but was persuaded to return for the 1943 season. He continued to practice medicine at Pittsburgh's Presbyterian Hospital during the 1943 season, flying in on Saturdays to play with the Bears on Sundays. The 1943 Bears compiled an 8–1–1 record and defeated the Washington Redskins in the 1943 NFL Championship Game, which proved to be Fortmann's last game as an NFL player. He announced his retirement five days after the championship game. Honors and awards Fortmann received numerous honors and awards during and after his football career, including the following: Fortmann received All-Pro honors during each of his eight years in the NFL. He received second-team honors as a rookie in 1936 and first-team honors in 1937 (New York Daily News), 1938 (NFL, UP, Collyer's Eye, Pro Football Writers, INS), 1939 (NFL, UP, Collyer's Eye, Pro Football Writers, INS, New York Daily News), 1940 (AP, UP, NFL, Collyer's Eye, INS, New York Daily News), 1941 (AP, UP, NFL, Collyer's Eye, New York Daily News), 1942 (AP, NFL, INS, New York Daily News), and 1943 (AP, UP, Pro Football Illustrated, New York Daily News). In 1965, Fortmann was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Hall's third class of inductees. His Hall of Fame biography states: "On offense, he called signals for the linemen and was a battering-ram blocker. On defense, he was a genius at diagnosing enemy plays and a deadly tackler." In 1969, Fortmann was named to the NFL 1930s All-Decade Team. In 1978, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. In 1986, he received the NFL Alumni Career Achievement Award. In 2019, Fortmann was named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team Later years and family Fortmann was married to Mary Van Halteren in a ceremony at East Lansing, Michigan, on March 19, 1938. They had two sons, Thomas and Stephen. Fortmann enrolled at Rush Medical School at the University of Chicago, where he studied medicine while playing for the Bears. He obtained his medical degree in 1940. He interned at Harper Hospital in Detroit and completed his surgical training at the University of Pittsburgh. In the fall of 1944, he served as the line coach for the University of Pittsburgh Panthers football team. In February 1945, Fortmann was commissioned as a lieutenant in the United States Navy. In April 1945, he was assigned to an attack transport ship in