The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The team is legally and corporately registered as Chicago Bears Football Club, Incorporated.
The Bears have won nine Professional American Football league championships (eight NFL Championships and Super Bowl XX), trailing only the Green Bay Packers, who have twelve. The Bears have the most enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with 26 members.
The club was founded in Decatur, Illinois, in 1919 Halas By Halas, by George Halas, Gwen Morgan & Arthur Veysey, McGraw Hill, 1979, p.53-54 and moved to Chicago in 1921. Along with the Arizona Cardinals, it is one of the two remaining franchises existing since the NFL's founding. The team played home games at Wrigley Field on Chicago's North Side through the 1970 season. With the exception of the 2002 season, they have played their home games at Chicago's Soldier Field every year since 1971. The stadium is located next to Lake Michigan and was recently remodeled in a modernization intended to bring stadium amenities up-to-date while preserving a historic Chicago building. The team has a fierce, long-standing rivalry with the Packers, whom they have played in over 170 games.
The team headquarters, Halas Hall, is actually located in the Chicago suburb of Lake Forest, Illinois. The team practices at adjoining practice facilities there during the season. Currently, the team holds its annual training camp from late July to mid-August on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois.
