In the third of a five-part series counting down the best drafts in Bears history, I've ranked the 1936 crop at No. 3. Here's why:
The Bears hit a pair of home runs in the very first NFL draft in 1936, landing a pair of Hall of Famers in Joe Stydahar in the first round and Danny Fortmann in the ninth round.
Stydahar, a big and powerful tackle from West Virginia, and Fortmann, a small but talented guard from Colgate, started together in the East-West Shrine Game in San Francisco and then played in the College All-Star Game in Chicago before joining the Bears.
But it was their success in the NFL that made the 1936 draft such a great success for the Bears. Playing next to each other on the left side of the offensive line, Stydahar and Fortmann helped the "Monsters of the Midway" revolutionize pro football with the T-formation.
Each man won three league championships as part of a Bears dynasty in the 1940s, served in the military during World War II and was eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame. Both were also named to the NFL All-Decade Team for the 1930s.
"It helped me tremendously to play next to Joe for so many years," Fortmann once said. "A true partnership built up. We got to know exactly what to expect from one another."
The idea to stage a draft of college players with NFL teams selecting in inverse order of the previous season's standings was proposed by Eagles owner Bert Bell.
Bell, who later served as NFL commissioner, couldn't compete for elite players with higher revenue clubs like the Bears, Giants and Redskins and wanted to level the playing field.
With the sixth overall pick in the inaugural draft, George Halas and the Bears selected Stydahar, who at 6-4 and 233 pounds was huge for his era. Stydahar played nine seasons with Chicago, interrupted by a two-year stint in the U.S. Navy in 1943-44.
A two-way star who played without a helmet early in his career, Stydahar was named all-NFL for four straight seasons from 1937-40. He was part of the Bears team that annihilated the Redskins 73-0 in the 1940 title game, a contest that remains the most lopsided in NFL history.
Playing two more seasons after returning from the Navy, Stydahar retired after helping the Bears defeat the Giants 24-14 in the 1946 NFL Championship game.
Stydahar, who later served as an assistant coach on the Bears' 1963 title team, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1967. He passed away on March 23, 1977 at the age of 65.
Fortmann, who stood just six-feet tall and weighed 210 pounds, was small for an offensive lineman even by 1930s and '40s standards. But that didn't stop him from earning all-NFL honors for seven straight seasons from 1937-43.
As a rookie in 1936, Fortmann was the youngest starter in the NFL at the age of 20. Halas allowed Fortmann, a Phi Beta Kappa scholar, to attend medical school while he played for the Bears and he graduated from the University of Chicago School of Medicine in 1940.
"Without George's understanding and cooperation," Fortmann once said, "I could have never prepared for my future."
Fortmann retired from football and entered the Navy in 1943 after helping the Bears win three NFL championships in four seasons. He became a doctor and practiced medicine from 1946-84 while also serving as a team physician with the Rams from 1947-63.
In 1965, Fortmann became just the second guard ever to be elected to the Hall of Fame. Last year he was named to the NFL's 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. Fortmann passed away on May 23, 1995 at the age of 79.
Bears 1936 draft class
1-6: Joe Stydahar, T, West Virginia
2-14: Eddie Michaels, G, Villanova
3-24: George Roscoe, RB, Minnesota
4-32: Bob Allman, WR, Michigan State
5-42: Verne Oech, G, Minnesota
6-50: Ted Christofferson, RB, Washington State
7-60: Dick Smith, T, Minnesota
8-68: John Sylvester, WR, Rice
9-78: Danny Fortmann, G, Colgate
With the 2020 NFL Draft set to kick off in just over two weeks, senior writer Larry Mayer ranks the top 10 drafts in Bears history.
(10) 1954
The Bears landed two key offensive stars in the 1954 draft in second-round fullback Rick Casares and 15th-round receiver Harlon Hill. Casares played 10 seasons with the Bears, rushing for 5,675 yards and 49 touchdowns on 1,386 carries. He was the franchise's all-time leader rusher until he was surpassed by Walter Payton in 1979. Hill spent eight seasons with the Bears. He was voted NFL Rookie of the Year in 1954, became the first winner of the Jim Thorpe Trophy as league MVP in 1955, and was a three-time All Pro selection.
(9) 2003
The Bears spent second- and third-round picks in 2003 on cornerback Charles Tillman and linebacker Lance Briggs, who helped fuel a defense that led the team to three NFC North titles in six seasons from 2005-10. In consecutive road wins over the Cowboys and Jaguars in 2012, Tillman and Briggs became the first teammates in NFL history to both return interceptions for touchdowns in back-to-back games.
(8) 2000
The Bears hit back-to-back home runs in the first two rounds of the 2000 draft when they selected Hall of Fame middle linebacker Brian Urlacher at No. 9 and safety Mike Brown at No. 39. Urlacher was the face of the franchise for more than a decade, earning eight trips to the Pro Bowl and the 2005 NFL defensive player of the year award. Brown was the heart-and-soul of the defense; a two-time All-Pro who recorded 17 interceptions with the Bears.
(7) 1939
Before the 1938 season, the Bears traded end Edgar "Eggs" Manske to the Steelers in exchange for their first-round pick in 1939. The Bears used the selection to choose Hall of Fame quarterback Sid Luckman second overall. Luckman led the Bears to four league titles and helped revolutionize pro football by helping to introduce the "T" formation. The Bears also landed fullback Bill Osmanski with the sixth pick in the first round and guard Ray Bray in the ninth round.
(6) 1940
The Bears selected Hall of Fame center/tackle/linebacker Clyde "Bulldog" Turner with the seventh pick in the first round of the draft. An eight-time first-team All-Pro, Turner helped the Bears win four NFL championships in his first seven seasons and remained with the team through 1952. The Bears also spent a second-round pick on receiver Ken Kavanaugh, who remains the franchise's all-time leader with 50 touchdown receptions.
(5) 1981
First-round right tackle Keith Van Horne started 169 games over 13 seasons with the Bears on some of the best offensive lines in NFL history. Fourth-round safety Todd Bell also thrived before sitting out the 1985 season due to a contract dispute. But the key to the 1981 draft was the selection of Hall of Fame middle linebacker Mike Singletary in the second round at No. 38 overall.
(4) 1975
The Bears selected the great Walter Payton with the fourth overall pick in the first round. But Sweetness was just one of nine players from the '75 draft who would eventually become a starter. The crop included a pair of steals in safety Doug Plank in the 12th round and fullback Roland Harper in the 17th round.
(3) 1936
The Bears landed two Hall of Famers in the very first NFL draft when they picked offensive linemen Joe Stydahar in the first round and Danny Fortmann in the ninth round. Playing next to each other on the left side of the Bears offensive line, Stydahar and Fortmann helped the "Monsters of the Midway" revolutionize the NFL with the T-formation.
(2) 1965
The Bears selected a pair of legendary Hall of Famers in middle linebacker Dick Butkus and running back Gale Sayers with back-to-back picks in the first round at Nos. 3 and 4. Both are considered among the greatest players to ever line up at their respective positions. The '65 draft also produced receiver Dick Gordon in the seventh round.
(1) 1983
The 1983 draft produced seven starters on the 1985 Super Bowl championship team, including Hall of Famers Jimbo Covert in the first round and defensive end Richard Dent in the eighth round. The impressive haul also included Willie Gault, Mike Richardson, Dave Duerson, Tom Thayer and Mark Bortz.
