OT - Northwestern-Illinois Football at Wrigley?

by Chadnudj on Jan 19, 2009 1:12 PM CST

Teddy Greenstein reported it...what do you think?

The plan, according to sources and Jim Phillips (NU's athletic director) would be to have a Northwestern-Illinois football game played at Wrigley Field, with probably NU surrendering a home date for the game. So far Illinois is lukewarm to the idea (if the deal is a neutral site/2-game series or something where each team gives up a home date)....and Northwestern fans are excited (like me), or worried (NU has a tough time selling seats at home, and we'd probably give up the home-field advantage, to the extent we have one, to Illinois).

The game would, obviously, be played in late November....and thus would not interfere, and indeed, would hopefully be played following a Cubs World Series victory.....

Thoughts?

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I likey

I likey.

Barbara V. October 14, 1941 - December 19, 2008. A great lady who was a friend to all and like a second mom to her children's friends (she was my best friend's mom)

by puckishcubsfan on Jan 19, 2009 1:16 PM CST reply actions

that would be SWEEET

I would definitley go to that.

---AC 00 00 00 - Believe

by mjk83 on Jan 19, 2009 1:21 PM CST reply actions

I think they should make it a "throwback" game

with the following stipulations…

players wear the old leather helmets (no faceguards).
fans wear long racoon coats and carry pennants.
cheerleaders (male) use those big megaphones and yell out words likes “Rah!” and “Hooray!”
and of course, cigar-smoking and discreet use of flasks would be allowed

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on Jan 19, 2009 1:30 PM CST reply actions

I can't see this happening.

Why? Because logistically it would be tough to do before the beginning of October (you’d have to make sure that the team giving up the home date had that date during a Cubs road trip) — and would you want to commit to a game at Wrigley in October, knowing you might have to boot the football game out for baseball postseason play?

That leaves two or three weeks in November as the only possibilities, a logistical nightmare.

Also, the field at Wrigley isn’t big enough for an entire football field (when the Bears played there, the end zones were only 8 yards long), unless they put it from CF to home plate, which would mean all the seats would be far from the action.

Finally, a football game at Wrigley would tear the turf to pieces. Not sure why the Cubs would agree to this.

FWIW, here’s a photo of what it looked like when the Bears played there.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on Jan 19, 2009 1:32 PM CST reply actions

thanks for that picture. Had never actually seen a picture of the setup for the Bears.

that said, IF it can be worked out, I’d love to see it happen, the Cubs are my number 1 team, with the Fighting Illini as my close 2nd.

There's nothing wrong with this team that more pitching, more fielding and more hitting couldn't help......"--Bill Buckner

by laidbackliam on Jan 19, 2009 2:42 PM CST up reply actions

"That leaves two or three weeks in November as the only possibilities, a logistical nightmare."

How is that a logistical nightmare? NU-Illinois is always the last game of the season. Scheduling isn’t an issue at all because of that.

“Also, the field at Wrigley isn’t big enough for an entire football field (when the Bears played there, the end zones were only 8 yards long), unless they put it from CF to home plate, which would mean all the seats would be far from the action.”

I’m sure that if this were the case, someone would have shot down the idea long before it was reported. The seats being too far away would be a non issue as well; think about the size of football stadiums. The nosebleeds there would definitely be further away than any seat in Wrigley.

CUBS WIN! CUE THE ORCHESTRA!

by Keith on Jan 19, 2009 4:27 PM CST up reply actions

Problem

(listening to Butkus talk about this) he mentioned that one endzone had to be shortened in a corner by a brick wall when the Bears played there. Look above at the photo and see how the endzones run into the brick wall.

"I like coconuts, you can break them open and they smell like ladies lying in the sun" Widespread Panic

by Cubbie-Tim on Jan 19, 2009 1:33 PM CST reply actions

But....

…each team would have that “disadvantage” for the same number of quarters…

I think it’d be a great idea, but the point about the condition of the turf would be the only reason I don’t see it happening.

Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team

by carmen_fanzone on Jan 19, 2009 4:39 PM CST up reply actions

I think

It is more a safety issue, and if you have the two minute drill, who wants a smaller end zone to work with down 5 points?

I think it is a nice thought, but would be better suited for the UC or Soldiers Field instead.

Maybe the BCS can do a January game at WF lol

"I like coconuts, you can break them open and they smell like ladies lying in the sun" Widespread Panic

by Cubbie-Tim on Jan 19, 2009 5:06 PM CST up reply actions

Those guys wear pads and helmets...lol

Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team

by carmen_fanzone on Jan 19, 2009 5:27 PM CST up reply actions

Probably not a scheduling conflict...

The NU-Illinois game is typically the final game of the season. This year it was on 11/22, so it would be after the postseason is completed. It would probably draw a big crowd for the novelty factor alone, but fans would have to give up the Ryan Field tailgating. If the field size/orientation compromises the game, however, I’m not interested. Keep it on campus!

