Countdown to kickoff: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State is only 42 days away
To preview one of the most anticipated games for Notre Dame this century and the official start of the Marcus Freeman era, BlueandGold.com is counting down the days to the matchup against Ohio State on Sept. 3.
This daily series of 99 stories celebrates by the numbers some of the most notable names, dates, moments and memories related to the past and present of Notre Dame football.
Today, with 42 until kickoff, we take a look at a few of the 42 former Irish players who went on to be drafted by the Chicago Bears.
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As of the 2022 NFL Draft, a total of 522 former Notre Dame football players have been drafted into the pros, and 42 of them 522 have gone to the Chicago Bears. The Bears have also pulled from Notre Dame more than any other school. Unsurprisingly, the connections with the team just around 95 miles to the west of Notre Dame Stadium are strong.
The pipeline to Chicago began in 1939. With No. 176 overall pick, which at that time fell in the 19th round, the Bears took Irish back Ed Simonich.
A couple of the most famous picks include Heisman-winning quarterback Johnny Lujack, who was taken with the No. 4 overall selection in 1946, and defensive tackle Chris Zorich, the No. 49 overall pick in 1991. Surprisingly, only two of Notre Dame’s 70 first-rounders have gone to Chicago: Lujack and Bob Williams. The quarterback was selected second overall in 1951.
Other Chicago draftees who went on to have notable Bears careers include four-time Pro Bowler and defensive back Dave Duerson (1983 NFL Draft, Round 3/Pick 64), Walter Payton Man of the Year and offensive tackle Jim Flanigan (1994 NFL Draft, Round 3/Pick 74), Super Bowl champion Tom Thayer (1983 NFL Draft, Round 4/Pick 91) and All-Pro defensive lineman Bill Wightkin (1949 NFL Draft, Round 8/Pick 79).
There was a long drought just after the turn of the century, as the Bears did not take a Notre Dame player between 2002-19.
Chicago’s most recent Irish selection was hometown product Cole Kmet, and that choice has turned out pretty well for them. Kmet, a tight end and former Notre Dame baseball player as well, was taken in the second round in 2020 with the No. 43 overall selection. Over two seasons, the 6-6, 260-pound Arlington Heights (Ill.) St. Viator pass-catcher has 88 receptions for 855 yards and two touchdowns. Heading into the 2022 season, he is the only member of the 2020 tight end draft class to have already eclipsed 500 career receiving yards.
While he is a graduate of Ohio State, the Bears were also the team to draft current Irish head coach Marcus Freeman in the fifth round in 2009.
