Soldier Field is an outdoor sports stadium just south of downtown Chicago, Illinois , near Lake Michigan . Soldier Field is the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) . It is the oldest stadium in the league, opening in 1924. The stadium was built as a memorial to Americans who died in wars. Its original name was Municipal Grant Park Stadium. However, its name was changed in 1925. The stadium is owned by the Chicago Park District. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987, but the designation was withdrawn in 2006 as a result of the stadium’s controversial 2003 renovation.
Soldier Field’s original design was modeled on ancient Greek and Roman architecture, with Doric columns standing above the entrance. In its early years, the stadium held more than 100,000 spectators. On Nov. 26, 1927, Notre Dame defeated the University of Southern California , 7-6, before more than 120,000 people, the unofficial record attendance for a college football game. The stadium’s capacity today is 61,500.
The Chicago Bears became tenants of Soldier Field in 1971. They played there until 2001, when the field was closed for renovation. The Bears returned to the field in 2003, after the renovations were completed. A number of other professional football and soccer teams also have played their home games there. An annual series of College All-Star games was played in Soldier Field from 1934 to 1976, except for 1974. The games matched the NFL champion from the previous season against a team of graduating college players. The soccer men’s World Cup was played at Soldier Field in 1994, followed by the women’s World Cup in 1999. Many concerts have been presented in the stadium by pop, country, and rock musicians.
