Although most sports fans would know this stadium as the site of the Chicago Cubs baseball team, the Bears actually played at Wrigley Field for nearly 50 years before moving closer to downtown. The Bears moved to Wrigley in 1921 from Decatur, an Illinois city located roughly three hours south of Chicago, and 46,000 fans per game crowded in for fall football until the Bears played their final Wrigley game in 1970. The field at Wrigley traveled from west to east, with the east end zone close to a wall. Wrigley is at the intersection of Clark and Addison, one mile west of the lakefront.
Starting with the 1971 season, Soldier Field (soldierfield.net) became the Bears' new home. With a seating capacity of 57,000, Soldier held over 10,000 more fans than Wrigley and offered more fans the chance to see Bears' games. Besides the 1985 season, Soldier gained notoriety on New Year's Eve 1988 when fog rolled in off Lake Michigan during a regular-season game against the Philadelphia Eagles. After capacity increased to 66,000 in 1994, it was reduced to approximately 62,000 due to a controversial 2003 renovation. The field retains the Greek architectural columns on the west side, but a new stadium was essentially built in the existing facility. Many who detest the new stadium remark that it looks like a UFO landed in Soldier Field. Soldier is just off Lakeshore Drive southeast of downtown.
Legendary Bears coach Mike Ditka played on the 1963 NFL champion Bears and coached the 1985 squad. Although he was fired following the 1992 season, the name Ditka is still synonymous with Chicago. His namesake restaurant (ditkasrestaurants.com) is located in the Tremont Hotel (tremontchicago.com) at 100 East Chestnut, just off the Magnificent Mile of Michigan Avenue. Although steak is the main feature of Ditka's, the restaurant also features prime rib, burgers, meatloaf, fish and chips and chicken as part of its menu.
Hardcore Bears fans who want to visit places where their favorite players gathered in subsequent years, should visit the Arie Crown Theater (ariecrown.com). Members of the 1985 squad reunited at the theater 25 years later to tell stories about the season, re-enact the famous Super Bowl Shuffle music video and mingle with fans. Richard Dent, Jim McMahon, Dan Hampton, Gary Fencik and Willie Gault were among the Bears to take part in the "Glory Days" reunion.
