Chicago Bears 100 Weekend Review

As anyone that knows that has followed me any length of time on the internet or social media, you know how big of a Chicago Bears fan I am. Along with the Cubs, they are my two favorite professional sports teams. Last weekend, I had the privilege of attending the Bears’ 100 weekend event. It was a celebration for 100 seasons of Bears football as they hit the centennial mark this year. They are one of two teams remaining(the Arizona Cardinals are the other) from the original NFL franchises that started in 1920.

I first heard about this event towards the end of last year. I didn’t get my ticket for it until April because I didn’t know exactly how my work schedule would unfold. So to be sure I could maximize what I could if I could go more than a day, I bought the standard weekend pass since VIP Premium sold out quickly.

The other issue was arranging the travel and having to see in advance of how my work schedule was going to play out. As soon as I seen I wouldn’t have to travel back out from Chicago on that Sunday, I sent a flight request change to fly in from Washington DC — where I was working — to Chicago instead of home. Since I flew into DC, I would’ve had to fly somewhere anyway. I got that flight change approved and then used hotel points to book a place at the Comfort Suites in nearby Schiller Park. Then I contacted my good buddy Greg Hoover to put our plans in motion to meet up after the Sunday portion finished. So I got to go to Wrigley Field to see the Cubs play the Cards that night on top of all that. Seeing events for my two favorite pro teams, and meeting up with Greg made this short stay amazing!

Anyway, on to my Bears weekend review. I didn’t get in to Chicago until Friday morning, and I picked my pass credential immediately after getting my rental car. I checked into my hotel not long after working a long night in DC. I did see on social media that the line for the Friday evening event was so long, I passed on going. I heard from plenty of fans about that as well as them honoring Bears legends and revealing their new throwback 1936 jerseys(which look too sweet, by the way).

Day 2 on Saturday

I arrived to the Donald Stephens Convention Center on that Saturday at about 6:30am and there was already a long line going in. The doors opened up at 8:30am, and I got in probably less than ten minutes after going thru the security check. I received a scratch-off ticket that allowed me twenty percent off my purchase at the gift shop.

Some of the first things I noticed were the giant bobble head statues of Bears co-founder George Halas and current star linebacker Khalil Mack. I also noticed the History Hall with the Super Bowl XX trophy and more. I wasn’t there long before I decided to get in line to meet some current and former players.

The way the setup worked was that there was about 18 tables and roughly half of them in use at one time. You lined up to get either an autograph or photo of the player you want at a table number. They said if it was an autograph, no pics were allowed. And, vice versa on photographs. However, some players allowed both at their discretion. In the early morning, not as many fans had arrived. But the ones who did mostly went for the autographs. I went for the photographs.

The first alumni player I met was former All-Pro offensive tackle James “Big Cat” Williams. He was one of the photo opportunities to be had on the early morning timeslot. There’s not many players that have played this game that are as big as “Big Cat” was. Not only was he good at protecting the quarterback in his heyday, he was also good on special teams. I vividly recall him blocking a field goal once in 2000 when I attended a Bears game. Anyway, I was instantly impressed with the size of his hands when he shook mine. He hasn’t changed much since his playing days either. For the very brief conversation we had, he was cool. He was one of my favorites when he played.

The second Bears player I met was one that may have been the highest on my priority list to meet. At least as far as alumni players go. That player was former Oklahoma Sooner and Chicago Bear star defensive Tommie Harris. He had on his OU jacket while taking photos with fans. As any of you that have followed me knows, Oklahoma is my favorite college team, so this was a must opportunity here. When my turn came up, I gave him a quick Boomer Sooner and told him that was my team, too. He liked that a lot. He has slimmed down since his playing days, but you could tell he wanted to be there. He’s obviously one of my favorite Bears of all-time.

