For someone outside of Chicago it may be hard to believe but Notre Dame‘s history at Soldier Field dates back nearly fifty years longer than the Chicago Bears have played there.
Now, Notre Dame has played 13 games their all-time and the Bears have hundreds, but the Bears didn’t move from Wrigley Field to Chicago’s lakefront until 1970.
Recently on social media, the account College Football Campus Tour posted a few old photographs from one of Notre Dame’s earliest games at Solider Field.
The one posted by Michael Baker who runs the account is of Notre Dame’s first “home” game against USC back in 1927. Instead of being played on Notre Dame’s campus though, the game was played at Soldier Field in Chicago.
In front of over 120,000 people.
November 26, 1927
An estimated 120,000 fans fill Chicago’s Soldier Field to see Notre Dame take on USC in their 1927 season finale.
The Irish won the game 7-6 in front of the largest crowd (at the time) to ever see a college football game. pic.twitter.com/JQis0wQKfq
— College Football Campus Tour (@cfbcampustour) June 1, 2024
Northwestern may claim to be Chicago’s Big Ten Team, but it remains obvious who always been and remains Chicago’s College Football Team.
Related: Best Photos of Notre Dame’s Most Recent Trip to Soldier Field