"Any old kind of run wins it!"--Jack Brickhouse

by MannyTrilloFlipsTo1B on Jan 19, 2009 3:44 PM CST reply actions

but

that could leave about two or three weeks to make it happen, IF we are playing in the WS

"I like coconuts, you can break them open and they smell like ladies lying in the sun" Widespread Panic

by Cubbie-Tim on Jan 19, 2009 5:07 PM CST up reply actions

..which would be plenty of time, no?

Take out bases. Line the field. Dig up the ground and put in a couple goalposts. They could do that in a week.

Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team

by carmen_fanzone on Jan 19, 2009 5:30 PM CST up reply actions

Easy

This year the game was November 22nd. Plenty of time. My only concern is the 8 yard endzones and if i remember right from the wrigley tour they had to fill the dugout with sand as precautionary so people dont take diggers into the dugout.

"You just don't know understand how frustrating this is"- Kevin Borseth

by TkGoUWGB on Jan 19, 2009 8:55 PM CST up reply actions

8 YARD?

Try less now, that was before additional seats were added to Wrigley, it would be even less now.

"I like coconuts, you can break them open and they smell like ladies lying in the sun" Widespread Panic

by Cubbie-Tim on Jan 20, 2009 2:11 PM CST up reply actions

Ive been calling for

a Bears/Wrigley reunion, That would be awesome. I dont think Ill get it cause John McDonough is three times the President that of any president the bears will ever have. We always have an idiot up at top.

"I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying" - Michael Jordan, the one and only...

by LPLancer23 on Jan 19, 2009 4:51 PM CST reply actions

You won't get it because...

… the NFL has a mandate: all stadiums must have a capacity of at least 50,000. That’s why the Bears moved out in the first place.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on Jan 19, 2009 5:06 PM CST up reply actions

Interesting fact:

Soldier Field is, after the opening of Lucas Oil Stadium, the NFL’s smallest venue.

Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team

by carmen_fanzone on Jan 19, 2009 5:33 PM CST up reply actions

Interesting fact:

Until this year (or maybe it was last, I can’t remember), the venue that had hosted the most NFL games was…

Wrigley Field.

Lambeau Field has recently passed it.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on Jan 19, 2009 5:39 PM CST up reply actions

Not being a NU fan...

… I don’t want to see the new field mangled by football use. Sorry but why would they put a field, which all the players say is a huge improvement, under such stress. I’m all for new and fun uses of Wrigley but this one just doesn’t seem to make sense.

by dmlichte on Jan 19, 2009 11:37 PM CST reply actions 1 recs

That's exactly how I feel.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on Jan 20, 2009 4:21 AM CST up reply actions

I'm surprised no one from another Big Ten school has cracked wise yet

with “Well with Northwestern and Illinois playing, at least you wouldn’t have to worry about the field getting all torn up” or something to that effect.

Shangai Badger, Sue369, NittanyLion – c’mon, where you been? ;-)

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on Jan 20, 2009 9:29 AM CST up reply actions

well...

… I’m just laughing at the fact that NU folks are worried about selling 40,000 tix if the Illini play the Wildcats at Wrigley while the folks at NIU aren’t at all concerned about selling 61,500 tix when the Badgers play them at Soldier Field in 2011.

by dmlichte on Jan 20, 2009 9:40 AM CST up reply actions

Northwestern was pretty good last year....

…Illinois underachieved but have a lot of underclassmen returning.

Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team

by carmen_fanzone on Jan 22, 2009 10:41 AM CST up reply actions

The Winter Classic was one (good) thing...

but this seems silly. And I’d like see someone do the Google-map overlay and show me you can fit a regulation field into Wrigley’s present-day seating configuration.

by bison on Jan 20, 2009 2:18 PM CST reply actions

They're talking about...

… having the field run from CF to home plate. Of course, that makes almost every seat a bad seat.

A football field is 360 feet long, including the end zones. It’d be a tight squeeze.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on Jan 20, 2009 2:22 PM CST up reply actions

actually, it's only 300 feet as they wouldn't have to worry about the endzones...

sorry – it was sitting up there so easy – I had to knock it off… ;-)

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on Jan 20, 2009 2:59 PM CST up reply actions

LMAO

NU and Illinois played to a scoreless tie in 1978.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on Jan 20, 2009 4:26 PM CST up reply actions

I don't see that way working either...

1st to 3rd straight across is 127.3’.
A football field is 160’ wide.
Home to the power alleys is just over 360’
Can you picture a rectangle 35’ wider than 1st to 3rd, with one end at home plate?
I tried to make it fit on one g-map site, looks like some seats would have to go.

by bison on Jan 20, 2009 4:25 PM CST up reply actions

Can you make a graphic and post it here?

They squeezed a football field into County Stadium in Milwaukee using that layout when the Packers played there.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on Jan 20, 2009 4:26 PM CST up reply actions

County Stadium

had a lot more room behind the plate and from the foul lines to the dugouts than Wrigley has. While p/o of the alleys were close to Wrigley’s alleys today, CF didn’t seem to pose much an issue.

I was there several times as a youngster since p/o the extended family had ST’s and offered the Milw games to us FIB’s.

Sweet Lou for Mayor in '11.

by blackhawk24 on Jan 21, 2009 9:28 AM CST up reply actions