As the NFL celebrates its 100th season in 2019, the Bears will hold their own series of events celebrating their century of football.
The team announced a series of plans for that celebration at a news conference Thursday at Halas Hall with Chairman George McCaskey, Hall of Fame defensive lineman Dan Hampton and sportswriter Don Pierson.
The Bears, then known as the Decatur Staleys, played their first game Oct. 3, 1920.
“It’s all about upholding the pride and tradition of what I think is the greatest organization in all of pro sports,” Hampton said.
Events will start with the Bears100 Celebration Weekend June 7-9 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. The 2019 team and coaching staff, Bears Hall of Famers and alumni will attend the festival.
Autograph sessions, photo opportunities, panels, interactive games and kids activities will be among the events. Tickets go on sale at noon Friday at chicagobears.com/celebrationweekend.
The Bears also will donate $1 million to charitable causes — $100,000 per home game — based on fan recommendations.
This spring, the team will release “The Chicago Bears Centennial Scrapbook,” written by Pierson and Dan Pompei, both former Tribune sportswriters. The book contains a rare interview with 95-year-old Bears principal owner Virginia McCaskey, which Pierson said came from 14 or 15 hours of discussions.
“She’s the one person that has been here for virtually the entire history of the Bears,” George McCaskey said.
Pierson said the book isn’t written chronologically but will be separated into sections on rivalries, coaches, players and more. The book will be available for presale soon, and the Bears expect a book tour.
“To write this was very daunting for Dan and me because it’s really the history of the NFL, and it’s hard to separate the two,” Pierson said. “You don’t need to separate the two. When you think about something like the Red Grange Tour, and that Virginia McCaskey was on the Red Grange Tour, that gives you some perspective about the scope this family has had.”
The team unveiled a Bears 100 patch that the team will wear next year while the rest of the league wears the NFL 100 patch. McCaskey said the Bears are working on a classic uniform that will be unveiled next year.
The team also will honor a different decade during each home game next season.
Hampton touched on several stories Thursday, from sitting in founder George Halas’ old office downtown after he was drafted, to writing a letter to Halas to save defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan’s job, to coach Mike Ditka promising a Super Bowl to Halas upon his arrival.
Hampton said he hopes the buzz around the current Bears team continues into the celebration season.
“We have a big game this weekend,” Hampton said. “And for the first time in a while, we’ve had that little special feeling. Mr. Halas, if somebody was special, like Gale Sayers or Walter Payton, he’d say they have ‘the ol’ ziperoo.’ There’s something about this team, and it’s kind of special. They’ve got a little ziperoo, and we’re going to find out. It would be great if they could go and accomplish something this year. It would be a hell of (a transition) on the 99th year going into the 100.”
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