Chicago Honey Bears
| Chicago Honey Bears | |
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Chicago Bears superfans "Bearman" and a Honey Bear in 2009
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| General Information | |
| Team | Chicago Bears |
| Established | 1976 |
| Defunct | January 26, 1986 |
| Director | Cathy Core |
| Captain | Renee Halverson (1977–85) Maribeth Duffy-Bolger (1985) |
| Members | All Time Roster 1977-1986 |
| Website | |
| www |
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The Chicago Honey Bears were a cheerleading squad for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The group performed at Bears games at Soldier Field until Super Bowl XX, which was their final appearance, as well as having done modelling, including an incident when a member of the squad appeared topless in a Playboy magazine. After Super Bowl XX the squad was disbanded, and currently, the Bears are one of the six NFL teams that do not have cheerleaders, along with the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In 1976, after a disastrous 1975 season for the Bears, owner/founder George Halas decided to bring "dancing girls" to the Bears, after the success of other cheerleading corps like the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Washington Redskins Cheerleaders and other squads prompted Halas to get the Bears a squad as well, and requested general manager Jim Finks to find a director. During the search, Finks was given a recommendation for former cheerleader and choreographer Cathy Core, who had recently moved to Chicago from New Jersey. However, when Finks asked Core about choreographing the squad, Core thought it was a prank and hung up. After some verification, Core accepted. During the meeting with Core, Halas stated that "As long as I’m alive, we will have dancing girls on the sidelines." Halas was true to his word, as the Honey Bears were around for the rest of his life until his death in 1983. After 28 girls were selected, they became an instant hit. However, the job did not pay much, as they were only paid $15 a game ($5 for gas, $5 for parking and $5 for uniform cleaning). (By 1985, the wage was extended to $20) Despite this, over 5,000 ladies auditioned in 1985. Unlike current squads, the Honey Bears performed more actual cheerleading stunts than dance moves that other squads perform.
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