The Honey Bears

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2009-07-14T15:35:00-04:00

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539 3830   There used to be a time in Chicago Bears history where they had sexy girls dancing on the sideline just like the majority of the other teams in the NFL do. They were called the Honey Bears and they danced and cheered on the sideline for the Bears from 1976 through 1985.  In 1976, Chicago Bears owner George Halas made the decision that he wanted to have professional cheerleaders, or “dancing girls,” as he put it, on the sidelines. The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders had been highly successful and Halas wanted the Bears to have them as well. Therefore, he grabbed General Manager Jim Finks and told him that he would be in charge of putting a Bears cheerleading squad together, and to get on it right away.   Finks checked around, made some calls, and he was given a recommendation for choreographer and former cheerleader named Cathy Core. Finks gave her a call and started talking to her about forming a cheerleading squad for the Bears. Core thought it was a practical joke or a prank call being played on her and she hung up the phone. At that point, Finks called the person that recommended her and had them verify the story with Core. Once the proposal was verified, Finks gave Core another call. Core apologized to Finks for hanging up, and that she did not think it was a serious proposition.   Finks arranged a meeting between Core and Halas. He thought Core was a wonderful choice and told her that “As long as I’m alive, we will have dancing girls on the sidelines.” Halas never backed down and for as long as he was alive there were the Honey Bears on the sidelines of Soldier Field.   Not having ever put together a cheerleading squad before, Core took to the road and traveled across the country, interviewing existing cheerleading squads from other teams in order to learn what it took to put together a successful squad.   In a short period of time, and after hours and hours of auditions, twenty young women were selected to be the first Chicago Honey Bears. The job did not pay much, only $15 a game, which was explained as per-diem for $5 for gas, $5 for parking and $5 for uniform cleaning.   The Honey Bears were an instant hit in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Chicago</st1:place></st1:city>, and in Soldier Field. Even though they were not paid much to actually cheerlead, they did earn extra money for personal appearances and modeling jobs because of their notoriety as Honey Bears. They performed on the sidelines at Soldier Field from 1977 until the end of the 1985 season, which was the season that the Bears won the Super Bowl.   George Halas passed away in 1983, and the new ownership, basically his daughter Virginia McCaskey, tried to sever the Bears relationship with the Honey Bears. She was unable to legally fire the Honey Bears at that point because the squad had a contract that extended through the 1985 season.   The Honey Bears last performance together was during the halftime show at the Super Bowl in New Orleans when they performed to “Baby, I’m a Star” by Prince.   Just before the start of the Super Bowl, Core was told by the Bears’ management that the Chicago Honey Bears’ contact would not be renewed and this was it.   Upon being asked about the situation, Core was quoted as saying, “At the time, they told me it was basically a change in philosophy. The Bears wanted to be about blood-and-guts football, and football only. I think there are certain people in the [McCaskey] family who have dominated the negative part of the issue, and as long as those people are still around and still vocal, I don’t think the Honey Bears will come back.”   An official reason has never been given by the Bears organization, but it has been said that Virginia McCaskey, the daughter of George Halas, was known to think that cheerleaders were sexist and degrading to women and that inevitably, she was the one who made the final decision.   There have been some attempts by some people in the Bears organization to reform the Honey Bears, but to no avail. Each time things look promising, Virginia McCaskey eventually nixes the idea. Every time they try, they get the same answer from Virginia McCaskey. Something along the lines of, ‘As long as I own the Bears, there will never be female cheerleaders on the sidelines’.   Of course, with <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Chicago</st1:city></st1:place> fans, there just has to be a curse. It is inevitable. Since the Honey Bears were disbanded after the Super Bowl, and the team has not won another Super Bowl since, there are some fans in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Windy</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">City</st1:placetype></st1:place> who refer to the championship drought as the “Curse of the Honey Bears.”   I am not one of those fans, but it is pretty funny to be sarcastic about it and blame the Honey Bear Curse in jest.   I think that eventually the Bears will bring back the Honey Bears, but it will not happen until Virginia McCaskey either sells the team, which is highly unlikely, or until she joins her father George Halas in the afterlife, who wanted the “dancing girls” in the first place.      Until that time comes, the beautiful Honey Bears will only remain a very fond memory. 76.97.188.228

2009-07-14T15:35:00-04:00

the-honey-bears

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The Honey Bears

No Chicago Bears, Honey Bears, George Halas, Jim Finks, Virginia McCaskey, Cathy Core

The Honey Bears

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