Which team has the most wins in NFL history?
The league's oldest franchise, the Chicago Bears, has the most wins in NFL history. The Bears have 775 wins, playing in over one thousand games.
The vintage Chicago Bears did incredibly well starting off, only encountering one losing record in their first 25 seasons. In their early seasons, the Bears had eight championships in the pre-Super Bowl era, before the AFL/NFL merger in 1970.
George Halas founded the Bears in 1920. Since then, the Bears have accrued 775 regular seasons and 17 postseason wins.
Considering the number of wins the Bears have accumulated, it's not a surprise that they are one of the only two charter members of the NFL that still exist, along with the Arizona Cardinals.
Their 1,000-plus games started in Decatur, Illinois, in 1920 when the Staley Starch company decided to sponsor a football team, the Staleys, and their representative George Halas.
In 1922, after moving to Chicago, George Halas renamed the Staleys to the Chicago Bears. The team existed in a time when the franchise fee was $100.
The Bears' early years of success
From the very start, the Chicago Bears were one of pro football's most profitable and innovative franchises.
Trading players is a custom and known tradition in the NFL. However, in 1922 it was unimaginable; the Bears were the first to buy another team's player; imaginably, Ed Healey was the cheapest trade for $100.
In 1932, the Bears defeated the Portsmouth Spartans 9-0 to win the championship in the very first NFL game played indoors.
Starting in the 1940s, the Bears kicked off with four straight NFL championship appearances.
The Bears won three championships, including the legendary 73-0 demolition of the Washington Redskins, now known as the Washington Football team.
The Bears won 60 percent of their games in the 1950s; despite their ascending streak, they didn't win the NFL title and made only one playoff appearance.
In 1963 they beat the New York giants 14-10 win, finally breaking their 17-year championship drought.
George Halas, aka "Papa Bear," can be credited for the Bears' success. Papa Bear didn't serve just as the team owner; he was their general manager, player, coach, traveling secretary, and practically every other capability imaginable.
Halas retired in 1967, and he ranked as the unsurpassed leader in coaching victories with 324, a record that held for 27 years.
Halas' empire got passed down to George McCaskey, who served as the chairman of the board. Under McCaskey's reign, the Bears qualified for the playoffs 21 times, won 19 divisions, 9 NFL championships (the second most won by any team), and one Super Bowl win.
However, recent history hasn't been as notable. The Bears have 15 playoff appearances in the 50-year Super Bowl age. Seven of which occurred under Mike Ditka from 1984 to 1991; optimistically, that stretch featured a Super Bowl-winning 1985 squad.