Editing Soldier Field (section)

===Chicago Bears move in===
[[File:8X10A 1961 Chicago Bears o-line practice 1.jpg|thumb|left|The [[1961 Chicago Bears season|1961 Chicago Bears]] practicing for the [[Armed Forces Benefit Football Game]], which was primarily held at Soldier Field from 1947 to 1970. The Bears permanently moved in the following year.]]

Before they moved into the stadium, the [[Chicago Bears]] had played select charity games at Soldier Field as early as {{nfly|1926}}, when they played their former crosstown rivals, the [[History of the Chicago Cardinals|Chicago Cardinals]].<ref name="Rumore"/> The Cardinals also used the stadium as their home field for their final season in the city in [[1959 Chicago Cardinals season|1959]].

In {{nfly|1971}}, the Bears moved into Soldier Field full-time, originally with a three-year commitment.<ref name=sold71ct>{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1971/05/14/page/55/article/bears-find-home-its-soldier-field |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |last=Rollow |first=Cooper |title=Bears find home; it's Soldier Field |date=March 14, 1971 |page=1, part 3 |access-date=July 20, 2016 |archive-date=February 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216214101/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1971/05/14/page/55/article/bears-find-home-its-soldier-field/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=mjstpsf>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8ksaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fygEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7322%2C1745759 |newspaper=Milwaukee Journal |title=Bears sign to play in Soldier Field |date=March 14, 1971 |page=21 |access-date=July 20, 2016 |archive-date=September 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180918114653/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8ksaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fygEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7322%2C1745759 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The team previously played home games at [[Wrigley Field]], the home stadium of the [[Chicago Cubs]] of [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB), but were forced to move to a larger venue due to post-[[AFL–NFL merger]] policies requiring that stadium capacities seat at least 50,000 spectators as well as lighting for potential night games. The Bears had initially intended to build a stadium in [[Arlington Heights, Illinois|Arlington Heights]], but the property did not fit the league's specifications.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2021/09/29/bears-proposal-move-to-arlington-heights-repeated-over-and-over/?amp |title=Proposal For Bears To Move To Arlington Heights Has Come Up Over And Over Again, Since Before They Moved To Soldier Field In 1971 |date=September 29, 2021 |publisher=[[WBBM-TV]] |access-date=February 3, 2022 |archive-date=February 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203172620/https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2021/09/29/bears-proposal-move-to-arlington-heights-repeated-over-and-over/?amp |url-status=live }}</ref>

On September 19, 1971, the Bears played their first home game at Soldier Field, in which they defeated the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] 17–15. In 1978, the Bears and the [[Chicago Park District]] agreed to a 20-year lease and renovation of the stadium; both parties pooled their resources for the renovation.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lugardo|first=Sara|url=http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/12/16/history-of-tailgating-in-chicago/|title=History of Tailgating in Chicago|publisher=[[WBBM-TV]]|date=December 16, 2012|access-date=December 16, 2012|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305164242/http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/12/16/history-of-tailgating-in-chicago/|url-status=live}}</ref> The playing surface was [[AstroTurf]] from 1971 until 1987, and was replaced with natural grass in 1988.<ref name=bgasfmbmv>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=19FKAAAAIBAJ&sjid=w-kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=962%2C3903968 |newspaper=Schenectady Gazette |location=New York |agency=Associated Press |title=Bears' games at Soldier Field may be moved |date=August 16, 1988 |page=26 |access-date=July 20, 2016 |archive-date=September 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180918114700/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=19FKAAAAIBAJ&sjid=w-kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=962%2C3903968 |url-status=live }}</ref> On February 27, 1987, Soldier Field was designated a [[National Historic Landmark]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Grant Park Stadium (Soldier Field) – National Historic Landmarks |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalhistoriclandmarks/grant-park-stadium-soldier-field.htm |website=National Park Service |access-date=23 January 2022 |archive-date=January 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123213207/https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalhistoriclandmarks/grant-park-stadium-soldier-field.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>