Meanwhile as we waited for Tommie to take photos with fans, Charles “Peanut” Tillman was at the table next to us signing photos. He was also taking photos with fans as well. He even hilariously took a cell phone call from a fan during the session. I bring all this up because he was scheduled to only be there for an hour so that he could attend the 2006 NFC Championship Panel. He was on a tight schedule. However, he stayed and told the remaining fans in his line that he only had 25 minutes and that they had to be ready when it was their turn. He signed for the 30 or so fans left and those of us in other lines gave him a “Peanut!” chant when he was leaving with his family. If you don’t like Charles Tillman for that, you need a mental evaluation.

Because I was one of the first to meet Tommie Harris, I lined up to meet another former player in that same timeslot. I got a break when Chris Zorich’s table had a few wristbands left to get a photo with him. The former Notre Dame and Bear star defensive tackle was one of the most professional people there. After I got the pic with him(it was only supposed to be photo only), I was set to leave before he spotted me carrying my Bears media guide that you get after entry. So he quickly signed the media guide for me and shook my hand. It’s always a very class move on an athlete/celeb’s part to offer to sign something instead of you asking them. For that, I’m glad they had enough wristbands left for me to meet Zorich after he did that for me.

After meeting Zorich, I decided to venture out of the autograph/photo area to see the rest of the venue. I went back into the History Hall before going upstairs to Level 2 where the End Zone and Tailgate area was. A waiver was required to be signed before entering since they had NFL Draft Combine-like routines like the 40-yard dash, agility drills, and quarterback tossing. I tried the quarterback throwing and did okay with that since my arm is still fairly strong. Bears kicker Elliott Fry was there helping with the quarterback tossing area. I found him to be interactive and encouraging to those who tried that out. It was fun watching the kids running the 40-yard dash and doing agility drills. It was a virtual playground and combine for any age. I was also a huge fan of the artwork and posters of the games between the Bears and other opponents. I know I’ve seen them previously online, but seeing them on giant-size posters did them more justice. Whoever designs them is a genius!

After having some fun in the End Zone area, I left to go to the Bears Den area. They had a Fox Sports setup where you could get a pic with life-like stand-ups of analysts Howie Long and Terry Bradshaw.

Not much longer later, I went over to the Bears locker room area where they gave you this virtual credit card that you could use to win a prize behind a locker. Basically, the card activated the lock you chose, and I won a shopping bag, which I found very timely since I had accumulated some items over the course of the day. After that, I lined up to get a pic of me sitting in the locker room next to Mitchell Trubisky and Khalil Mack. They took the pic and were able to put my last name above the locker when they texted it to me. That was a pleasant surprise that I wasn’t expecting that day.

After being upstairs to do all that for a couple of hours, I wanted to see who else was left to pick up a wristband for to meet. I seen that current center James Daniels had a photo opportunity and wristbands left, so I chose him as my final one for the day. When I got in line to meet him, the staff attendant managing the line informed us that he was not only taking pics with fans, but signing as well. They later told us we could pick one or the other. However, when my turn came up to meet him, he asked to sign my media guide after I got the photo. So like I did when meeting Zorich, I let him do that. I don’t say no when they’re the ones that ask to sign what I had available. It’s always at their discretion to decline or accept photos/autographs at anytime, but anyone would be a big fan of someone that does more. Hats off to James Daniels for that!

To end the day, I decided to enter the Panel area where I happened to catch the end of the defensive lineman session. They had legends Ed O’Bradovich(who was on that 1963 NFL Championship team), Dan Hampton, Chris Zorich, and Tommie Harris. Plus, current Pro Bowl defensive tackle Akiem Hicks was on the panel as well. As I said, I got to this late, but did see Hicks praising the legends with him as well as saying he was honored to be a Bear. Hampton and O’Bradovich both said this current defense was special, and they were excited to see them again this year. Hampton, ever so outspoken, did say that he was glad former coach John Fox was gone as the crowd erupted in cheers over that. He then ended the panel by saying, “It’s been 34 years since we last won the damn Super Bowl. The last time I checked, 34 is a pretty good number around Chicago.” That led to us fans chanting, “Super Bowl!’ to end that session. If you weren’t fired up after hearing Hampton during that session, you had no pulse!

