The Chicago Bears are only a couple wins away from a Super Bowl appearance for the first time in 18 years.
On a college level, the Indiana University Hoosiers are number one in the country and will play in the National Championship game for the first-time ever.
Fans of both teams are finding themselves living in a dream. Among them is Bears Assistant Head Coach Antwaan Randle El.
Randle El played for IU as a quarterback in college, before heading to the NFL and winning two Super Bowls.
“I’m feeling great! I’m enjoying it, and I’m excited,” Randle El told NBC Chicago. “I’m excited for IU for sure and what they’ve done, not just this year but even last year. And to be where we’re at, it’s just… call it a dream come true, so to speak.”
His parents, Curtis Randle El Jr. and Jacqueline Randle El, are also thrilled watching two exciting seasons.
“This, this is exciting! I told my wife I wish I could be in two places at the same time,” Curtis said. “I wish I could go to the Bears game then turn around and fly to the Indiana game!”
“I think because it’s so close there’s that excitement from Indiana to Chicago,” said Jacqueline. “I called my son and told him, ‘I’m so proud of you,’ not just so much the platform of football, but just where God has placed him, and the platform God has him on.”
She said they used to hope and pray IU would make it to a bowl game while Antwaan played there. They’re happy to see the team’s newfound success.
At one point IU held the most losses out of any major college football program. Yet in the past two years under new coach Curt Cignetti, things changed, including his ability to recruit players to Bloomington, Indiana.
This year for the first time ever the Hoosiers are still undefeated.
The team and Heisman-Award-winning Quarterback Fernando Mendoza will play in the National College Football Championship game on Monday night against the University of Miami in Miami.
It’s the day after the Bears play the Rams.
The historic run has IU fans everywhere locked in. The university even temporarily renamed a pond on campus to D’Angelo’s Pond after star corner D’Angelo Pond.
Illinois fans may remember Ponds: he blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown on Sept. 20. Ponds also had a pick-six on the first play from scrimmage against Oregon in the College Football Playoff.
The Randle El’s aren’t the only ones in the niche group of Hoosier and Bears fans.
“There are about 46,000 Hoosier Alumni here in the greater Chicagoland area,” said Kyle Seibert, president of the IU alumni chapter in Chicago.
IU has the largest living alumni network with 805,000 people around the globe. The majority of graduates live in Indiana and Illinois.
The group has held watch parties at Joe’s Bar on Weed Street for the past couple games. The bar is already fully booked for Monday night, and has 1,400 people on the wait list.
“It feels just like you’re at a home game and there’s no greater feeling than that,” Seibert said.
United Airlines also added four flights from O’Hare Airport to Florida this weekend to help get Hoosiers to the game.
Hence then, the article about one weekend two dreams for bears and indiana football fans was published today ( ) and is available on NBC Chicago ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( One weekend, two dreams for Bears and Indiana football fans )
Also on site :
- Watch last video of ‘All That’ star Kianna Underwood who died in hit-and-run at 33
- A Recent Tragedy Has Left My Kids Devastated. But I’m Secretly Pleased.
- Refugee-student housing project in EU state rocked by rape scandal