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
History of the Chicago Bears a ferocious tandem of Bronko Nagurski and Red Grange, playing in the newly established NFL Championship Game four times and claiming the league title twice. After completing the 1930 season with a record of 9–4–1, the Bears and Cardinals played in the first indoor football game on December 15 at Chicago Stadium in a charity game for those affected by the Great Depression. Due to the size limitations of the indoor arena, the length of the football field was only 80 yards. The Bears beat their city rivals 9–7. In the 1932 season, the Bears and Portsmouth Spartans tied for