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The original was posted on /r/nfl by /u/ZappaOMatic on 2025-02-26 03:12:07+00:00.
Original Title: In 1970, George Halas asked Pete Rozelle if he could place a $15,000 bet that the Bears win the division; if they succeeded, he’d donate his $3 million in winnings to three cancer funds. Rozelle declined.
Keep in mind the Bears had gone 1–13 the year before.
From the September 11, 1970 issue of the Chicago Tribune:
200-1? Halas Wants Some of the Action
Always a battler. Always an optimist.
That’s George Halas, owner of the Chicago Bears. Informed that the notorious Las Vegas oddsmaker, Jimmy the Greek, had made the Bears 200 to 1 longshots to win the Central Division title in the impending National Football League race, Halas said yesterday he plans to ask Commissioner Pete Rozelle’s permission to make a $15,000 bet on the Bears at those odds.
“I wonder if Jimmy the Greek has the guts to take on this bet,” the Bear owner scoffed.
Does Halas honestly feel that the Bears, whose exhibition record is 1-3-1, have a chance to cop the title?
“Definitely,” Papa Bear declared. "I think we have an excellent chance to win. It’s true that we haven’t shown too much to date. But I know we have the potential.
“I understand that Jimmy the Greek attended our game in San Diego. I have never had the pleasure of meeting the esteemed gentleman.”
Halas said that if Rozelle grants him permission to bet on his team, he wants the wager to be placed either by representatives of the N. F. L. security office or by a bank president.
“I’m naive at betting or bookmaking, you know, never having placed a bet in 50 years of football,” the Bear owner declared. “I’d want somebody reputable to handle it, somebody to show me the ropes.”
Halas said he would place the bet with the stipulation that if he wins, the $3 million would be divided three ways among the following:
- The Vince Lombardi Cancer Research Fund.
- The John V. Mara Cancer Fund.
- The Brian Piccolo Cancer Fund.
In Las Vegas, Jimmy the Greek commented: “If the Bears prove me wrong, I will donate $15,000 to George’s charities myself.” He did not mention the $3 million.
In New York, Rozelle nixed Halas’ hallucination.
“As much as I would like to see the cancer fund get the money,” said the commissioner, “I have to deny permission.”
For those wondering, the 1970 Bears went 6–8 and finished last in the NFC Central.