| 1968 Chicago Bears season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | George Halas |
| General manager | George Halas |
| Head coach | Jim Dooley |
| Home field | Wrigley Field |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–7 |
| Division place | 2nd Central |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
The 1968 season was the Chicago Bears' 49th in the National Football League. The team failed to improve on their 7–6–1 record from 1967 and finished with a 7–7 record under first-year head coach Jim Dooley and earning them a second-place finish in the Central Division within the NFL's Western Conference, a game behind the Minnesota Vikings.[1]
Star running back Gale Sayers tore the ligaments in his right knee against San Francisco on November 10 and was lost for the season.[2][3]
The Bears had the tiebreaker advantage over Minnesota, after defeating them twice.[4] They needed a win over the Green Bay Packers in the season finale to clinch the division title,[4] but lost by a point at home.[5][6]
The following season, Chicago posted its worst record in franchise history at 1–13. The Bears' next postseason appearance was in 1977, as a wild card team, and the next division title came in 1984.
- ^ "Pro football standings". Milwaukee Journal. December 16, 1968. p. 13, part 2.
- ^ "Bears beat 49ers, 27-19, but lose Sayers for year". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. November 11, 1968. p. 1, part 2.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Bears down 49ers, 27-19, but lose Sayers for season". Milwaukee Journal. press dispatches. November 11, 1968. p. 12, part 2.
- ^ a b Bledsoe, Terry (December 15, 1968). "Packers' bad year to end at last". Milwaukee Journal. p. 1, sports.
- ^ Bledsoe, Terry (December 16, 1968). "Horn and Packers knock Bears out of title, 28-27". Milwaukee Journal. p. 13, part 2. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
- ^ "Horn answers Pack's call, blows Bears out of race". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 16, 1968. p. 3B.