Who was the first Chicago Bears coach to be a head coach in the Pro Bowl?

By: Benjamin Pietrucha

In 1957, Bears head coach Paddy Driscoll coached the West Team. The West beat the East 19-10. The game was played at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The MVPs of the game were defensive back Bert Rechinar of the Baltimore Colts and defensive tackle Ernie Stautner of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The head coach of the East team was Jim Lee Howell of the New York Giants. From 1953 to 1968, the Pro Bowl format was East vs. West.

Paddy Driscoll played quarterback for the Bears from 1926 to 1928. He was the head coach for the Bears from 1956 to 1957. His Bears coaching record was 14-9-1. He lost his only playoff game, the 1956 NFL Championship 47-7 to the New York Giants. He is enshrined in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame. He passed away in 1968.

In 1984 and 1988, conic Bears head coach and Hall of Fame tight end Mike Ditka coached the NFC team. The NFC lost to the AFC 22-14 in 1984. The game was played in Hawaii and New York Jets defensive end Mark Gastineau was named Pro Bowl MVP. The head coach of the AFC that year was legendary Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Chuck Noll.

In 1988, with the game played in its longtime home of Hawaii, Ditka coached the NFC to a victory over the AFC 34-3. The AFC coach that year was Marv Levy, then coach of the Buffalo Bills. The Pro Bowl MVP was Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham.