To someone outside of Chicago this may be hard to believe, but Notre DameThe history of Soldier Field goes back almost fifty years longer than the Chicago Bears I’ve played there.
Now, Notre Dame has played 13 games all-time and the Bears have hundreds, but the Bears didn’t move from Wrigley Field to Chicago’s lakefront until 1970.
Recently on social media, the College Football Campus Tour account posted some old photos from one of Notre Dame’s first games at Solider Field.
The one posted by Michael Baker, who manages the account, is from Notre Dame’s first “home” game against USC in 1927. Instead of being played on Notre Dame’s campus, the game was played at Soldier Field in Chicago.
In front of over 120,000 people.
November 26, 1927
An estimated 120,000 fans packed Chicago’s Soldier Field to see Notre Dame face USC in the 1927 season finale.
The Irish won the game 7-6 in front of the biggest crowd (at the time) to ever watch a college football game. pic.twitter.com/JQis0wQKfq
– College Football Campus Tour (@cfbcampustour) June 1, 2024
Northwestern may claim to be Chicago’s Big Ten Team, but it remains obvious who has always been and continues to be Chicago’s college football team.
Related: Best photos from Notre Dame’s most recent trip to Soldier Field
