Staley Da Bear is the official

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fic ...

of the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

. He is an

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the N ...

with a customized team

jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

. Staley's name is

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

ous to

A. E. Staley Primary Products Ingredients Americas LLC (founded as A. E. Staley Manufacturing Company), also formerly known as Tate & Lyle Primary Products, is an American subsidiary of Tate & Lyle PLC and produces a range of starch products for the food, p ...

, who founded the Bears’ franchise in 1919. He debuted during the

2003 Chicago Bears season The Chicago Bears season was the franchise's 84th season in the National Football League. The team improved to a 7–9 record over its 4–12 record from 2002 under head coach Dick Jauron. The team was once again in a quarterbacking carousel wi ...

to entertain fans at

Soldier Field Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side, Chicago, Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Foot ...

. He has since participated in many charity events, parties,

Chicago Rush The Chicago Rush were a professional arena football team based in Rosemont, Illinois Rosemont is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Located immediately northwest of Chicago, as of the 2010 census it had a population of 4,20 ...

games, and other Bears-related events. Staley has also made numerous cameos on television, especially during the team's Super Bowl run in 2006. Through , Staley's winning percentage with the Bears is .537. Staley was named a three-time

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

mascot in 2004, 2006 and 2007. At halftime, Staley and his "furballs" ( NFL mascots and various other mascots) would take on a group of youth players from Naperville. Staley also frequently attends annual holiday parties hosted by the Bears. Staley has also appeared in the Elmhurst

St. Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick ( ga, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit=the Day of the Festival of Patrick), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patr ...

Parade. Staley and other NFL mascots have also participated in

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. ...

events. Staley also visits area schools to promote and participate in anti-

bullying Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an i ...

assemblies and programs.

References

External links

Staley's Bio on the Chicago Bears website
Chicago Bears National Football League mascots Bear mascots 2003 establishments in Illinois {{mascot-stub