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Wednesday, October 1, 2014

50 years at the Confines: Bears Week Day 2

     The Chicago Bears were founded way back in 1921.  However, they didn't play their first game at Soldier Field until 50 years later.  Why, you ask?  Because they spent the intervening years playing games at Wrigley Field.  That's right, the Bears played at Wrigley from 1921 all the way till 1970.  And while there, they had some memorable moments.  They won 8 championships there(that's about 8 more than the Cubs have), and they fielded some of the most memorable teams and players in NFL history.  This is where Gale Sayers accomplished the gargantuan feat of scoring 6 touchdowns in a single game.  This is where Bronco Nagurski ended up running into the outfield wall, cracking it, and remarking to George Halas that "That last guy hit me awfully hard".  This is where it became hip to Bear Down. Not just that, but this is where the Bears first wowed the nation with their T formation and became known as the Monsters of the Midway.  George Halas, Mike Ditka, Gale Sayers, Dick Butkus, and many other players all made their marks and their legends here.


     Ultimately the team was forced to leave Wrigley after the 1970 season because the place simply couldn't have any more seats jammed into it, but their 50 years at Wrigley remains the 2nd longest period of occupying one stadium by any team in the NFL(the Green Bay Packers have played in Lambeau Field since 1957)

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