Chet Bulger, 91, of Chicago Cardinals’ 1947 Title Team, Dies

Chet Bulger, a member of the 1947 Chicago Cardinals Championship team has passed away at age 91.

Bulger played in the NFL from 1942 to 1950, starting with the Chicago Cardinals and spending his final season with the Detroit Lions. In 1947, he helped the Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 28-21, for the NFL championship.

The Cardinals lost the 1948 title game to the Eagles, 7-0, then did not play for the championship again until reaching Super Bowl XLIII.

“I’m still a Cardinal, always a Cardinal,” Bulger told The Associated Press in a telephone interview a few days before the Super Bowl. “I can’t see too well anymore, but I’m going to get up real close to the TV to watch that game. Maybe we’ll win that Super Bowl. Wouldn’t that be something?”

Bulger scored seven points in his N.F.L. career, kicking an extra point in 1943 and returning a fumble for a touchdown in 1945.

Bulger stayed in Chicago after his playing days and taught and coached at De La Salle, where he stayed through 1982. He became the athletic director, and the school named its main athletic field for him. In later years, he helped raise money for De La Salle.