1975 Chicago Bears season
NFL team season
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The 1975 Chicago Bears season was their 56th regular season in the National Football League. The team matched their 4–10 record from 1974, in the first season under head coach Jack Pardee.
| 1975 Chicago Bears season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | George Halas |
| General manager | Jim Finks |
| Head coach | Jack Pardee |
| Home stadium | Soldier Field |
| Results | |
| Record | 4–10 |
| Division place | 3rd NFC Central |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
The 1975 Bears are the only NFL team to have been outscored by 25 points six different times during a 14-game season, a record for futility that has that has only been matched once under the current 16-game format.[1]
Offseason
NFL draft
| 1975 Chicago Bears draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Walter Payton * † | Running back | Jackson State | |
| 2 | 31 | Mike Hartenstine | Defensive end | Penn State | |
| 4 | 83 | Virgil Livers | Cornerback | Western Kentucky | |
| 5 | 110 | Revie Sorey | Guard | Illinois | |
| 6 | 135 | Bob Avellini | Quarterback | Maryland | |
| 6 | 151 | Tom Hicks | Linebacker | Illinois | |
| 7 | 178 | Earl Douthitt | Safety | Iowa | |
| 8 | 197 | Joe Harris | Linebacker | Georgia Tech | |
| 9 | 212 | Roger Stillwell | Defensive tackle | Stanford | |
| 10 | 254 | Mike Julius | Guard | St. Thomas | |
| 11 | 264 | Mike Dean | Kicker | Texas | |
| 12 | 291 | Doug Plank | Safety | Ohio State | |
| 13 | 316 | Charles McDaniel | Running back | Louisiana Tech | |
| 14 | 343 | Walter Hartfield | Running back | Southwest Texas State | |
| 15 | 368 | Steve Marcantonio | Wide receiver | Miami (FL) | |
| 16 | 395 | Witt Beckman | Wide receiver | Miami (FL) | |
| 17 | 420 | Roland Harper | Running back | Louisiana Tech | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Barry Brady | Wide receiver | Alcorn State |
| Greg Engebos | Cornerback | Minnesota |
Roster
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 21 | Baltimore Colts | L 7–35 | 0–1 | Soldier Field | 54,152 | |
| 2 | September 28 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 15–13 | 1–1 | Soldier Field | 48,071 | |
| 3 | October 5 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 3–28 | 1–2 | Metropolitan Stadium | 47,578 | |
| 4 | October 12 | at Detroit Lions | L 7–27 | 1–3 | Pontiac Municipal Stadium | 74,032 | |
| 5 | October 19 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 3–34 | 1–4 | Three Rivers Stadium | 47,579 | |
| 6 | October 27 | Minnesota Vikings | L 9–13 | 1–5 | Soldier Field | 51,259 | |
| 7 | November 2 | Miami Dolphins | L 13–46 | 1–6 | Soldier Field | 57,455 | |
| 8 | November 9 | Green Bay Packers | W 27–14 | 2–6 | Soldier Field | 48,738 | |
| 9 | November 16 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 3–31 | 2-7 | Candlestick Park | 41,726 | |
| 10 | November 23 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 10–38 | 2-8 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 64,979 | |
| 11 | November 30 | at Green Bay Packers | L 7–28 | 2-9 | Lambeau Field | 56,267 | |
| 12 | December 7 | Detroit Lions | W 25–21 | 3–9 | Soldier Field | 37,772 | |
| 13 | December 14 | St. Louis Cardinals | L 20–34 | 3–10 | Soldier Field | 35,052 | |
| 14 | December 21 | at New Orleans Saints | W 42–17 | 4–10 | Louisiana Superdome | 33,371 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Season summary
Week 2
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| • Bears | 0 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 15 |
- Date: September 28
- Location: Soldier Field • Chicago, Illinois
- Game start: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C), wind 6 mph (9.7 km/h)
| 1 | PHI | Horst Muhlmann 44-yard field goal | Eagles 3–0 | |
| 2 | CHI | Bob Thomas 44-yard field goal | Tie 3–3 | |
| 2 | CHI | Cid Edwards 7-yard pass from Gary Huff (kick failed) | Bears 9–3 | |
| 2 | PHI | Horst Muhlmann 43-yard field goal | Bears 9–6 | |
| 4 | CHI | Bob Thomas 24-yard field goal | Bears 12–6 | |
| 4 | 4:09 | PHI | Harold Carmichael 14-yard pass from Roman Gabriel (Horst Muhlmann kick) | Eagles 13–12 |
| 4 | :08 | CHI | Bob Thomas 26-yard field goal | Bears 15–12 |
Week 8
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| • Bears | 10 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 27 |
- Date: November 9
- Location: Soldier Field, Chicago
- Game start: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C), wind 12 mph (19 km/h)
| 1 | CHI | Bob Thomas 34 yard field goal | Bears 3–0 | |
| 1 | CHI | Bob Parsons 12 yard pass from Gary Huff (Bob Thomas kick) | Bears 10–0 | |
| 2 | GB | Steve Odom 42 yard pass from Don Milan (Joe Danelo kick) | Bears 10–7 | |
| 2 | CHI | Walter Payton 5 yard run (Bob Thomas kick) | Bears 17–7 | |
| 3 | CHI | Bob Thomas 48 yard field goal | Bears 20–7 | |
| 3 | CHI | Craig Clemons 76 yard interception return (Bob Thomas kick) | Bears 27–7 | |
| 4 | GB | Barry Smith 18 yard pass from Carlos Brown (Joe Danelo kick) | Bears 27–14 | |
Standings
| NFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Minnesota Vikings(1) | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 5–1 | 8–2 | 377 | 180 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 4–2 | 6–5 | 245 | 262 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 2–4 | 4–7 | 191 | 379 | W1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 1–5 | 4–7 | 226 | 285 | W1 |
