With the Bears and Packers poised for Sunday’s NFC Central showdown, Tribune pro football reporter Don Pierson looks back at the seven most memorable games in a rivalry that dates to 1921.
Packers 41, Bears 13
Vince Lombardi began his Green Bay coaching career against the Bears, winning 9-6 in the 1959 season opener. His players carried him off the field, but it wasn’t until late the next season that the legends of Lombardi truly came alive–against the Bears, of course.
The Packers had not won in Wrigley Field since 1952 and Dec. 4, 1960, they arrived with a modest 5-4 record, underdogs to the 5-3-1 Bears, who had defeated the Packers 17-14 in Green Bay in the season opener.
In one glorious day, emerging quarterback Bart Starr threw his first two touchdown passes of the season and the Packers scored 28 points in the second half to win 41-13. Paul Hornung scored 23 points on two touchdowns, two field goals and five extra points to give him 152 points in 10 games, an NFL record. Jim Taylor rushed for 140 yards in 24 carries and Starr completed 17-of-23 passes for 227 yards, including 9-of-10 in the second half in what was to become a common display of efficiency.
The Packers won their next two games to win the Western Conference title and get into their first NFL championship game under Lombardi. They lost to the Philadelphia Eagles but won it all in 1961-62-65-66-67.
The Bears failed to score another point in their two games following the Packers loss and finished the season a disappointing 5-6-1.
Bears defensive end Phillip Daniels on the rivalry: “It’s a whole different story. You really haven’t done anything until you beat teams in crucial games like these. These are the kind of games you want. This is what you play the game for. Any guy that doesn’t want to play in this kind of game shouldn’t be in the league.”
