LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The first thing I noticed as I navigated the long, winding driveway was a sign that read, “Warning, grandparents at play.”

It was a hot summer day last July, and I was in the Atlanta area visiting some relatives. I had heard that George McAfee, one of the greatest Bears players of all time, lived in a nearby suburb. A few weeks earlier I had contacted his daughter, Mary Jeanne, who resides in Texas. She was planning to be in Georgia at the same time as me and graciously invited me to the home of her sister, Cheryl, to meet their father.

George McAfee won three NFL titles with the Bears. Click the above image to see his highlights.

An electrifying running back and return specialist who also played on defense, Mr. McAfee was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966 and had his No. 5 jersey retired by the Bears. Mr. McAfee helped the Monsters of the Midway win three NFL championships in his eight seasons with the team in the 1940s despite interrupting his career to serve in the Navy during World War II.

Getting the chance to spend a few hours with Mr. McAfee last summer is something I’ll always cherish. It’s the first thing I thought of Thursday afternoon when I received an email from his grandson informing me that Mr. McAfee had passed away Wednesday night at the age of 90.

Chatting with Mr. McAfee was special to me because it gave me a chance to step back into Bears history without a time machine. Though his memory of some events was foggy, he told me about joining the Bears in 1940, playing in the famous 73-0 rout of the Washington Redskins in the 1940 NFL championship game, and even the heated rivalry with the Green Bay Packers.

Interestingly, the Bears are in the process of converting eight-millimeter coaching tapes of old games to digital video. So we put together six of the best plays of Mr. McAfee’s career for your viewing pleasure. These have never been seen before.

The plays are (1) his 34-yard interception return for a TD in the 1940 championship game and five scores from the 1941 season: (2) a 75-yard punt return for a TD with :37 remaining that beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in a preseason contest; (3) a 44-yard TD pass on a halfback option in a season-opening win in Green Bay; (4) a 95-yard kickoff return TD in a road victory over the Cleveland Rams; and a (5) 59-yard TD run and a (6) 74-yard punt return TD in a loss to the Packers at Wrigley Field. 

“George McAfee helped establish the proud tradition of the Chicago Bears," the Bears said in a statement. "His versatility led to his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as he played offense, defense and special teams on three championship teams. George also served his country in the Navy during WWII. We are proud to have him as an integral part of our history and are saddened by his passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.” 

Mr. McAfee was actually selected by the Philadelphia Eagles with the second pick in the 1940 draft and immediately dealt to the Bears. “It was a great thing,” he told me last summer. “I was drafted by another team and traded to the Bears, which turned out to be real good.”

Mr. McAfee helped the Bears win NFL championships in 1940 and 1941. He showed his versatility in 1941, scoring a league-high 12 touchdowns in virtually every conceivable way: six rushing, three receiving, one on a punt return, one on a kickoff return and one on an interception return.

After playing two seasons with the Bears, Mr. McAfee joined the Navy. He later returned to the Monsters of the Midway following the war in 1945, playing six more seasons and helping the team win another NFL championship in 1946. Mr. McAfee still holds the NFL's all-time record for punt returns with a 12.78-yard average.

George McAfee poses between daughters Cheryl (left) and Mary Jeanne last summer in Atlanta.

When I spoke with him last summer, Mr. McAfee recalled that the famed 73-0 drubbing of the Redskins came just a few weeks after the Bears had lost to Washington 7-3. “When we left Washington, we were a mad bunch of Bears,” he remembered.

Mr. McAfee also told me that he attended Duke University, worked for a trucking company in Virginia in the offseason during his playing career, helped pioneer low-cut shoes because “they were lighter” and owned an oil company in North Carolina after he retired from football.

Mr. McAfee revealed that his first contract was for $5,000. “It wasn’t a whole lot,” he said, “but it was a lot of money back in those days.” He also told me that he grew up in Ohio, he loved playing baseball as a kid and he owned season tickets to Duke basketball games later in life.

At the time I met him, Mr. McAfee was living in an assisted living facility in Decatur, Ga. He enjoyed playing bingo—three cards at a time—and told me that he received an average of three pieces of fan mail a day.

One of the things that I’ll remember from my brief meeting with Mr. McAfee was his sense of humor. When reminded by his daughter that he was 90 years old, he said, “I can’t be that old.” As I prepared to leave, I asked Mr. McAfee if he recalled the last time he had been interviewed. “Yes,” he replied with a sly smile, “today.”

I'd like to send my condolences to his two daughters (he had a son who passed away at the age of 16), his five grandchildren and his four great-grandchildren. Mr. McAfee was a Bears legend who will be missed.