George Halas was the founder of the Chicago Bears, an American football team. He was born in 1895 and played college football at the University of Illinois before joining the Navy during World War I. After the war, he became a player-coach for the Decatur Staleys, which eventually became the Chicago Bears. Halas was also a co-founder of the National Football League (NFL) and served as its president from 1933 to 1946. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963 and is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of the sport.