Former Bears quarterback Rudy Bukich passed away Monday. He was 85.
Bukich played nine of his 14 NFL seasons with the Bears in two stints, first in 1958-59 and later from 1962-68. He appeared in 59 games with 30 starts for Chicago, completing 474 of 878 passes for 6,254 yards with 46 touchdowns, 45 interceptions and a 72.9 passer rating.
After serving as Bill Wade’s backup on the 1963 Bears team that won the NFL championship, Bukich was the club’s starting quarterback in 1965 and 1966.