ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Bears showed off their new threads Friday night, unveiling their new classic uniform during the Opening Ceremonies of the Bears100 Celebration Weekend at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.
The uniform is a recreation of the one the team wore for one season in 1936. It features white jerseys with the Bears100 patch, navy and orange stripes on the shoulders and sleeves, navy numbers and letters, navy pants and navy and orange striped socks.
"Our classic uniform in our centennial season was a one-hit wonder in 1936," said Bears chairman George H. McCaskey. "Bronko Nagurski and his teammates wore these on their way to a 9-3 record. We can only imagine what the fans' reaction was to the uniform way back when. We hope today's fans like it; they'll certainly be talking about it."
The helmet that accompanies the uniform is navy with three orange stripes.
"The helmet is cool," said cornerback Kyle Fuller, who modeled the uniform Friday night at the Bears100 Celebration. "I definitely wasn't expecting it. I didn't know what to expect. But to see that I think it added a little bit of pop to it."
The Bears will wear the classic jersey in two games this season: against the Vikings on Sunday, Sept. 29 and versus the Cowboys on Thursday night, Dec. 5, both at Soldier Field.
McCaskey said that it was difficult to select a unique classic uniform because the Bears have made very few uniform changes over the years. But resurrecting the 1936 version was a no-brainer.
"This one really stood out because it was for only one year," McCaskey said. "We thought it would be a great idea to bring it back and see if our fans like it. For that time, you think of uniforms being pretty drab, but this was a pretty dramatic statement, especially those socks. I love the socks. The socks make the uniform, in my opinion."
McCaskey said that the 1936 uniform was the one that he and longtime equipment manager Tony Medlin had targeted from the beginning of the process.
"This is the one that Tony Medlin and I kind of had our eye on from the start," McCaskey said. "He takes his responsibilities as caretaker of our uniforms pretty seriously, so I knew that if it passed muster with Tony that we'd be in pretty good shape."
McCaskey said that his mother, Virginia Halas McCaskey, had one request.
"She didn't want anything that when the team comes out of the tunnel there would be any mistaking that it was the Chicago Bears," McCaskey said. "So with that guidance, we think we've come up with something good."
Fans attending the Bears100 Celebration Weekend will be able to purchase the new jerseys on-site at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. Fans can also buy the jerseys online beginning tonight at store.chicagobears.com.
The jersey replaces the 1940s classic jersey the Bears wore twice last year. They will also wear their alternate orange jersey once in 2019 in addition to their regular navy and white jerseys.
