In the summer of 1952, a young Gene Schroeder, fresh off his first season with the Chicago Bears, found himself at a party in Washington D.C. He was “kind of famous” among the partygoers for his sports ability by then, Carole Schroeder, his eldest daughter, told the Chicago Sun-Times.
There he met his future wife, Doris Richey. They fell in love, and married only months later. Their connection laid the foundation for much of his life.
When later asked how he managed to sustain a long and healthy life, he’d always give the same answer: “Sixty wonderful marriage years to a wonderful woman and a wonderful family.”
Mr. Schroeder, the oldest NFL and Chicago Bears former player, died of natural causes Tuesday in Crown Point, Indiana, a spokesperson for the Bears and Mr. Schroeder’s family confirmed. He was 95.
“He was just somebody who really loved his family, loved his life, loved his career,” Carole Schroeder said. “He really appreciated all the time we had with him.”
“I think of him as just a very accomplished person,” she added.
Learning to love the Bears
Mr. Schroeder was born in Washington D.C. on March 3, 1929 and grew up in the D.C. area.
In a 2024 interview with the Sun-Times, he said he was “bitten by the football bug really, really early,” and recalled sitting on his father’s lap listening to games broadcast over the radio or playing football out in the street.
But the unwavering loyalty he’d later feel for the Bears started out as deep disdain.
Ten years before he was drafted by the Bears, an 11-year-old Mr. Schroeder witnessed the widest margin of victory in NFL history at Griffith Stadium where the Bears routed his hometown Washington Commanders — then known as the Redskins — 73-0 in the 1940 NFL championship game.
The loss left him in tears.
“I hated the Bears. They always beat my Redskins,” he said.
While at the University of Virginia — where he graduated in 1950 with a Bachelor of Science degree in commerce — Mr. Schroeder played both wide receiver and safety, and was a first-round pick for the Bears in 1951. He played all six seasons of his career with the team.
Mr. Schroeder felt he was drafted because of his speed. His talent even earned him an invitation from the Olympic Committee to try out for the 1952 Olympic Games — which he declined because he didn’t want to miss time playing football.
“I was drafted really as a wide receiver because the league was changing,” he said.
The Bears’ faith in his ability and the team’s willingness to help him financially turned him into a supporter of the organization long after his playing days were over.
He also grew close to head coach and Bears legend George Halas.
Mr. Schroeder recalled that, when he stepped away from the NFL for a roughly yearlong stint in the Navy during the Korean War, Halas helped him with everything from a $2,500 advance on his contract to a new set of tires for his car.
Halas even helped Mr. Schroeder land a job in the steel industry.
“Coach Halas was wonderful to play for and never raised his voice,” Mr. Schroeder said. “He was like a father to me.”
Focusing on work and family
He and Doris, having married in 1952, had three daughters in 1953, 1955 and 1963. After retiring from football due to a torn Achilles tendon he suffered while in the Navy, he went to work for the Olin Mathieson Corporation in sales, management and marketing positions for 17 years.
In 1974, he co-founded Trialco Inc., his own aluminum alloy business in Chicago Heights, and served as its president until he retired in 2005.
“He said that was how he channeled his competitiveness after he left the sport,” Carole Schroeder said.
But he held onto his love for the Bears. For a few years in the 2010s, Mr. Schroeder attended alumni weekends hosted by the team, relishing the chance to catch up with old teammates and meet new players.
“He was always very proud of being a Chicago Bear,” Matt Simeone, director of alumni and community relations with the Bears, said. “That definitely came through with him on a regular basis.”
Mr. Schroeder spent his final years living at the Park Place of St. John Senior Community in Indiana.
“He’s just one of the nicest people. He talks about family a lot, but [the residents in the home are] a great big family,” said close friend and fellow resident Bobbi Jaworowski.
In his later years, Mr. Schroeder was an avid reader and loved books about history, especially Civil War history. He was also an active member of his congregation at First United Methodist Church in Crown Point for roughly five decades and was part of countless charity events.
” Selflessness and humility and kindness that stemmed from his faith, that’s what defined Gene,” said Mark Wilkins, senior pastor at First United Methodist Church in Crown Point said.
Mr. Schroeder is survived by his daughters, Carole Schroeder (Tim Dorece), Gail Schroeder, and Nancy Langbehn (Jim); grandchildren Grant Langbehn, Audra Pine (Josh), Jenna Dorece, and Evan Langbehn (Abi); five great-grandchildren; his brother, Frank; and several nieces and nephews. Doris died in 2013.
No services are planned.