The 1959 season was the Chicago Bears' 40th in the National Football League. The team matched on their 8–4 record from 1958 under the coaching of George Halas, winning their last seven games.
Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Sources 1 August 15 at Green Bay Packers W 19–16 1–0 Milwaukee County Stadium 28,286 Associated Press, "Bears Nip Packers, 19–16: 37-Yard Pass Play in Last Minute Caps 16-Point Fourth Period Rally," Racine Sunday Bulletin, Aug. 16, 1959, sec. 3, pp. 1, 5.Dick Cullum, "Bears Win in Last Minute," Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Aug. 16, 1959, p. 39. 2 August 22 vs. Philadelphia Eagles W 24–21 2–0 Manning Bowl (Lynn, MA) 17,000 Bob Hoobing, "Galimore Stars as Bears Beat Eagles, 34–21," Danville Register and Bee, Aug. 23, 1959, p. 35.Ernie Roberts, "Bears Topple Eagles, 24–21," Boston Globe, Aug. 23, 1959, pp. 65, 69. 3 August 29 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers W 54–17 3–0 Jeppeson Stadium (Houston) 28,000 Associated Press, "Chicago Bears Drub Steelers: Crowd of 28,000 Attends Contest," Billings Gazette, Aug. 30, 1959, p. 30. 4 September 5 vs. Washington Redskins W 52–14 4–0 Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, Florida) 28,245 Associate Press, "Casares Sparks Bears to Fourth Straight," Miami News, Sept. 6, 1959, p. 20. 5 September 11 New York Giants W 18–6 5–0 Soldier Field 43,385 George Strickler, "Bears' Passes Beat Giants, 18–6: 43,385 Watch Chicago Win Fifth in Row," Chicago Tribune, Sept. 12, 1959, sports p. 1, 3. 6 September 19 at Cleveland Browns L 31–33 5–1 Cleveland Stadium 25,316 Chuck Heaton, "Browns Win in Final Seconds, 33–31: Trip Bears on Groza's Long Boot," Cleveland Plain Dealer, Sept. 20, 1959, pp. 1C, 8C.
Regular season
The Bears had only two seat prices for the 1959 season: box seats cost $5, while the grandstand — either upper or lower — was priced at $4 per ticket.E.J. O'Malley, "Purchasing NFL Tickets: A Guide to Ticket Information," Sports Forecast, vol. 2, no. 2. Chicago: E.J. O'Malley Publishing Co., 1959; p. 78. No discount was given for the full six game home package, with listed prices of $30 and $24, respectively.
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap Sources 1 September 27 at Green Bay Packers L 6–9 0–1 City Stadium 32,150 Recap 2 October 3 at Baltimore Colts W 26–21 1–1 Baltimore Memorial Stadium 57,557 Recap 3 October 11 Los Angeles Rams L 21–28 1–2 Wrigley Field 47,036 Recap 4 October 18 Baltimore Colts L 7–21 1–3 Wrigley Field 48,430 Recap 5 October 25 at San Francisco 49ers L 17–20 1–4 Kezar Stadium 59,045 Recap 6 November 1 at Los Angeles Rams W 26–21 2–4 L.A. Memorial Coliseum 77,943 Recap 7 November 8 Green Bay Packers W 28–17 3–4 Wrigley Field 46,205 Recap 8 November 15 San Francisco 49ers W 14–3 4–4 Wrigley Field 42,157 Recap 9 November 22 at Detroit Lions W 24–14 5–4 Briggs Stadium 54,059 Recap 10 November 29 at Chicago Cardinals W 31–7 6–4 Soldier Field 48,687 Recap 11 December 6 Pittsburgh Steelers W 27–21 7–4 Wrigley Field 41,476 Recap 12 December 13 Detroit Lions W 25–14 8–4 Wrigley Field 40,890 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. October 3 was a Saturday night game.
Standings
Roster Chicago Bears 1959 roster Quarterbacks
P
Running backs
Receivers
Offensive linemen C G G G T T C
Defensive linemen DE DT DT DT/DE DT Linebackers OLB MLB OLB OLB
Defensive backs CB/S CB/S CB S S/CB S
Special teams K Reserve LB (IR) S (IR) G/T (Military) C (IR) CB (IR)
Rookies in italics
References