10 greatest Bears running backs: Where does Matt Forte rank?

There is no shortage of renowned running backs in Bears history, starting with Red Grange, who brought credibility to pro football with a 1925 national barnstorming tour. Grange’s pro rushing career never matched his University of Illinois output because of injury, and he became more valuable on defense.

In 1934, rookie Beattie Feathers became the first NFL runner to surpass

1,000 yards but ended up with only 1,846 in his short Bears career. In the 1940s, George McAfee made the Hall of Fame as much on his punt returns and defense as his rushing totals as Grange called him the most dangerous threat in football.

One of the team’s most effective rushers was Bobby Douglass, who averaged 6.6 yards a carry and scored 20 touchdowns. But he played quarterback between the Gale Sayers and Walter Payton eras, so he doesn’t qualify for this list.

1. Walter Payton 1975-87

Hailed as “the greatest Bear” by Mike Ditka, Payton broke Jim Brown’s NFL all-time rushing record and finished a 13-year career with 16,726 yards, later surpassed by Emmitt Smith. The first draft choice by general manager Jim Finks in the post-Halas era, Payton led the team’s resurgence that culminated with the 1985 Super Bowl victory. A relentless runner, Payton also still leads the Bears in pass receptions and was the best blocker of any of the great NFL backs. He holds 27 team records. Payton died of liver cancer at 46 in 1999.

2. Matt Forte 2008-2015

Second only to Payton on the Bears’ all-time rushing list, Forte is also second to Payton in total yards and receptions. Durable and versatile, he is the first Bear with at least 900 rushing yards in each of his first seven seasons and missed by only two yards in his eighth.

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3. Gale Sayers 1965-71

Nobody ran like Sayers, but he played only 68 games in a career limited by knee injuries in 1968 and 1970. He became the youngest Hall of Fame selection because of his spectacular running style. Sayers scored a rookie-record 22 touchdowns, including six in one game against the 49ers. He returned 91 kickoffs in his career, six for touchdowns. He averaged 5 yards per carry.

4. Bronko Nagurski 1930-37, ’43

A legendary, punishing fullback and defensive tackle left football for pro wrestling but returned for the 1943 season and scored the go-ahead touchdown in the championship game when he ran for 84 yards on 16 carries in the fourth quarter. Witnesses swear they once saw him take a chunk out of the brick wall abutting the end zone at Wrigley Field. He was a seven-time All-Pro.

5. Neal Anderson 1986-93

Faced with the unenviable task of following Payton, Anderson acquitted himself well by surpassing all previous runners except Payton. His 51 rushing touchdowns are second only to Payton’s 110. Anderson was the fastest of all the great Bears backs.

6. Rick Casares 1955-64

Ranks fourth on the team rushing list behind Payton, Forte and Anderson. His 49 touchdowns are third behind Payton and Anderson. Led the team in rushing six years in a row, including a league-leading 1,126 yards in 1956 when the Bears won the Western Conference title before losing the championship game to the Giants.

7. Willie Galimore 1957-63

Once featured in an NFL Films video of Top 10 Elusive Runners, Galimore’s career was tragically cut short when he and teammate Bo Farrington were killed in a one-car accident during training camp following the 1963 title season.

8. Thomas Jones 2004-06

Jones became the team’s sixth-leading rusher in only three seasons before the Bears decided Cedric Benson, a first-round pick in 2005, would be better. Jones went on to have three 1,000-yard seasons with the Jets while Benson fizzled.

9. Matt Suhey 1980-89

Walter Payton’s blocking back, Suhey found time to place 10th on team’s all-time rushing list and eighth on the receptions list. Suhey hardly ever missed a game, assignment or block. He also teamed with Anderson.

10. Roland Harper 1975-78, ’80-82

A 17th-round draft choice in 1975 when Payton went in the first, Harper became Payton’s sidekick and is eighth on Bears’ all-time rushing list. He gained 992 yards in 1978 before his career was derailed by a knee injury in 1979. He was an offensive captain four of his first five seasons.

Former Tribune reporter Don Pierson covered the Bears for 38 years.