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Captain, Father, Helping Hand: The legacy of Bennie McRae

Story by NABJ student writer Gena Jones

As part of the Chicago Bears' celebration of Black History Month, the club displayed an homage to former Bears cornerback and the team's first Black captain Bennie McRae — who passed away Nov. 22, 2012 — inside the lobby of Halas Hall. The full display can be experienced through the Virtual History Tour of Halas Hall found at chicagobears.com/history/.

Guardian. Tenacious. Determined. Humble. A beautiful personality.

Bears icon Bennie McRae will forever be remembered as a leader both on and off the field. From 1962-70, McRae wore the No. 26 on his back, donning orange and navy for the Chicago Bears. When the pads were off, McRae was a dedicated philanthropist and family man who considered nothing more important than uplifting those around him.

A key component of a stellar 1960s Bears defensive squad — which included the 1963 NFL championship win — the cornerback was nothing short of a magnet for game-winning picks and return touchdowns. Decades after his retirement, McRae still ranks fifth in franchise history for interceptions, fourth for the number of lifetime yards he returned and tied for third in pick-sixes. In 1968, he was named the first ever Black captain for the Chicago Bears.

Hard work, talent and a natural skill for leadership earned him the title of leader on the gridiron. Strong family values, business strategy and a compulsive generosity are what solidified that title long after the game clock struck zero.

Benjamin Prince McRae was a high school salutatorian with 30 college offers in football and track & field. Studious and speedy, McRae eventually became one of the earliest Black graduates from the University of Michigan. The six-time Big Ten champion in track & field was selected by the Bears in the 1962 NFL Draft and played his heart out in Chicago for nearly a decade.

Raking in 27 interceptions and four pick-sixes throughout his career as a Bear, McRae remains one of the most impactful cornerbacks that the club has ever seen. In 1966, he intercepted two of Johnny Unitas' passes in a 27-17 upset victory against the Baltimore Colts, a performance for which he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Week.

When George S. Halas was asked about the development of the team's excellent secondary, it was McRae's name who came to mind.

"Twelve long years were required to put our defense together," Halas told the Chicago Tribune in 1964. "And it wasn't until late in 1962 when Stan Jones switched from offensive to defensive tackle and Bennie McRae started coming through at cornerback that the defense finally gelled."

Often the hero of close games, McRae was a quick cornerback who put the best quarterbacks in the nation to the test during his time in the league.

After retiring in 1972, McRae became a businessman, establishing ventures like Virginia Oil & Gas and the McRae Construction Company. Greater to him, though, than any of his historical football feats or lucrative investments, was his role as a loving husband and father.

As little girls, daughters Kellan McRae Johnson and Robbyn McRae Harris remember peeking through the crowds to watch their father dominate at Wrigley Field, the former home of the Chicago Bears. Now based in Maryland, the sisters laugh at their chilly memories in the Windy City and the cartoon-less Saturdays they had to endure as children to ensure a quiet house before home games.

Despite his larger than life presence as a budding Bears icon and savvy businessman, Kellan and Robbyn remember more than anything, their father's love for family.

"He was just dad," Kellan said. "He didn't sensationalize any of his endeavors. He provided things that we needed and we thought that was a normal life. It wasn't until his later years that I realized some of the things that he'd done."

As captain, McRae was passionate about uplifting the voices of Black athletes on the Bears. In a 1968 interview, he told the Associated Press that, "...Now the Black player knows that there is a direct link between him and the management. It's something we never had. It's something we needed."

Through his leadership in the locker room — helping to build a stronger culture among the team and staff — McRae developed a bond with the Halas family. It was a relationship that his wife, Suzanne McRae, still holds near and dear to her.

"The Halas family were very, very good to us," Suzanne said. "I'm mourning the death of Virginia McCaskey because she was very acceptive of me and helped us in a great way."

Though most known for his work as the first Black captain of the Bears, McRae's commitment to positive representation started long before he ever stepped foot in Chicago. Mrs. McRae recalls her husband having an intrinsic desire to help others early on in his life — a drive for service so strong it almost rivaled that of his relentless ambition on the field.

"He grew up in a church environment," Mrs. McRae said. "I think that had a lot to do with his personality, because of the people that he was surrounded by at a young age and how they projected love. That stuck with him."

Paramount to McRae was the development of his hometown in Newport News, Virginia. Leveraging the assets of his diverse business portfolio, McRae always ensured that the fruit of his investments made their way back to his childhood community.

"He definitely felt the need to do something for people from where he came up," Robbyn said. "It was his dream to provide fit and affordable housing for those underserved communities that he came from and provide a better life for us at the same time."

McRae Construction Company built the New Hope towers in 1972, a set of residential buildings in Newport News that aimed to provide safe, quality apartments for low-income residents.

"It was new hope for people," Mrs. McRae said. "It was the hope that he could help people see a better life. That was very important to him. He just loved people and wanted to see them do better. Those that didn't have opportunities, he opened doors so that they would have opportunities."

Though the towers were sold in the early 1980s, Robbyn hopes to regain ownership of the property and carry out her father's original plans to develop his hometown for the better.

"I think his goal was to make sure those people in his community could see that they could do what he did, that they could change their lives," Robbyn said. "It may not be through football, but it may be through school, hard work or a trade."

Above all, McRae wanted to use his position as a football star with national attention to connect people to the potential excellence that lies within them and within their communities.

"If you want something you should try your best to go after it, regardless of the obstacles that you are going to be faced with," Kellan said, pondering her father's legacy. "If you try hard enough, you can change things."

A football icon and sports trailblazer, McRae remained true to three things in the midst of his success: church, community and family.

He was a husband who adored his wife, a father who would pull strings to book a local band for his daughter's sweet 16 and a church member who would give generously to the renovations of his house of worship. He was a lifelong runner who would speedily race his daughter around the local high school track. McRae was also a fantastic cook, who would barbecue whole pigs to prepare to feed the party at his famous Memorial Day gatherings. He provided meals for the homeless and housing for the less fortunate.

Bennie McRae, the first Black captain of the Bears, left behind a legacy chock full of generosity, leadership and family values.

He could make a game-changing pick in an NFL championship one day and be cooking up a delicious, heartfelt meal for his family the next. McRae's legacy is a testament to the power of approaching your passions with intentionality and courageously forging new paths with devotion to the betterment of your community.

"He liked to have a good time and enjoy people and enjoy life," Robbyn said.