Finally to end the day, the 1985 Super Bowl Panel took place. Richard Dent, Otis Wilson, Willie Gault, Emery Moorehead, and Jay Hilgenberg were sharing memories of that. We also got an added bonus when William “The Refrigerator” Perry came out in a wheelchair to be part of the panel. He was not scheduled to be there, but he drew a much deserved huge ovation when he came out. It was fun seeing the offensive and defensive point of views for the panel as they teased each other. They talked about the coaching staff, the loss to Miami that year, and how important Buddy Ryan was to the making of the defense. Plus, they talked about previous drafts as well as the impact Jim Finks had in building the team. Perry talked about his role and how he wasn’t expected to be part of the offensive game planning when he first arrived. Obviously, the touchdowns he scored that year were brought up. Finally to end the day, we got a rendition of the Super Bowl Shuffle from Perry himself. He’s still no dumb cookie, and we all came to see them do the Super Bowl Shuffle. That’s how you end the day with the most legendary team and song in Chicago Bears history! Well done for those that scheduled this as the final panel knowing how special this 1985 Bears team is to this city of Chicago and the NFL!

Day 3 on Sunday

I arrived a little later on the final day than I did the previous one, but it didn’t take long to enter the venue after passing thru security. On my scratch-off ticket I received after entry, I won a free prize at the pick-up area upstairs.

After getting in, I went over to the autograph/photo area to see who else I could meet. Since I was mainly looking for photos with players, I decided to get a wristband to meet current starting defensive lineman Eddie Goldman. As one can expect, he’s a pretty big guy. The line moved quick for him. I did shake his hand before and after the photo with him. He’s one of the guys that has helped make this defense elite again.

Upon leaving the area, I went upstairs to claim my free prize. I had picked out some Bears sunglasses as the free prize. While I was there, I noticed a coloring book with a cool design on the front. Again, props to whomever does those designs for the team. The lady at the tent allowed me to take one of them as well with me.

I went back downstairs to the Bears History Hall and then to the 100 years in the Making Panel that featured current Bears owner Virginia McCaskey. I took photos of the Hall of Fame player busts they had there just like I had done the day before. Those busts look even more like the players when you see them in person. From Halas to Brian Urlacher, they were all there to see.

One of my goals for the last day was to meet the Bears first pick in this year’s NFL Draft: David Montgomery. He had a photo opportunity with fellow rookie running back Kerrith Whyte Jr. Many are projecting Montgomery to do well for the Bears, and I agree with them. I watched and followed him enough because of being an Oklahoma fan and follower of Big 12 football. With Mike Davis and Tarik Cohen on the roster already, the depth at the position is one of the strengths of the team. Whyte was a seventh round pick, but he’s very fast as his 4.36 time in the 40-yard dash at Florida Atlantic’s Pro Day indicated. Plus, he adds special teams value and even more depth to both running back and in the return game. Anyway, Montgomery’s birthday was just two days before, so I wished him Happy Birthday while shaking his hand. He thanked me for that. Then I shook Whyte’s hand before the photo was taken. I shook their hands again before leaving. Two really good guys that are glad to be Bears and I’m looking forward to their contributions to the franchise!

With about thirty minutes left in the session, I decided to finally try to use my twenty percent off scratch-off ticket I won the day before. Because I forgot to bring a jacket with me for work and to Chicago, I needed to buy one for the upcoming night game at Wrigley Field between the Cubs and Cardinals. So I spotted a Bears 100 jacket for $89 and the discount ticket knocked it down to about $72 after tax. Team jackets for any sport aren’t cheap, but I found out later after attending the Cubs game that I made the right choice and that it was needed.

That ended the session and I stopped by the nearby outlet mall to eat before I made my way to the city to meet up with my friend Greg.

