Chicago Bears Logo History: Every Change by Year
Posted by JerseyZenith on Oct 26th 2026
- First logo: Decatur Staleys use the A. E. Staley company logo.
- 8 logo changes are listed by year.
- Photos show uniforms and equipment; standalone logo artwork is not reproduced.
- Sources are Wikipedia and team pages; secondary sources are marked.
This guide covers the Chicago Bears logo history, year by year, in words and tables. It does not cover the colors, which have their own guide.
Chicago Bears logo history by year
The table traces the main logo changes from the first mark to the current one. Dates come from the sources below; where sources disagree we say so.
| Year | Change | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | Decatur Staleys use the A. E. Staley company logo | The team promoted the Staley company |
| 1940 | First Chicago Bears logo: a black bear running with a football | Introduced after the team became the Bears |
| 1946 | Navy blue bear on top of a football | Replaced the 1940 design |
| 1962 | Wishbone-C introduced, white with a black outline | Added as pro teams began putting logos on helmets |
| 1963 | Navy blue bear head added as an alternative logo | |
| 1974 | C changed to orange with white and navy trim; wordmark logo appears | The C stayed primary through 2022 |
| 1999 | Revised orange bear head introduced as the secondary logo | |
| 2023 | Orange bear head becomes the primary logo; the C becomes secondary | The C stays on helmets and at the 50-yard line |
The current Bears logo
The current Bears primary logo is the orange bear head, which replaced the wishbone C as the main mark in 2023. The C stays on the helmet and the field.
We describe the logo in words and use photographs of uniforms and equipment; standalone logo artwork is not reproduced.
Why the Bears logo changed
The Bears said the bear head would be the main visual identifier for team and league business partners, which is why they changed the primary logo in 2023 after nearly 50 years of the orange C.
Bears logo, helmet and jersey today
In the Nike era the C stays on the helmet, and the bear head is the primary logo on team materials. See all Chicago Bears jerseys, the legends jerseys and the Bears uniform history.
A logo is only part of the uniform. For colors see the Bears colors guide and for the year-by-year schedule see the Bears 2026 uniforms guide.
Primary, alternate and commemorative Bears logos
The Bears have used one letter and one animal. The C ran from 1962 and the bear head from 1963 as an alternate, so the 2023 change mainly swapped which mark leads. The 1994 helmets with no logo marked the NFL's 75th anniversary and were not a redesign.
| Era | Look | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| 1940–1961 | Running bear with a football, then a navy bear on a football | Archive photos and retro jerseys |
| 1962–2022 | Wishbone C, white first and orange from 1974 | Helmet and the 50-yard line |
| 2023–present | Orange bear head as primary, C as secondary | Primary logo since 2023 |
How we built this Bears logo timeline
We collected the dates from the sources listed at the bottom, using the team's own pages where they exist and Wikipedia where they do not. Wikipedia is a secondary source, so we flag the entries where it is the only source and where two sources disagree. We left out anything we could not confirm, such as the Broncos' 1960 logo. Standalone logo artwork is not reproduced.
If you spot a date that looks wrong, check the team's own history page first. A logo can change on the helmet in one season and on the jersey in another, so the year here is the first public use, not always the first game.
What a Bears logo change means when you buy a jersey
Jerseys follow the logo of their era. A current Nike jersey carries the current mark, a throwback carries an older one, and the product page shows which. If you want an older logo on your jersey, look at the throwback jerseys and compare them with the standard home and away styles in the Chicago Bears jerseys range.
Shop the Bears look
Nike jerseys carry the logo on the helmet and the chest in different ways, and a throwback or retro style often shows an older mark. Compare Game and Limited in our tier guide, or browse all throwback jerseys for retro and vintage options.
Other ways to search for the Bears logo history
Searches such as cool chicago bears logo, logos with bears, logo chicago bears, nfl logos bears, bears old logo and chicago bears c logo lead to the same logo history, so this page covers each of them.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Chicago Bears logo?
Since 2023 the primary logo is the orange bear head; the wishbone C is the secondary logo.
Did the Bears change their logo?
Yes, several times, most recently in 2023.
When did the Bears change their logo?
The C was introduced in 1962, turned orange in 1974 and became the secondary logo in 2023.
Why did the Bears change their logo?
The team said the bear head would be the main visual identifier for partners and fans.
How to draw the Bears logo?
We do not provide logo artwork, because it is a team trademark.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Logos and uniforms of the Chicago Bears (secondary source)
- JerseyZenith catalog (seo/catalog/products.json), counted October 26, 2026