Chicago Bears hire GM: Ryan Poles to be team's 1st African American general manager in its history

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Chicago Bears have hired Ryan Poles to be their new general manager, a choice that makes history.

The team was finalizing the deal earlier Tuesday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Poles, 36, currently serves as executive director of player personnel for the Kansas City Chiefs. He will be the first African American to hold the general manager position in the Bears' 101-year history.

He replaces Ryan Pace, who was fired along with head coach Matt Nagy after the Bears went 6-11 and missed the playoffs this past season.

"I am extremely grateful to George, the McCaskey family and the rest of the Bears organization for this opportunity," Poles said. "The Chicago Bears are one of the flagship franchises in the National Football League and are recognized as one of the most prestigious clubs in all of sports. It's an honor for me to join such a well-regarded organization. Together with my family, I'm looking forward to hitting the ground running to help get this organization, its fanbase and the city what they deserve: a winning team and a Super Bowl trophy."

After the firing of Pace and Nagy, Bears chairman George McCaskey formed a search committee to evaluate candidates for both GM and head coach.

Poles has spent 13 years in the front office of the Chiefs, rising from player personnel assistant in 2009 to becoming an executive director of player personnel. ESPN reports Poles was also a finalist for the Vikings' vacant GM position.

While he was with the Chiefs, they won a Super Bowl, two AFC titles and seven AFC West crowns.

He's a graduate of Boston College, where he was a graduate assistant for the BC Eagles, and had a tryout with the Bears in 2008, the last of his playing career.

"We are thrilled to be able to add someone of Ryan's background and football expertise to our organization," George McCaskey said. "His accomplishments with the Chiefs speak for themselves and amplified the team's standing as one of the premier franchises in professional sports. We are confident that under his leadership, we will reach our goal of bringing a Super Bowl championship to Chicago."

The Bears are also continuing to evaluate potential head coaches, with former Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell being interviewed a second time by the team Tuesday. Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has also received a second interview from the Bears, ESPN reports.