The 1922Chicago Bears season was their third regular season completed in the National Football League, which changed its name from the APFA, and the first under the new franchise name. The team changed the name from Staleys to Bears because Halas wanted his football franchise's nickname to reflect that of the team whose field he used, that being the Chicago Cubs.
The team finished with a 9–3 record under head coach/player George Halas, earning them a second-place finish in the team standings, the second time in the last three years. Two of the three losses were to the Chicago Cardinals, both shutouts suffered "away" at Comiskey Park where the Cardinals played their home games. The other loss was to eventual NFL champion Canton Bulldogs.
In none of their other games were the Bears seriously challenged, with most either shutouts or relative blowouts. Bears co-owner and star left halfback Ed "Dutch" Sternaman led the Bears in scoring for the third straight season, with three touchdowns, 6 field goals, and 5 PATs, finishing with 41 points. His brother Joe Sternaman joined the team and starred by scoring 5 touchdowns and adding 2 PATs.
Background
Name change
When the move was made from Decatur to Chicago shortly after the start of the 1921 season, original team sponsor A. E. Staley — head of a large and profitable corn products manufacturing company — had provided team organizer George Halas with $5,000 in seed money to expedite a move of the club off his compnay's books in Decatur to an independent, private existence in Chicago.[1] This grant had been provisional on Halas retaining the team name "Staleys" for one season, thereby ensuring another year's worth of publicity for his company name.[1]
With the arrival of the 1922 season, this agreement with A.E. Staley & Company expired and team co-owners George Hallas and Ed "Dutch" Sternaman were free to rename their football club with a more conventional sports moniker.[2] The pair settled upon the name "Chicago Bears" — a play on the name of the Chicago Cubs of baseball's National League.[2] On January 28, 1922, Sternaman and Halas incorporated their team in Illinois as the Chicago Bears Football Club, with each man putting up $2,500 and making a joint contribution of $2,500 to provide the company $7,500 in working capital.[2]
A third name was originally listed on the incorporation papers, that of John "Paddy" Driscoll — one of the first superstars of professional football and an acquaintance of Halas' from their time playing together on the Navy's Great Lakes Bluejackets football team during World War I.[2] National Football League president Joe Carr would have none of this, however, Driscoll already being under contract with the rival Chicago Cardinals.[2] Driscoll was severed from the agreement and firm instructions to Halas and Sternaman to cease tampering with another team's star.[2]