Notes from the Bears 100 event

-Brian Urlacher and Cordarrelle Patterson could not make it to the event. I wasn’t aware of any others that could not. Urlacher was sick and announced that he regrettably could not attend. Many fans weren’t happy about it. However, life happens and this is why the card/talent is subject to change without notice(sometimes with notice as well). This applies to any event similar to this. It was confirmed later on that William Perry would take over Urlacher’s place on the autograph session. For those that have followed Perry in recent years, his health hasn’t been very good. But that’s one hell of a last minute replacement to get someone like Perry to cover for a Hall of Fame player. Kudos to the Bears — but more importantly — to Perry for coming out despite his health. As I said previously, he was a surprise guest on the 1985 Super Bowl panel and he delivered his Super Bowl Shuffle line on it, too. Thanks to the “Fridge” for that!

-I heard from a couple of fans after the Day 2 session that told me of a fan collapsing and needing medical help. It happened in the autograph/photograph area. As I didn’t see it happen, I was told he ended up being okay. I’ve seen things like this happen before at fan events, and it’s scary when it does. I hope the fan will be okay going forward, too.

My final thoughts on the Bears 100 event

While there was some disorganization and communication issues, I thought the staff did as good as they could with this event. I did like the concept of the scratch-off tickets that allowed some fans to win autographs/photographs from legends and current star players. Only ticket winners for those legends were allowed to get those autographs. This was not advertised beforehand, but from a business standpoint, I can understand why it wouldn’t be. But the tickets did help to regulate the overflow of fans that would’ve bombarded the wristband tables if not for that because not everyone will get every autograph/photograph available. I’m going to guess the average was probably 3-4 autographs/photographs for fans for the full day session on Saturday. I was able to get four on Saturday, and three(because of a dual Montgomery/Whyte Jr photo opp) on Sunday. With the long lines everywhere, you take what you can get and I was glad I could do that.

With that said, I’m not sure they were expecting this kind of turn out for the event. The lines were incredibly long to get in, and I heard some fans didn’t get inside the venue until close to three hours into the session on Saturday. I never did see the numbers for attendance, but I’m going to guess between 6,000-10,000 fans were there. I’m betting it was closer to the 10k line on that. For the overflow of fans there, they did do well for their part. All of the staff personnel at the photograph lines took the photos for me, and for others. At some similar events in the past, I’ve had to get other fans to do that for me. I’m glad that wasn’t an issue there.

The upstairs End Zone and Tailgate area was amazing. Fun, interactive, and available for all ages, they had a little something for every type of fan. From NFL Combine-like playground, Fox Sports broadcast booth photo opps, locker room photo setup, and video gaming, they took care of fans very well there. With more time, I would’ve spent all day there if I could. The setup was very well done and some current and former players took part in the End Zone as well as gaming areas.

The History Hall was also an awesome experience for fans. Hall of Fame busts, Super Bowl XX trophy, and more made this a must-see there. You really got a good glimpse of how special this franchise has been going into their 100th season of football.

Since 1920 when they debuted as the Decatur Staleys to the current version of the Chicago Bears, this franchise has produced some of the most iconic names and figures in sports history. It was an honor to be part of a celebration and for things to fall in place for me to be in attendance for it.

George Halas article for History Magazine

As I announced on my Instagram page, I’m going to be writing about the co-founder for the Bears and NFL for History Magazine that is scheduled to be released next year. I’m only allowed a certain limit of words to use, and we all know a couple of thousand or so is nowhere remotely close to say all there is to say about “Papa Bear”. However, while I’ll reiterate what most already know about Halas when the article is released, this will likely be my favorite project I’ve been paid to write about since I’ve gotten into freelance writing. I’m glad to be writing about the man most responsible for making the Bears franchise what they are today.

Thanks to every single past and current player, coach, and employee of the Chicago Bears organization for the first 99 seasons of football. Whether it was positive or negative, you were part of the Bears franchise in some way, which is an honor beyond words. Now in the 100th season of Bears football, let’s end it with another Super Bowl title! I can’t think of a more fitting way than that. Again, thanks to the Chicago Bears for hosting this event and providing me with one of the most memorable weekends I’ve ever had!

Bear Down, Chicago Bears!