Soldier Field

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="002285a1erlcgo.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>The World of Sports Venues</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The World of Sports Venues"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="3Com.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="3Com Park"><U>3Com Park</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Edward.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Edward Jones Dome"><U>Edward Jones Dome</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Ericsson.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ericsson Stadium"><U>Ericsson Stadium</U></A>   |   <A HREF="FedEx.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FedEx Field"><U>FedEx Field</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Ford.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ford Field"><U>Ford Field</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Georgia.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Georgia Dome"><U>Georgia Dome</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Giants.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Giants Stadium"><U>Giants Stadium</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Lambeau.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lambeau Field"><U>Lambeau Field</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Superdome.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Louisiana Superdome"><U>Louisiana Superdome</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Metro.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Metrodome"><U>Metrodome</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Raymond.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Raymond James Stadium"><U>Raymond James Stadium</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Seahawks.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Seahawks Stadium"><U>Seahawks Stadium</U></A>   |   <B>Soldier Field</B>   |   <A HREF="SunDevil.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sun Devil Stadium"><U>Sun Devil Stadium</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Texas.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Texas Stadium"><U>Texas Stadium</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Vet.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Veterans Stadium"><U>Veterans Stadium</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="001d2c00dkelyh.gif"> <div> <A HREF="http://www.chicagobears.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.chicagobears.com"><U><IMG SRC="Bears.gif" border=0 width="80" height="80" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Soldier Field</I></div> <div> Address- 1600 South Lake Shore Drive</div> <div>                   Chicago, IL  60616</div> <bR> <div> Teams- Chicago Bears, Chicago Fire</div> <bR> <div> Year Opened- 1923</div> <bR> <div> Capacity- 66,950</div> <bR> <div> Surface- Grass</div> <bR> <div> These are the loyal spectators, who idolize Mike Ditka, and still hold the memory of Super Bowl triumph in 1986. Only the strong will endure.</div> <bR> <div> One of the oldest in the nation, this historic outdoor stadium was built in 1923, and seats 66,950 people. It was built to commemorate World War I veterans.</div> <bR> <div> The home-teams at Soldier Field are the Bears since 1971 (NFL) and Chicago Fire since 1998 (Major League Soccer). In addition the stadium hosts many special events every year. Major concerts take place here (the stadium has seen the Grateful Dead, Rolling Stones, and U2), and some shows can pack up to 100,000 people. </div> <bR> <div> Tickets can be hard to come by. Most of the seats at Bears game have been sold to season ticket holders. Plan ahead or have good connections.</div> <bR> <div> The field is all grass again, after a brief 17-year experiment with artificial turf. It retains much of its old time charm, which many love. Some grumble about the small, crowded concourses and dismal gate entrances, but once inside all are overcome by the thrill of the event.</div> <bR> <div> Massive Doric pillars stand on the east and west sides of the field, reminiscent of classical architecture. The columns are a grand site, however strange their appearance at a Midwestern stadium may seem.</div> <div> Inside you can buy beer and standard stadium food: hot dogs, nachos, sandwiches, and burgers. But plan to spend a lot of money if you go this route. At Fire games, less of the concession stands are open.</div> <div> Wear your hat and mittens, but be prepared to be caught up in the excitement.</div> <bR> <div> Digital City Chicago</div> <bR> <div> Soldier Field was opened in 1924 as a 45,000-seat Municipal Grant Park Stadium. The first football game played on its field was November 22, 1924, as a capacity crowd watched Notre Dame edge Northwestern, 13-6.