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
1963 Chicago Bears season 1963 Chicago Bears season The Chicago Bears season was their 44th regular season and 12th post-season appearance in the National Football League. The club posted an record to gain their first Western Conference championship since 1956, and the berth to host the NFL Championship Game against the New York Giants In the regular season, Chicago defeated the rival Green Bay Packers (11–2–1) twice to deny them a third consecutive NFL title; the Packers had won the previous five meetings with Chicago. In the championship game on December 29, the Bears defeated the Giants 14–10 at Wrigley Field for the club's