Bears Scrapbook — Gale Sayers' brief but spectacular career

Gale Sayers played just 68 games with the Bears — tied for 231st on the Bears' all-time list Among those who have played more are Markus Paul (70), Bruce Herron (71), Zack Bowman (73) and Craig Steltz (77). But his impact on the Bears and the NFL was indelible — he scored 18 touchdowns of 50 or more yards in his first three seasons with the Bears.

His knee injury against the 49ers in 1968 shortened his career — but even as a shell of his former self, Sayers still led the NFL in rushing when he returned in 1969 with 1,032 yards. And speaking of that, consider this: Sayers suffered a devastating knee injury on Nov. 10, 1968 — and returned in time to play the 1969 season opener on Sept. 21, 1969. Adrian Peterson was all but knighted — deservedly — for returning from a torn ACL in eight months in 2012. Sayers did it in 10 months, with 1960s medical technology, in 1969.

This week's Bears Scrapbook celebrates the great Gale Sayers and other Bears who made a big impact in a short time in Chicago: