Assisted Living Center Residents Remember Bears Of '41
CAROL STREAM, Ill. (WBBM) -- It has been 69 years since the Bears and Packers met in the playoffs, and many residents of the Belmont Village Assisted Living Center in Carol Stream still remember it well.
As WBBM Newsradio 780's Bob Roberts reports, even back in the day when the Cardinals were also playing in Chicago, the Bears-Packers rivalry was a heated one. Longtime fans say there was never any love lost between the teams on the field.
LISTEN: Newsradio 780's Bob Roberts reports
Podcast
"They respected one another and they were intense rivals, and it's possible to do that," one resident said.
"I saw that game, and when I came home, my folks told me, 'We're at war,'" another resident said.
But 43,000 fans jammed the Friendly Confines – which the Bears shared with the Cubs from 1921 to 1970 – to see the game. The Packers took an early lead, but the Bears roared back, scoring 24 points in the second quarter to take command.
The Bears ultimately won, 33-14.
The next week, the actual NFL championship game, the Bears and New York Giants drew only 13,000 at Wrigley Field. There were more than 30,000 empty seats.
