Soldier Field

Soldier Field PDF Author: Liam T. A. Ford
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226257096
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 381

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Book Description
Sports fans nationwide know Soldier Field as the home of the Chicago Bears. For decades its signature columns provided an iconic backdrop for gridiron matches. But few realize that the stadium has been much more than that. Soldier Field: A Stadium and Its City explores how this amphitheater evolved from a public war memorial into a majestic arena that helped define Chicago. Chicago Tribune staff writer Liam Ford led the reporting on the stadium’s controversial 2003 renovation—and simultaneously found himself unearthing a dramatic history. As he tells it, the tale of Soldier Field truly is the story of Chicago, filled with political intrigue and civic pride. Designed by Holabird and Roche, Soldier Field arose through a serendipitous combination of local tax dollars, City Beautiful boosterism, and the machinations of Mayor “Big Bill” Thompson. The result was a stadium that stood at the center of Chicago’s political, cultural, and sporting life for nearly sixty years before the arrival of Walter Payton and William “The Refrigerator” Perry. Ford describes it all in the voice of a seasoned reporter: the high school football games, track and field contests, rodeos, and even NASCAR races. Photographs, including many from the Chicago Park District’s own collections, capture these remarkable scenes: the swelling crowds at ethnic festivals, Catholic masses, and political rallies. Few remember that Soldier Field hosted Billy Graham and Martin Luther King Jr., Judy Garland and Johnny Cash—as well as Grateful Dead’s final show. Soldier Field captures the dramatic history of Chicago’s stadium on the lake and will captivate sports fans and historians alike.

Soldier Field

Soldier Field PDF Author: Liam T. A. Ford
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226257096
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 381

Get Book Here

Book Description
Sports fans nationwide know Soldier Field as the home of the Chicago Bears. For decades its signature columns provided an iconic backdrop for gridiron matches. But few realize that the stadium has been much more than that. Soldier Field: A Stadium and Its City explores how this amphitheater evolved from a public war memorial into a majestic arena that helped define Chicago. Chicago Tribune staff writer Liam Ford led the reporting on the stadium’s controversial 2003 renovation—and simultaneously found himself unearthing a dramatic history. As he tells it, the tale of Soldier Field truly is the story of Chicago, filled with political intrigue and civic pride. Designed by Holabird and Roche, Soldier Field arose through a serendipitous combination of local tax dollars, City Beautiful boosterism, and the machinations of Mayor “Big Bill” Thompson. The result was a stadium that stood at the center of Chicago’s political, cultural, and sporting life for nearly sixty years before the arrival of Walter Payton and William “The Refrigerator” Perry. Ford describes it all in the voice of a seasoned reporter: the high school football games, track and field contests, rodeos, and even NASCAR races. Photographs, including many from the Chicago Park District’s own collections, capture these remarkable scenes: the swelling crowds at ethnic festivals, Catholic masses, and political rallies. Few remember that Soldier Field hosted Billy Graham and Martin Luther King Jr., Judy Garland and Johnny Cash—as well as Grateful Dead’s final show. Soldier Field captures the dramatic history of Chicago’s stadium on the lake and will captivate sports fans and historians alike.

Chicago's Soldier Field

Chicago's Soldier Field PDF Author: Paul Michael Peterson
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
ISBN: 9780738551500
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 132

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Book Description
Located on scenic Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Soldier Field was designed in 1919 and opened on October 9, 1924, as Municipal Grant Park Stadium. The stadium--modeled in the Greco-Roman architectural tradition with classic Doric colonnades--was designed by the Chicago architecture firm Holabird and Roche as a memorial to American soldiers who died in World War I and previous wars. Soldier Field has been the home of the Chicago Bears team since 1971; it served equally as a civic and athletic venue throughout the early and middle 20th century. It played host to the Army-Navy game in 1926, the second heavyweight boxing championship between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney in 1927, speeches by Charles Lindbergh and Franklin D. Roosevelt, rodeos, circuses, the first Special Olympics in 1968, the 1994 World Cup, and the final concert by the Grateful Dead. In 2001, the Chicago Park District faced criticism when it announced plans to renovate the stadium, which had been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1987. An extensive remodeling plan was initiated and the "new" Soldier Field drew mixed reviews when it reopened in 2003. After being rebuilt, the modern stands dwarfed the historic Doric columns, and seating was reduced by approximately 5,000, to 61,500.

Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears PDF Author: Jeff Davis
Publisher: Westside Publishing
ISBN: 9781412761178
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 160

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Book Description
The Chicago Bears were once the face of the NFL. Today they are one of its most popular and most fascinating franchises. Experience the magnificent history of pro football's charter franchise and the games most storied team

Chicago Bears Centennial Scrapbook

Chicago Bears Centennial Scrapbook PDF Author: Dan Pompei
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780578483207
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description


Monsters

Monsters PDF Author: Rich Cohen
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 0374708959
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 316

