Soldier Field
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SoliderFieldAug2004.jpg
Soldier Field is located on famous Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, and is currently home to the Chicago Bears and the Chicago Fire. It reopened on September 27, 2003 after a complete rebuild (the second in the stadium's history). Many fans refer to the rebuilt stadium as Soldier Field II.
Previously it was the site of the former College All-Star Game, an exhibition between the last year's NFL champion and a team of collegiate all-star players of the previous season prior to their reporting to the training camps of their new professional teams. This game was eventually discontinued due to the risk of injury to the all-stars in what was essentially a meaningless exhibition, and the lack of competetiveness of the game, which in its waning years was almost invariably won by the professional champions.
Many Army-Navy games have also been played there over the years, almost invariably to sellout or near sellout crowds (in its earliest configuration Soldier Field was capable of seating over 90,000 spectators) but the facility has not been host to this event in recent decades.
The field serves as a memorial to American soldiers who died in wars, hence its name. It was designed in 1919 and completed in the 1920s. It officially opened on October 9, 1924 (the 53rd anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire), as Municipal Grant Park Stadium, changing its name to Soldier Field on November 11, 1925. Its design is modelled on the Greco-Roman architectural tradition, with doric columns rising above the stands. However, after being rebuilt, the stands now dwarf the columns.
External link
Stadium web site (http://www.soldierfield.net)