Roger LeClerc, who kicked on Bears’ title team in 1963, dies

Roger LeClerc, who was a kicker on the Bears’ 1963 NFL championship team, died Thursday at 84, his alma mater announced.

LeClerc played football and baseball at Trinity College in Connecticut, where he later would become a member of the inaugural class of their athletics hall of fame. The Bears picked him in the 15th round of the 1959 draft and gave him an $8,000 signing bonus. He made his debut the next year and spent seven seasons with them.

LeClerc made 75 of 146 field goals with the Bears, including a 50-yarder against the Lions in 1961, and 152 of 158 extra points. He missed two field goals in the 1963 championship game, which the Bears won 14-10 against the Giants.

When LeClerc left the Bears, he was their second-leading scorer. Now he’s their 10th.

His 52 extra points made in 1965 remain a Bears record, and his eight extra points in one game — against the Colts in 1962 — rank second in team history. LeClerc made five field goals against the Lions in 1961, which is tied for the most in a game among Bears kickers. His seven field-goal attempts against the Packers in 1963 is also a team record.

LeClerc played linebacker and center for the Bears, too, starting 17 times on defense, where he recovered four fumbles and intercepted a pass.

He played the last year of his career with the Broncos, who had picked him in the 1959 American Football League draft but failed to sign him.

LeClerc taught algebra and geometry in Agawam, Massachusetts, and retired after 30 years.