The 1938 Bears were led by future Hall of Fame offensive linemen Danny Fortmann, George Musso and Joe Stydahar.
The Black All-Stars spent three weeks practicing for the game, but the Bears ultimately proved far superior, winning 51-0, though they lost veteran right tackle Lou Gordon for the rest of the season with a broken leg.
While a crowd of 25,000-30,000 was expected, only 5,000-6,000 attended the game, which kicked off at 8:30 p.m. and benefited three local organizations: Hull House, the Abraham Lincoln Centre and the United Charities of Chicago.
Interestingly, their game against the Black All-Stars was the first of three straight non-league contests for the Bears—in a five-day span. In those days, NFL teams scheduled exhibition games throughout the season to generate additional revenue.
After their Friday night contest against the Black All-Stars, the Bears played against independent teams in Cincinnati Sunday and in Charleston, West Virginia, Tuesday before resuming their league schedule with a Sunday game against the Eagles in Philadelphia.
_To learn more about Black history and the Bears, watch this "Love, Legacy and Chicago" roundtable discussion involving Bears vice president Brian McCaskey, Chicago historian Shermann "Dilla" Thomas, Triibe correspondent Jerome Johnson and Bears reporter Jasmine Baker._