Talk:Soldier Field

Soccer

• Why are there so few mentions of the Chicago Fire at this stadium? Nyrmetros 01:06, 21 February 2007 (UTC)

They're mentioned as one of the tenants of the stadium in the info box. I think it goes without saying that the fact the Bears play here is far more notable than the MLS team. The Fire are mentioned though. 71.229.178.108 (talk) 22:21, 11 January 2010 (UTC)

Images

Better placed in the gallery at the bottom. KyuuA4 19:50, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Aerial view of New Soldier Field. Are there any? If those, it would be nice to add into the collection. KyuuA4 04:20, 1 August 2007 (UTC)

Tours

If I had known about the need to prearrange a stadium tour, I would have called ahead and made the arrangements to take the tour when I was in Chicago.

JesseG 03:49, 21 Aug 2004 (UTC)

The "84,000" in attendance for the Rolling Stones concert is highly doubtful since the stadium only has 61,000 fixed seats, and a large percentage of these seats cannot be used for concerts; an attendance figure of 84,000 would mean that more than 30,000 people would have been on the field or on the stage for the Stones show, which is highly unlikely. A more realistic figure is between 50,000 - 55,000. Here's a seating chart for the Stones show in October: [1]

"Tenants" in infobox

Edited the Bears' tenency from "1924-2002" to "1971-2002"; as the article suggests, the Bears didn't move in until 1971; they played at Wrigley until then. Andy 09:22, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

I think the Bears moved in SF in 1970 I saw on SoldierFied.net (the offical stadium website) it says 1971 but I think it is wrong. I will try to find out from some other sources Smith03 04:11, 19 February 2006 (UTC)

I am wrong the Bears were in Wrigley in 1970 when the Vikes came to townSmith03 23:38, 19 February 2006 (UTC)

The Bears used to play an annual Armed Forces Benefit Game at Soldier Field as part of their NFL pre-season (exhibition) schedule, even while their regular season was at Wrigley Field. I think it began in the mid-1950s and continued into the 1970s. WHPratt (talk) 19:15, 14 December 2011 (UTC)

Seat no. reduction?

Why the seat reduction at the renovated Soldier Field? Chicagoans have to find this disappointing, given that their city and its surroundings make up the 2nd largest market among those with NFL teams. Was it done to increase the space between the stands and the field, something of concern to the league? Or was it done because Virginia McCaskey is a radical capitalist who believes in taking away from the poor and giving it to the rich? It's important to point out that when Lambeau Field was renovated in the late '90s, seats were added. Somebody answer my questions. -Amit

First of all, Lambeau was renovated a couple of years ago - not the late 1990s. Soldier Field seating was decreased (ironically) in order to DECREASE the average distance from the seats to the field. The old Soldier Field held more people b/c it was a large bowl with a horrible angle of elevation. In order to improve the sight lines, the new stadium utilizes mezz and upper decks that are stacked upon one another. This greatly improves the vantage point for the average fan but it also decreased the seating capacity. Your 'radical capitalist' comment is confusing b/c the Bears would have reaped that much more revenue if the stadium was larger. Wagner - The Ultimate Bears Fan

It doesn't matter why the Park district decided to be stupid and renovate it. It looks very ugly and doesn't seem to fit the skyline and lakefront. It fit perfectly wwiht the field musiuem. Every time I drive by it just doesn't look right. Znsga 21:45, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Assessment

Added initial assessment of Start class and High importance. This article may need to be Top importance for the ChicagoWikiProject. Article has good content, but needs copy edit, sectioning, links to nearby parks and neighborhoods, more pics, and references. ChicagoPimp 00:37, 15 April 2007 (UTC)

Merger proposal

I have proposed that the article Grant Park Stadium be merged into this one. -Rhrad (talk) 19:47, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

I believe that this 'Notable Events' section is more comprehensive and informative than the current section entitled 'Events hosted.' I propose that this 'Notable Events' Section be restored.Milesout (talk) 15:10, 10 September 2009 (UTC)

Notable events

• Soldier Field (then known as Grant Park Municipal Stadium) hosted its first football game on October 4, 1924 between Louisville Male High School and Chicago Austin High. Louisville Male won 26–0. (Chicago Tribune, October 2, 1924)
• Three NFC Championship Games held at Soldier Field.

• The 1985 NFC Championship Game took place in Soldier Field, where the Bears defeated the Los Angeles Rams 24–0.
• The 1988 NFC Championship Game took place here, where the Bears lost to eventual Super Bowl XXIII champions San Francisco 49ers 28–3.
• The 2006 NFC Championship Game granted the Bears their second trip to the Super Bowl, the first in 21 years, with a 39–14 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

• Other Bears playoff games at Soldier Field:

• 1985 NFC Divisional Playoff: Bears 21, New York Giants 0
• 1986 NFC Divisional Playoff: Washington Redskins 27, Bears 13
• 1987 NFC Divisional Playoff: Washington 21, Bears 17
• 1988 NFC Divisional Playoff: Bears 20, Philadelphia Eagles 12 (this game is best remembered as the Fog Bowl, where dense fog covered the stadium, reducing visibility down to 15–20 yards.)
• 1990 NFC Wild Card: Bears 16, New Orleans Saints 6
• 1991 NFC Wild Card: Dallas Cowboys 17, Bears 13
• 2001 NFC Divisional Playoff: Philadelphia 33, Bears 19
• 2005 NFC Divisional Playoff: Carolina Panthers 29, Bears 21
• 2006 NFC Divisional Playoff: Bears 27, Seattle Seahawks 24 (OT)

