The Lombardi Trophy could easily have been named after George Halas, but for now, the NFC Championship trophy is. And it isn't hard to see why. Halas had a triple-threat role with the Chicago Bears team he founded: He was the team's owner, served as its head coach, and once played as a defensive end. At the same time, per Britannica. It was the early days of the NFL, and Halas had been at Canton to take part in the league's founding, reports the New York Times. His colleagues included the luminary Jim Thorpe, and he once said he was replaced by Babe Ruth while he played for the New York Yankees — a little forgotten fact. As coach, he was a trailblazer and popularized the T-formation as the leading offensive scheme. During his tenure, the Bears won seven league championships (per Britannica) and accumulated a record-making 321 regular season wins. While Halas was active, he was likely the best coach in the NFL, per the New York Times.
But for all that he did for his own team, Halas should also be remembered for what he did for the NFL and all of football. For example, in 1956, he spoke passionately to Green Bay voters to keep the Packers in town, despite the fact that they were division rivals, ESPN explains. He retired in 1968 at the ripe-old coaching age of 73 and died in 1983 at 88, per the New York Times.
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