History of the football helmet gridiron until 1939 and were not made mandatory in the National Football League until 1943 As a side note, "the last NFL player to play in a game without a helmet was Dick Plasman an end for the Chicago Bears in 1940." There is a photograph of him without one taken during the 1940 NFL Championship Game in which Chicago defeated the Washington Redskins 73–0. Before the invention of the football helmet, players would often grow their hair long, because they believed it would protect their heads. The man largely credited with inventing the first helmet was George Barclay. In
1942 Chicago Bears season the history of the NFL," according to "Cold Hard Football Facts". "The 1942 Bears went 11–0, scored 376 points and surrendered just 84 points. That dominant team, like the undefeated 2007 Patriots, was upset in the NFL championship game." 1942 Chicago Bears season The 1942 Chicago Bears season was their 23rd regular season and 7th postseason completed in the National Football League. The club posted an 11–0 record under head coach George Halas (who left for World War II in November) and temporary co-coaches Hunk Anderson and Luke Johnsos. The Bears were denied a three-peat and the undefeated season when