the buccaneers left the nfc north in 2001.
the buccaneers left the nfc north in 2001.
when did the buccaneers leave the nfc north?
2001
the national football conference – northern division or nfc north is one of the four divisions of the national football conference (nfc) in the national football league (nfl). nicknamed the "black & blue division" for the rough and tough rivalry games between the teams, it currently has four members: the chicago bears, detroit lions, green bay packers, and minnesota vikings. the nfc north was previously known as the nfc central from 1970 to 2001. the tampa bay buccaneers were previously members, from 1977, one year after they joined the league as an expansion team, until 2001 when they moved to the nfc south.
nfc north
with soldier field being renovated, the chicago bears had to play their 2002 home games at the university of illinois at urbana–champaign in champaign, illinois (136 miles outside chicago). this was also the year when the houston texans joined the nfl and realignments were made. the bears joined the lions, the packers, and the vikings in the newly formed nfc north. the tampa bay buccaneers leave the nfc central to join the nfc south. the bears even acquired former steelers quarterback kordell "slash" stewart. despite starting the season 2–0, the team was plagued by injuries, and they lost their next eight games. the bears finally got their third win of the year at home against the lions. the bears would lose four out of the remaining five games of the season. the bears ended the season with a 4–12 record.
history of the chicago bears