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Top 10
Top 10: Bears from Chicago area
With Arlington Heights native Jimmy Garoppolo returning home to make his first start for the 49ers Sunday, senior writer Larry Mayer ranks the top 10 Bears players from the Chicago area.
The Evanston High School product played eight seasons with the Bears from 1981-88 and was the starting tight end on the famed 1985 championship team.
The Joliet native played guard for eight seasons with the Bears from 1985-92 and was a key member of the offensive line that helped the team win Super Bowl XX.Â
A football player and state wrestling champion at New Trier High School, Pyle played center for nine seasons with the Bears from 1961-68 and was part of the 1963 NFL title squad.
The defensive end, who attended Proviso East High School and the University of Illinois, played 10 seasons with the Bears and was an integral member of the 1963 NFL championship team.
The Barrington native, who played his entire 12-year NFL career with the Bears, was a two-time Pro Bowler who remains the franchise's all-time leader with 38 interceptions.
The Chicago native, a linebacker and tackle who attended De La Salle High School, was voted to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 1940s and inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975.
The Hall of Fame center, who attended Oak Park High School, was selected to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 1920s and was voted first-team All-Pro six times.
Papa Bear, who grew up in Chicago, was better known as the Bears founder, owner and coach. But the Hall of Famer was selected to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 1920s as a player.
The Hall of Famer, who grew up in Wheaton, helped popularize pro football when he joined the Bears in 1925 after an illustrious career at the University of Illinois.
A Chicago native who attended Chicago Vocational High School and the University of Illinois, Butkus was selected to eight Pro Bowls and inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979.
