Dec. 18, 1963 - George Halas (pictured with defensive tackle Stan Jones), a stubborn man who taught the youngsters a few new football tricks at the age of 68, today was named 1963’s coach of the year by United Press International. Halas, whose Chicago Bears meet the New York Giants in the National Football League championship game Dec. 29, received 24 of a possible 42 votes cast by writers who covered NFL games regularly this season. Buddy Parker of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Wally Lemm of the St. Louis Cardinals each got 6 votes. Coach Blanton Collier of the Browns had four votes, and Harland Svare of the Rams had one. Halas, who founded the Bears in 1920, has expressed great desire for another NFL championship. The Bears have not won it since 1946, although they did take the Western Conference title in 1956. That year, they lost the championship game to the Giants at Yankee Stadium. This year, the Bears revised their defense, and the move paid dividends in the form of 10-3 and 26-7 victories over the Green Bay Packers, the 1962 league champions.
