Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Was watching some of the 1974 season highlights and one player who comes up every now and then is Bears running back Ken Grandberry.

He led the Bears in rushing in 1974, albeit with a weak total of 475 rushing yards and 3.3 ypc, and then … never played in the NFL again.

The assumption as far his career demise is concerned would be that the Bears drafted Walter Payton in the 1975 draft, and that probably explains why Grandberry never again played for the Bears.

However, what little I could find via a quick search was that Grandberry went to the World Football League. So that would suggest he was out the door in Chicago before Payton arrived.

I wonder if Grandberry got hurt? Seems very rare (in the post-merger era) that someone who led a team in a core statistical category never played another down again for reasons other than injury.

But then wide receiver Charlie Wade led that same Bears team in receptions and also never caught another pass, but Wade did play two games with Green Bay in 1975.

Not that Grandberry was that great, but even poor “leading” players usually get a cup of coffee some place else. Anyone know the story (if there is one besides being mediocre) on Grandberry? And also Wade?

https://profootballarchives.com/players ... 00600.html

https://profootballarchives.com/players ... 00200.html

Ten Minute Ticker wrote: ↑Mon Aug 04, 2025 8:36 am Bears running back Ken Grandberry.

But then wide receiver Charlie Wade led that same Bears

Had to look it up -- Grandberry, yes signed with the Sun in WFL, then signed with Packers as a FA in 1976 and was cut in July. Any references to him after that were when his school records were broken or a review of the 74 Bears team

Wade, as you mentioned, signed with Pack, made the roster but looks like hurt his leg in Oct and was placed on IR in Nov or Dec. He was waived injured in Aug of 1976. Had some sort of "ligament" injury, guessing knee.

The Chiefs signed him in late October 1977 and cut him in August 1978 --

checked for anything in 1979, could not see anything ...

wow --- deleted everything I wrote, I didn't click on Tod's links --- it had all of that ... sorry, my bad

I missed the boat here.

Those that are interested in high school football in my area know of Grandberry as making it from a HS that only was open for just over a decade. Majority of the students there were military kids, had it stayed open another decade it's likely where my dad would have attended and played HSFB.

Lawsuit closed down the school and the students were split between two school districts (now 5 total HS's) and 3 of those schools were in the same league (conference) that I played in.

Mildly interesting 'what if' in our area had it stayed open, if other HS's would still exist/been built and who would have played where--first round NFL talent like Ron Holmes, Reggie Williams, Jonathan Stewart and more.

That 1974 Bears offense had to be one of the least talented. Even though the 1974 Falcons were worse statistically, though the Falcons beat the Bears.

Only Bo Rather, Gary Huff, and Lionel Antoine were starters for the 1975 Bears. Like Grandberry and Wade, most of the STARTERS were released.