First person: Football returns to Wrigley Field

Wrigley Field in Wildcat Purple
(Mike Felten)

Northwestern and Illinois bring football back to Clark and Addison
It has been a long time since Butkus and Sayers roamed the hallowed field at Clark and Addison. In fact, it was football that brought the last championship to Wrigley Field in 1963.
That was so long ago that the National Football League championship game wasn't even televised in Chicago. I remembered imagining the scene through the radio descriptions of Jack Brickhouse and Irv "Dat's right, Jack" Kupcinet.
Since my father got to attend, he filled out my memory. How did they ever squeeze a football field in there? They ran from north to south, just enough room but part of a dugout still was part of the southern end zone. The other end zone was dangerously close to the left field wall. Accommodations had to be made. They have been made before. In 1932 the Bears moved their championship game against the Portsmouth Spartans inside the Chicago Stadium. That field was only eighty yards long.

I found Wrigleyville abuzz with activity on Thursday. The Cubs marquee had been painted purple in honor of the home Northwestern team and portraits of Cubs were replaced with action billboards of Pat Fitzgerald's Wildcat team. This one was a Northwestern's party. It was a little unnerving for an old Cub fan to see tradition tampered with, but there was an excitement in the air.
The College Game Day crew was setting up in the McDonalds parking lot. It was the first time that they had set up anywhere near Chicago. I'd seen them in San Antonio, Miami and Dallas, but never here. The Northwestern football trucks were parked out on Waveland and the team was going through a workout inside. You could only imagine the logistics of fitting a fully equipped football team in the cramped locker rooms.
Then the news came that the right field end zone with goal posts up against the ivy was too dangerous , even with the heavy padding over the brick and ivy. So, once again Chicago had to make accommodations. All offensive plays will head toward the west end zone. One thing is certain; the famed Wrigley Field wind won't be a factor. Another near certainty is that a football game won't be played at Wrigley in the near future, unless they figure out how to get a few more feet of field.