• Soldier Field played host to the Annual Army–Navy Game in 1926 before an estimated crowd of 110,000.
• The Long Count Fight, the second heavyweight championship bout between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney, was held at Soldier Field on September 22, 1927.
• The stadium and all time college football attendance record was set on November 16, 1929 when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish beat the USC Trojans 13–12 in front of 112,912 fans. Notre Dame had met USC in 1927 and Navy in 1928 in front of crowds estimated at 120,000 in Soldier Field, but the 1929 number is the highest audited count.
• Austin beats Leo to win 1937 Prep Bowl; highest attendance ever in soldier field estimated at over 120,000.
• Glenn "Fireball" Roberts won the only NASCAR Grand National race held at Soldier Field's short track which ran across the old configuration, in 1956.
• The Chicago Freedom Movement, lead by Martin Luther King, held a rally at Soldier Field on July 10, 1966. As many as 60,000 people came to hear Dr. King as well as Mahalia Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and Peter Paul and Mary.
• Soldier Field itself was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
• 1994 FIFA World Cup Venue of all matches scheduled to play in Chicago, including the opening match between Germany and Bolivia on June 17, 1994.
• Legendary rock group the Grateful Dead performed its final concert at Soldier Field on July 9, 1995.
• Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played at Soldier Field in August 1985.
• On September 1, 2007, Northern Illinois University faced the University of Iowa in the first Division I College Football game at Soldier Field since renovations. The game is the second game of a home and home series between the two programs, although NIU's campus is located in DeKalb, 69 miles (111 km) to the west of Soldier Field on Interstate 88. With attendance of 61,500, a Mid-American Conference record for a home football game was set (this record was broken later that season when Temple hosted 69,029 in a game against Penn State). Iowa won 16–3.
• Soldier Field appears in the Clint Eastwood-directed movie Flags of Our Fathers, when the survivors of the Iwo Jima flag-raising reenact it for a patriotic rally.
• Several games of the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup were held in Soldier Field. The final was contested on June 24, 2007 between the United States and Mexico, where the United States won 2-1, fueling an already-growing intense international rivalry.

Public Transit

The longest paragraph in the introduction section is about public transportation to the stadium, not about the stadium itself:

The closest 'L' station to Soldier Field is the Roosevelt station on the Orange, Green and Red lines. The Chicago Transit Authority also operates the #128 Soldier Field Express bus route to the stadium from Ogilvie Transportation Center and Union Station. There are also two Metra stations close by—the Museum Campus/11th Street station on the Metra Electric and South Shore lines, and 18th Street, which is only on the Metra Electric Line. Pace also provides access from the Northwest, West and Southwest suburbs to the stadium with four express routes from Schaumburg, Lombard, Bolingbrook, Burr Ridge, Palos Heights and Oak Lawn.

I'm not sure why this is relevant and believe it should be moved downward, if not outright removed. --Hyrden (talk) 03:34, 7 July 2010 (UTC)

Photos

There's probably too much photos. Should I clean it up? ZappaOMati 21:23, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

"Complete" rebuild and stadium age

The link supplied in an edit summary http://www.stadiumsofprofootball.com/nfc/SoldierField.htm is dubious with respect to WP:RS but regardless of its reliability itself states:

...Soldier Field, the NFL's oldest stadium. The Bears decided to leave the historic Greek colonnades...the new stadium was to be built inside the exterior shell...the classic colonnades remain intact ...

The body of the Soldier Field wikipedia article states, with a cited reliable source, "...the stadium's interior would be demolished and reconstructed while the exterior would be preserved." Further, according to List_of_current_National_Football_League_stadiums Soldier Field opened in 1924 and is the oldest.

On this basis I believe the content attempting to be added to this article, characterizing the renovation as a "complete" rebuild is factually incorrect. I understand the point that if the Soldier Field rebuild were considered "complete" then Soldier Field might be considered a "new" stadium and therefore Lambeau could claim to be the oldest NFL stadium. Hugh (talk) 15:40, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

If you look at the beginning of the article, it states that it used to be the oldest but no longer is. This statement implies that Soldier is now considered new.24.118.8.184 (talk) 04:18, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Here is more proof http://espn.go.com/travel/stadium/_/s/nfl/id/9/lambeau-field http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d821b617d/article/packers-to-add-6600-seats-at-lambeau-field-by-13-season

I will find more and post it here24.118.8.184 (talk) 04:34, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

The last article you mention is an Associated Press article that was widely picked up, including by the New York Times, and it states "Lambeau Field is the oldest continually operating N.F.L. stadium" which avoids the issue of the age of Soldier Field and depends only on the fact that Soldier Field missed a year of NFL during the remodel. But please note it does not say Lambeau is older or that Soldier Field is new. Hugh (talk) 05:03, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

How about if we add "Lambeau is the longest continually operated NFL stadium" or words to that effect to the Lambeau article, in the body and in the intro section, and cite the AP article in the body, what do you think? Hugh (talk) 05:25, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Continually operated NFL stadium means it is a stadium that is used every season. For example, Soldier and Lambeau are continually operated, but the L.A. colosseum is not. Notice it also says Lambeau is the "Oldest" continually operated stadium, not just the longest.24.118.8.184 (talk) 07:26, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

hmm, I interpreted the AP article as saying, Lambeau is the current NFL stadium that has been continually operated as an NFL stadium the longest, that is, without a break in hosting its NFL team. In other words, if you start the clock at the 1st year of the current residency after the last break, Lambeau is "oldest." Yes, it says oldest, but it's qualified, isn't it? What do you think? Hugh (talk) 15:38, 21 June 2013 (UTC)