Story thread · 2 reports / 2 sources

John Damore, oldest living Chicago Bear, dies at 92

suntimes.com · 5dShare

At the peak of a 2025-26 Chicago Bears season that had fans embracing championship aspirations, John Damore dreamed of his "greatest goodbye" — death coming shortly after the Bears won a Super Bowl. He remained hopeful of that possibility, even after an elimination at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round. But Mr. Damore died of complications from old age on Tuesday at his home in Westmont. He was 92. "There weren’t many people out there who didn’t just think he was the super nicest guy," said 61-year-old Larry Damore of his father. "He always had a crowd around him." Mr. Damore was believed to be the oldest alum on the Bears — a title he held since January 2025, when the former oldest living NFL player Gene Schroeder died at 95. He was born and raised in west suburban Riverside and remembers wearing Bears jerseys as young as 9 years old, decades before he'd wear the team's colors as their offensive lineman in 1957 and 1959. After retiring in 1959 after an ankle inj

First report: John Damore, oldest living former Chicago Bears player, has died at 92 — nbcchicago.com, 5d