Following the Hall of Fame ring ceremony for Devin Hester during Sunday's game at Soldier Field, the Bears are unveiling another way for fans to celebrate the team's history and tradition.
Bears fans won't have to travel to Lake Forest to immerse themselves in the rich and storied history of the NFL's founding franchise.
On Wednesday, the club launched a virtual tour of its celebrated history and tradition displayed exclusively at Halas Hall. It will give fans a chance to virtually enter the Halas Hall lobby, allowing them to explore the life of the legendary George Halas along with the careers of the franchise's NFL record 32 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame through memorabilia and artifacts from the organization's historical archives.
The Chicago Bears Virtual History Tour at Halas Hall can be found at ChicagoBears.com/History. It will also be hosted on ChicagoBears.com under the "History" tab and be featured in the Chicago Bears Official App brought to you by Verizon.
The most recent additions to the Halas Hall lobby are plaques of Hall of Famers Devin Hester and Steve McMichael, who were inducted Aug. 3 as part of the Class of 2024.
"We're excited to merge cutting-edge technology with history, giving fans the opportunity to explore the lobby of Halas Hall and its incredible memorabilia," said Bears vice president Brian McCaskey.
"As a charter member of the NFL and a team founded on the innovations of George S. Halas, we feel an immersive fan experience like the virtual history tour is a fitting way to further share the tradition of the Chicago Bears,," said Dan Yuska, who headed the project on the Bears' historical affairs team.
Additional features of the Virtual History Tour will allow fans to virtually:
- Stand next to the almost nine-foot white bronze statue of Bears founder, player, coach and owner George Halas just outside Halas Hall that depicts "Papa Bear" directing from the sideline.
- Explore a timeline of Halas' life from his time as a multi-sport athlete at the University of Illinois to his journey creating the Bears and the NFL. The collection consists of photos, personal artifacts and a mindful quote for those who enter Halas Hall.
- View the plaques adoring the lobby's walls of all 32 Bears that are enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Fans can peruse the career highlights and achievements that earned the 32 players enshrinement in Canton, Ohio.
- See the Super Bowl XX championship trophy that recognizes the magical 1985 season and one of the most dominant teams in NFL history which was fueled by arguably the greatest defense to ever step on a football field.
- View the Bears' 14 retired jersey numbers that honor some of their greatest players, from Bronko Nagurski's No. 3 to Mike Ditka's No. 89.