</div> <div> It hosted the first boxing event which drew a gate of over $2.5 million (Dempsey-Tunney, 1927), the first ski meet held in a stadium, and the all-time largest football crowd (123,000). The largest crowd for any event in Soldier Field was 260,000 on Sept. 8, 1954, for the religious Marian Year Tribute.</div> <bR> <div> The 100,000-seat stadium was dedicated November 27, 1926, with Army battling Navy to a 21-21 tie. The all-time collegiate attendance record of 123,000 plus was established Nov. 26, 1927 as Notre Dame beat Southern Cal 7-6. The Bears have called Soldier Field home for more than thirty years after playing their first 50 seasons in Chicago at Wrigley Field. In the first professional game at the then-mammoth stadium, the Bears defeated the Chicago Cardinals 10-0 on November 11, 1926.</div> <bR> <div> Plans for the stadium started in 1919 as a memorial to the soldiers of WWI. Soldier Field stands on 10,000 pile foundations driving an average depth of 62.5 feet through fill that replaced the lake waters. The stadium is maintained and operated by the Chicago Park District.</div> <bR> <div> chicagobears.com</div> <bR> <div> New Stadium-</div> <div> <B>Stadium Design Impresses Fans</B></div> <div> By Larry Mayer</div> <div> Senior writer</div> <div> A model and sketch of the Bears' new stadium were displayed at the team's Fan Convention, but season-ticket holder John Lindauer of Lansing, Mich., can't wait to see the real thing.</div> <bR> <div> "I think it's great," Lindauer said during weekend festivities at the Chicago Hilton. "It's super to have a nice stadium, especially outdoors because that's how football was meant to be played. From what I've seen, the design looks very appealing."</div> <bR> <div> The $587 million plan essentially calls for the gutting of Soldier Field while saving only the historic colonnades on the outside of the stadium. A state-of-the-art facility will be built inside that shell, featuring two 84-foot-long video scoreboards, 133 skybox suites and 8,600 club seats. </div> <bR> <div> Four levels of skyboxes will soar 30 feet above the old colonnade on the east side of the stadium. On the west side, a steel upper deck will rise even higher, ensuring a 60-40 ratio of sideline-to-end zone seats. There will no be skyboxes on the west side, allowing more seats throughout the stadium to be built closer to the field.</div> <div> Bears fans who learned more about the new stadium at the convention were impressed with what they saw.</div> <bR> <div> "I love the concept of it, the architecture and the open-air atmosphere," said John Farkas of eastern Pennsylvania. "Football is made to be played on grass, not inside at a roller rink as somebody once said." </div> <div> Lindauer and Farkas clearly aren't the only ones who think it's vital for the Bears to continue playing outdoors on grass. When team president and CEO Ted Phillips opened a stadium seminar by stating that the matter had been a top priority, he received thunderous applause.</div> <bR> <div> "I took a chance with that one and got the reaction I was hoping for," Phillips said with a laugh.</div> <div> Lindauer, a season-ticket holder for 40 years, got the answers he was hoping for. He was pleased to learn that permanent seat licenses (PSLs) will cover only about half of the seats and that season-ticket holders would still retain their rights if they chose not to purchase tickets for the 2002 season when the Bears are forced to find an alternate home.</div> <bR> <div> "At this point there are a lot of unknowns," Lindauer said. "So far the Bears have been sensitive to the needs of the public and the community."</div> <bR> <div> While one older fan flatly stated during the seminar that he doesn't believe in PSLs and couldn't afford to retain his season-tickets, many others understood the concept was a necessary evil. The PSLs are a one-time charge that will be applied directly to construction costs.</div> <bR> <div> Both Lindauer and Farkas, who remains on the season-ticket waiting list, said they would pony up for the PSLs. Details of the PSL plan are expected to be announced this fall.</div> <bR> <div> "Why not? If they gave me certain seats, that's worth it for me to have those," Lindauer said. "I'll know where I'm sitting every year." </div> <bR> <div> "I'm in favor of them," Farkas said, "but I feel for the older people who are on a limited income who cannot scrape that kind of money together. I'm sure the club is going to work with them. (But) it's a guarantee of a seat and it's up to that person to do whatever they want to do with that seat."</div> <bR> <div> More Articles at Chicagobears.com</div> </td> </tr></table></body>