The 1922 NFL season was the third regular season of what was now called the National Football League (the league changed their name from American Professional Football Association after the 1921 season). The NFL fielded 18 teams during the season, including new league teams such as the Milwaukee Badgers, the Oorang Indians, the Racine Legion, and the Toledo Maroons. Meanwhile the Chicago Staleys changed their name to the Chicago Bears, and the Racine Cardinals changed their name to the Chicago Cardinals. Bears owner, George Halas changed the name of the team to the Bears because he wanted his team to reflect the name of the Chicago Cubs, whose playing field they were using. The Muncie Flyers, Cleveland Indians, Brickley's New York Giants, Cincinnati Celts, Tonawanda Kardex, Washington Senators, and Detroit Tigers all dropped out of the league. The Oorang Indians of Marion, Ohio, were an all-Indian team
featuring Jim Thorpe, Joe Guyon, and Pete Calac, and they were sponsored by the Oorang dog kennels. The 1922 NFL season was a race between the Canton Bulldogs and the Chicago Bears. They only played each other once, and the Bulldogs won that game 7-6. The Bulldogs finished the season with an unblemished 10-0-2 record. The Bears, meanwhile, finished the season with a 9-3 record, losing to their cross-town rival Chicago Cardinals twice, 6-0 and 9-0. Since there were no playoffs in 1922, the Canton Bulldogs were named the NFL Champions. The Bears finished in second place for the second time in three years.