If the Chicago Bears move to Hammond, Indiana, they would not be the first professional football team to play there.
That title was taken back in the 1920s by the Hammond Pros.
The walls of the Hammond Civic Center hold memories many have forgotten. But Tom Byelick helps keep them alive through his work at the Hammond Sports Hall of Fame.
“There’s so much rich sports history in Hammond, stories most people don’t know anything about,” said Tom Byelick, a steering committee member for the Hammond Sports Hall of Fame.
Some of the sports stories date back more than 100 years ago. One in particular feels even more timely now.
“I think if you asked 100 people, 97 would not know that there was a professional football team here,” Byelick said.
As the Bears weigh a move to Hammond, they stand on the foundation built in 1920 by the Hammond Pros. The Pros played at what is now Turner Park but back then was called Turner Field.
“This was a baseball stadium here that sat about 1,500 people, and as the team gained some traction and started to draw some additional fans, they really outgrew it,” Byelick said.
Their search for a larger venue led them west to Cubs Park, now known as Wrigley Field. Byelick said it was a small, low-budget team filled with working men who played football on the weekends.
“The players wore leather helmets with no face masks. It was a rough game, for sure,” Byelick said.
The pros were an NFL charter member, but their time was short-lived and they folded six years later in 1926.
However, the Hammond Sports Hall of Fame likes to highlight the fascinating personal histories from the team. Fritz Pollard, the NFL’s first African-American head coach played for and coached Hammond. Six of the nine African-American players who competed in the NFL during its formative seasons of the 1920s played for Hammond. Even George Halas, founder and owner of the Chicago Bears, has a connection to the team.
“Papa Bear Halas also played here prior to going to Decatur, where he started the Decatur Staleys, who subsequently moved to Chicago and became the Chicago Bears,” Byelick said.
Once upon a time, Hammond was ready for pro football. Could it be once again?
“Maybe this is just the universe setting things straight and putting professional football back here in Hammond, where it belongs,” Byelick said.
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