NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

Chicago Bears: Top 10 wide receivers in franchise history

By Carlos Nazario

SAN FRANCISCO - OCTOBER 13: Wide receiver Willie Gault #83 of the Chicago Bears hustles up field with the ball during a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park on October 13, 1985 in San Francisco, California. The Bears won 26-10. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO - OCTOBER 13: Wide receiver Willie Gault #83 of the Chicago Bears hustles up field with the ball during a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park on October 13, 1985 in San Francisco, California. The Bears won 26-10. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next

10. James Scott (1976-83): 177 receptions, 3,302 yards, 20 touchdowns

James Scott was one of the bright spots on an otherwise dismal Chicago Bears teams of the 70s and 80s. To give you an idea of how bad the Bears are with wide receivers, look at Scott. He is a little-known receiver, yet when he retired, he ranked sixth in receiving yards. Today, he ranks a high 13th.

Scott tried to play in the World Football League with the Chicago Fire. He tried out for the Bears and caught on. In 1981, he went to play for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He returned to the Bears in 1982, but he and new head coach Mike Ditka didn’t see eye-to-eye. Scott played in just five games, making two catches. He played in one game in 1983, hurt his hamstring and the Bears subsequently cut him.

9. Marty Booker (1999-2003): 329 receptions, 3,895 yards, 25 touchdowns)

Marty Booker gave Bears fans many highlight-reel catches. He was an athletic receiver who did a good job of fighting for the ball against any cornerback. Additionally, between 2002 and 2012 he was the only Bears receiver to have 1,000+ receiving yards in a season. Also, he was the first Bears receiver to make 100+ catches when he had 100 in 2001 (he still ranks third in that category).

Booker was a consummate team player. While he played well in Chicago, the Bears needed a defensive end to rush the quarterback. They pulled a trade with Booker that brought Adewale Ogunleye from the Miami Dolphins.  Booker had no hard feelings, and when he became a free agent in 2008, he returned to Chicago. However, he suffered multiple injuries that season and the Bears cut him at season’s end.

8. Willie Gault (1983-87): 184 receptions, 3,650 yards, 27 touchdowns

Many teams look at track stars and try to turn them into football players. Willie Gault was one of the few who made a good transition. Gault was a world-class athlete. He was good enough to make the Olympic Track and Field team (he didn’t go because of the 1980 American boycott) and the American bobsled team.

With the Bears, Gault helped the team win Super Bowl XX. He led the team in receiving yards and averaged an incredible 21.3 yards per catch. He stretched the defense which helped Dennis McKinnon to make catches underneath.

The problem with Gault was his hands. He’d blow past defenders with ease and the quarterback made a great pass, but too many times the ball went through his hands. As good as he was, he made some maddening drops. You could see that was the case in 1985 when, for all the big yardage he had, he finished the regular season with just one touchdown. Even William Perry had a touchdown. While many lauded the Chicago Bears defense as the greatest of all-time that season, the offense ranked second in points scored.

We’ll always remember 1985, though.

Home/Chicago Bears