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
1941 Chicago Bears season 1941 Chicago Bears season The 1941 Chicago Bears season was their 22nd regular season and 6th postseason completed in the National Football League. The club posted a 10–1 record under head coach George Halas en route to their second straight NFL Championship and fifth overall league title. The Bears won the Western Division championship by beating the Packers, 33–14, in a playoff at Wrigley Field. The Bears then beat the Giants, 37–9, at Wrigley Field to win the NFL Championship. "See 1941 NFL playoffs and NFL Championship Game, 1941" The Bears defeated the NFL All-Stars 35–24 on January 4, 1942