)
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
- Date: September 16
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C)
- Game attendance: 49,970
- Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 8
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Bears | 7 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
| Packers | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
- Date: November 4
- Location: Lambeau Field
- Game start: 1:00 p.m.
- Game attendance: 56,267
- Game weather: 31 °F (−1 °C) • Wind 9 mph (14 km/h)
| 1 | CHI | Bobby Douglass 1 yard run (Mac Percival kick) | Bears 7–0 | |
| 1 | GB | MacArthur Lane 5 yard pass from Scott Hunter (Chester Marcol kick) | Tie 7–7 | |
| 2 | GB | Scott Hunter 1 yard run (Chester Marcol kick) | Packers 14–7 | |
| 2 | GB | Chester Marcol 25 yard field goal | Packers 17–7 | |
| 2 | CHI | Mac Percival 10 yard field goal | Packers 17–10 | |
| 3 | CHI | Bobby Douglass 1 yard run (Mac Percival kick) | Tie 17–17 | |
| 3 | CHI | Bobby Douglass 2 yard run (Mac Percival kick) | Bears 24–17 | |
| 4 | CHI | Bobby Douglass 1 yard run (Mac Percival kick) | Bears 31–17 | |
Standings
| NFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Minnesota Vikings | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 6–0 | 10–1 | 296 | 168 | W2 |
| Detroit Lions | 6 | 7 | 1 | .464 | 3–2–1 | 6–4–1 | 271 | 247 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 5 | 7 | 2 | .429 | 1–4–1 | 4–6–1 | 202 | 259 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 1–5 | 1–9 | 195 | 334 | L6 |
