Editing Jim Finks (section)

===Chicago Bears===
Finks joined the [[Chicago Bears]] as executive vice-president and general manager. Owner [[George Halas]] had made most of the football decisions himself for most of the time since joining the team in 1920 (when it was the Decatur Staleys), even after buying the team in 1921 and overseeing its move to Chicago. However, he finally saw the need to modernize and gave Finks complete control of football operations. Finks spent the [[1974 NFL season|1974 season]] studying the Bears player talent as well as opposition players from all around the NFL. The next year, he began employing the same formula he used so well in Minnesota to improve the Bears' talent pool.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ranking the best decisions in Bears history: Mike Ditka, Jim Finks and the T-formation|url=https://theathletic.com/4578961/2023/06/27/chicago-bears-best-decisions-rankings/|website=The Athletic|language=en |last1=Pompei |first1=Dan }}</ref>

The Bears under Finks improved. By [[1977 NFL season|1977]], they reached the playoffs for the first time since 1963. They were a playoff team again in [[1979 NFL season|1979]] with a 10&ndash;6 record, best-ever for the Finks-led Bears. But Finks' tenure in Chicago ended suddenly in [[1982 NFL season|1982]] when he resigned because Halas did not consult him in the hiring of [[Mike Ditka]] as head coach. However, he did stay with the Bears until after the 1983 Draft. By the time he left the Bears he held a minor portion of the franchise, which he relinquished when he resigned.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Who Will Own the Bears After the End of the McCaskey Epic?|url=https://www.michaeldonnellybythenumbers.com/michaeldonnellybythenumbersblog/september-19th-2021|language=en}}</ref>

Finks contributed to one of the most dominant NFL teams of the 1980s. The [[1985 Chicago Bears season|1985 Bears]] went over 15&ndash;1 in the regular-season and shut out both the [[1985 New York Giants season|New York Giants]] and [[1985 Los Angeles Rams season|Los Angeles Rams]] in playoff games leading to the Super Bowl.

After leaving the Bears, Finks joined the [[Chicago Cubs]] as president and chief executive officer in September 1983. He remained through the [[1984 Major League Baseball season|1984 season]] when the [[1984 Chicago Cubs season|Cubs]] captured the 1984 [[National League (baseball)|National League]]'s [[National League East|Eastern Division]] crown.

His record as GM with the Bears from 1974 to 1983 (Including 1983 because that was his last draft) was 65 wins – 80 losses