Who does the ‘GSH’ patch on the Bears’ jerseys honor?

The Chicago Bears have a long history as one of the founding franchises of the NFL. Despite being over 100 years old, some fans don’t know all of that history, including what the uniform patch with the word “GSH” written on it symbolizes.

We will explore that in this article.

The letters GHS appear on all Bears uniforms, including, for the first time in 2024, the team’s 1936 uniforms. The patch pays tribute to George Stanley Halas Sr., the team’s founder and first owner. When he died in 1983, the team added a patch in his honor to its uniforms and it has remained ever since.

Halas was a former professional baseball player and later player-coach for the Decatur Staleys, later renamed the Chicago Bears.

Halas was born in Chicago and had a varied athletic career. He attended the University of Illinois and played football and baseball. In 1918 he helped Illinois win the Big Ten football title. While serving as an ensign in the Navy during World War I, he played for the Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets and was named MVP of the 1919 Rose Bowl. He was later inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame.

Halas played in minor league baseball and was eventually called up by the New York Yankees as an outfielder, where he played 12 games. According to Halas, Babe Ruth later replaced him as the Yankees’ right fielder. A hip injury ended his baseball career.

Hallas took a job with the A.E. Staley Company and played on the company-sponsored football team, the Decatur Staleys. He represented the team at the 1920 meeting that formed the American Professional Football Association, which became the NFL two years later.

Following the Staleys’ first game of the 1921 season, company founder Augustus E. Staley turned over full control of the team to Halas and moved the franchise to Chicago. He was required to retain the franchise name through the 1921 campaign. The Chicago Staleys played at what would eventually become Wrigley Field and won their first NFL championship that season.

Halas coached the team, but also played wide receiver and defensive end while managing the franchise. He was named to the NFL’s 1920s All-Decade Team. He retired as a player and coach in 1930, but remained an owner of the team. He resumed coaching duties in 1933 and remained until 1942, leading the Bears to championships in 1933, 1940 and 1941.

Halas served in World War II and then returned to coach the team again beginning in 1946 and remained there until 1955, winning a championship in 1946. After a brief break, he returned to the field to guide the team from 1958 to 1967. During that span, the Bears won the 1963 NFL championship and Halas was named AP Coach of the Year in 1963 and 1965.

After that, he retired from coaching and remained the team’s owner until his death in 1983 at the age of 88. Overall, as a head coach, he had a record of 318-148-31, a winning percentage of .671. His teams also won six NFL championships. In 40 seasons as a head coach, he suffered only six losing seasons.

The NFC Championship Trophy is named for Halas and he was a founding member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963.

The Halas family still owns the Bears to this day. Their oldest daughter, Virginia Halas McCaskey, inherited ownership of the franchise when Halas died in 1983. She is 101 years old and her son, George Halas McCaskey, is the current team president.