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Book Description
Monsters: The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart of Football is the New York Times bestselling gripping account of a once-in-a-lifetime team and their lone Super Bowl season. For Rich Cohen and millions of other fans, the 1985 Chicago Bears were more than a football team: they were the greatest football team ever—a gang of colorful nuts, dancing and pounding their way to victory. They won a Super Bowl and saved a city. It was not just that the Monsters of the Midway won, but how they did it. On offense, there was high-stepping running back Walter Payton and Punky QB Jim McMahon, who had a knack for pissing off Coach Mike Ditka as he made his way to the end zone. On defense, there was the 46: a revolutionary, quarterback-concussing scheme cooked up by Buddy Ryan and ruthlessly implemented by Hall of Famers such as Dan "Danimal" Hampton and "Samurai" Mike Singletary. On the sidelines, in the locker rooms, and in bars, there was the never-ending soap opera: the coach and the quarterback bickering on TV, Ditka and Ryan nearly coming to blows in the Orange Bowl, the players recording the "Super Bowl Shuffle" video the morning after the season's only loss. Cohen tracked down the coaches and players from this iconic team and asked them everything he has always wanted to know: What's it like to win? What's it like to lose? Do you really hate the guys on the other side? Were you ever scared? What do you think as you lie broken on the field? How do you go on after you have lived your dream but life has not ended? The result is Monsters: The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart of Football, a portrait not merely of a team but of a city and a game: its history, its future, its fallen men, its immortal heroes. But mostly it's about being a fan—about loving too much. This is a book about America at its most nonsensical, delirious, and joyful.

100 Things Blackhawks Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die

100 Things Blackhawks Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die PDF Author: Tab Bamford
Publisher: Triumph Books
ISBN: 160078965X
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
With special stories and experiences from fans and memorable moments about past and present players and coaches, this lively, detailed book explores the personalities, events, and facts every Blackhawks fan should know. It contains crucial information such as important dates, player nicknames, and outstanding achievements by singular players. This guide to all things Blackhawks covers the team’s 49-year championship drought, its run to the 2010 Stanley Cup, and the transition from Chicago Stadium to the United Center. Now updated through the 2013–2014 season, it also includes the Hawks’ triumphant win over the Boston Bruins in the 2013 Stanley Cup and the record-setting 2012 undefeated streak.

Believe It

Believe It PDF Author: Nick Foles
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
ISBN: 1496436490
Category : BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Languages : en
Pages : 255

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Book Description
How did the man who was on the verge of retiring just two seasons earlier stay optimistic and rally the Philadelphia Eagles to an astounding Super Bowl win? Here Foles discusses the obstacles that threatened to hold him back, his rediscovery of his love for the game, and the faith that grounded him through it all.

Chicago Stadium

Chicago Stadium PDF Author: Paul Michael Peterson
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
ISBN: 9780738583075
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 132

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Book Description
Built in 1929, Chicago Stadium was the crowning achievement of local sports promoter Paddy Harmon. The largest sports arena in the world when it was built, the stadium was completed at a total cost of $9.5 million. The "Madhouse on Madison" witnessed an active 65-year reign as the city's greatest auditorium. Home to both the Chicago Blackhawks and the Chicago Bulls, the stadium's attendance eclipsed that of others around the nation as it hosted numerous boxing matches, the first playoff game of the National Football League, rodeo competitions, and concerts (featuring Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and later KISS) among other events. Chicago Stadium fell to the wrecking ball in 1995.

Chicago's Soldier Field

Chicago's Soldier Field PDF Author: Paul Michael Peterson
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
ISBN: 9780738525143
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 36

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Book Description
Opened in 1924 and home to the Chicago Bears since 1971, Chicagos Soldier Field has served the city as an athletic, civic, and entertainment venue for more than 80 years.

Heroes & Ballyhoo

Heroes & Ballyhoo PDF Author: Michael K. Bohn
Publisher: Potomac Books, Inc.
ISBN: 1597974129
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 334

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Book Description
A handful of star athletes, along with their promoters and journalists, created America's sports entertainment industry during the 1920s, the Golden Age of American sports. The period had an extraordinary impact, profoundly changing individual sports, establishing the secular religion of sports and sports heroes, and helping bond disparate social and regional sectors of the country. It's when sports became a cornerstone of modern American life. Heroes and Ballyhoo profiles the ten most prominent Golden Age heroes and describes their effect on sports and society. Babe Ruth saved baseball after the Black Sox Scandal. Boxer Jack Dempsey made the “sweet science” a respectable sport. Red Grange single-handedly set professional football on a path to eventual success. Knute Rockne helped transform college football from a game to a colossal enterprise. Bobby Jones changed golf into a spectator sport, and Walter Hagen sparked the first national interest in professional golf. Bill Tilden put tennis on the front of the sports section. Tennis player Helen Wills Moody joined swimmer Gertrude Ederle in empowering women athletes. Johnny Weissmuller astonished international swimming before becoming Tarzan. The book also explores the ballyhoo artists—sportswriters, promoters, and press agents—who hyped the stars to a receptive public. Simultaneously, the spectators established themselves as the focus of popular sports. The personalities and events of the 1920s thus created today's entertainment conglomerate of heroes, promoters and advertisers, fans, arenas—and money. Sports as a profit center started with the Golden Age's heroes and PR artists, and the public's obsessive interest in sports helped shape America's emerging mass society. Heroes and Ballyhoo tells the story of what was both a symptom and a cause of modern America.