By Bill Burnett
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 14, 1942; Page 11

The dead sound of cleats on wooden flooring was all you could hear for a while. Nobody said a word.

Then someone murmured, "I'm sorry, coach." The formula was taken up by one after another of the grimy 200-pounders as they sheepishly shook hands with a figure in Navy blue. An occasional sigh was heard . . .

Thus ends the legend of the big, bad Bears.

To 36,006 people the myth exploded out on the sod of Griffith Stadium yesterday when the world football champions from Chicago dropped their title to the underdog Redskins. But to a handful it ended in this dressing room scene after the Natinoal League playoff game. The big, bad Bears proved just as big as ever (in more ways than one) but not bad at all.

Lieut. Comdr. George Halas, who is still "coach" to the Bears despite his entry into the Navy, had nothing to say as each of his boys dropped by. Each got a warm handshake, however, before going to his locker.

Gradually the tenseness left the room as uniforms were yanked off. There was still no loud talking, but the playesr began discussing the game in low tones. Contrary to the expectations of one fan outside who had gleefully hoped — "Those Bears will be at each other's throats when this is over" — ther wasn't a harsh word uttered. The Bears were too stunned to remember mistakes, their own and other's.

Some kind of philosophic high was reached by Danny Fortman, who is a near cinch to capture his sixth All-League berth at guard, with the statement . . . "It had to come sometime. The law of averages was working against us." He was recalling 24 straight victories, 18 of them in regular season action.

Coach Ray Flaherty of the Redskins pushed his way through the crowd to offer condolences and Halas took them gracefully, along with the new Chicago coaching staff of "Hunk" Anderson, Luke Johnson and Paddy Driscoll, Flaherty quickly left.

Luckman Rubs Arm
Anderson thought no one could hear him when he leaned over and remarked to his 10-year-old son: "You see, son. You have to learn to take it in this business." Young Anderson grinned back, with, "I'm taking it okay, dad."

At the end of one bench Sid Luckman was rubbing his arm. The handsome former Columbia star was tired after so much passing, and his right arm had reason to be sore. Big Lee Artoe, who scooped up a fumble and dashed 52 yards for the Bears' only score, couldn't find his glasses when he came out of the shower.

Dressed before the others, Ray Nolting, his ribs separated by Bob Masterson's terrific tackle in the second half, hung around for no reason whatever. "That's the hardest I've ever been tackled," he said, "and the worst rib injury I've had in more than 20 years."

One good, old-fashioned beef came from Bob Mawaskey, the ex-George Washington end. It wasn't about the outcome, however.

Foiled Again
"What burns me up is that I went through the whole season without scoring a touchdown," Bob beefed, laughing. "Four times I've gone over the goal but each time it was no soap. Something or other was wrong. Today when I took O'Rourke's pass to the 1-foot line I thought sure I had six points. That was the second time this year I've been nailed at the 1-foot line."

"Losing the championship," Bob seriously concluded, "was more important to us than anything. That $327 more we would have got by winning looks big, but the championship was the main thing. I still don't see how it happened."

Which just about sums up all the Bears' sentiments.