Waiting on the Call: Northwest Indiana Awaits the Bears' Decision

Steve Hanlon
Heartland Sports Network

Hammond, IN - Once upon a time, in a land not that far away, a young high school boy faced a daunting dilemma.
On a Monday morning, he noticed a cute young lady in his second-hour class. She immediately caught his eye. Nervously, he planned his next move. At the end of Tuesday's class, he finally worked up the courage to ask her out.
She smiled and replied, "Well, I have to check my schedule. I'll get back to you."
Wednesday came and went.
Then Thursday.
And ...
Hammond, Northwest Indiana and much of the state know exactly how that young man feels.
They've been waiting since June 5 for the Chicago Bears to make a final decision on where the franchise will build its new stadium. On June 5, the Bears' Board of Directors voted to advance development plans in Hammond at a site expected to be near Wolf Lake.
Yet, heading into August, no announcement has come.
"It's an interesting decision," Hobart senior Aiden Kasch said. "It would be awesome for Indiana."
"To put an NFL stadium so close to us would be great for football around here," Hobart's Aleks Tatum added. "Since the mills shut down, it would be great for Hammond financially. It would help the entire area."
This wouldn't be the first time an NFL team relocated to Indiana.
In March 1984, the Colts left Baltimore and moved to Indianapolis. It was shocking, to say the least, and it dramatically changed high school sports in basketball-crazy Indiana.
The Hoosier State has since become a football hotbed.
Crown Point native Jason Wille, sports information director for the IHSAA, said having a professional football team in the state capital brought attention, interest and excitement to a sport that once took a back seat in Indiana.
On Nov. 23, 1984, the state football championships were played in the Colts' Hoosier Dome for the first time. Indiana's high school football players have competed for state titles on the Colts' home field ever since. The Colts became title sponsor of the IHSAA football state tournament in 2009.
"It took off from there," Wille said. "It had a great impact on Indiana. It will be very interesting to see what a second NFL stadium in Indiana would do."
Wille also pointed to the Colts' commitment to growing girls flag football. This fall, 108 schools across the state will field flag football teams, and the sport could become an official IHSAA tournament by next year.
"The Colts have made a big impact on football around the state," Wille added.
Leroy Marsh coached football at Munster from 1973 through 2017. He witnessed firsthand how the NFL's arrival in Indiana transformed the game.
Indiana University is the reigning College Football Playoff national champion, while Notre Dame played for the national championship just one season earlier.
Hundreds of Indiana high school players now advance to Division I football every year.
"That wasn't happening before," Marsh said. "If the Bears move to Hammond — and I hope they do — it would be another big boost for our kids up here. Just having the stadium there, where kids could drive by and look at it, would give them dreams they maybe didn't have before. I think it would be great for the economy, community spirit and many other things.
"It's an exciting time, for sure."
Marsh also believes a Bears stadium in Hammond wouldn't diminish the Colts' commitment to Indiana football. The organization sponsors the Friday Night Football Tour, Coach of the Week, offseason 7-on-7 camps, the Indiana Football Coaches Association and numerous other initiatives across the state.
Morton has had three football players over the past two years participate in the Indiana Preps celebration held at the Colts' training facility. Just walking through an NFL complex was eye-opening for the Governors, coach Mac Mishler said.
"Seeing something like that creates a vision," Mishler said.
Last year, Morton's Cameron Miller (Kentucky) and Martece Smith (UConn) attended the event and are now playing Division I football. Junior Corderro Bennett participated this summer and already holds 15 Division I scholarship offers.
Mishler believes the impact would grow even larger if the Bears' stadium were built just blocks from Morton High School.
"Coaching in Hammond, we work with the mayor's office quite a bit," Mishler said, referring to Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr., who has played a major role in courting the Bears, along with Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, who signed Senate Bill 27 establishing the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority.
Illinois has explored multiple ways to keep the Bears, but the financial incentives appear to favor Indiana.
"If this happens, it would create tremendous opportunities for Hammond and Northwest Indiana," Mishler said. "NFL stadiums host only eight home games each year, but they'll also attract concerts, conventions and countless other events. That means more jobs, more visitors and more opportunities.
"It would also give kids in our area something they've never had before — a chance to see the NFL up close and imagine themselves there someday."
Beyond the state championships at Lucas Oil Stadium, hundreds of regular-season high school football games have been played in the Colts' home stadium. Mishler believes Region schools could eventually have opportunities to play games in a future Bears stadium as well.
Imagine Week 1 of the 2033 high school football season featuring Crown Point vs. Lowell, Andrean vs. Merrillville, Munster vs. Highland, Lake Central vs. Hanover Central and Whiting vs. Boone Grove.
"And if they do, I only have one request," Mishler said. "The very first game should be Morton and Hammond Central. That has to be the opener."
The money appears to be in Indiana.
The political support is in Indiana.
Now comes the waiting.
Football players, coaches and fans throughout Northwest Indiana continue watching for the announcement that could reshape the Region for decades.
"I think it will help young people like the game even more," Hanover Central's Lukas Valiska said.
His family has held season tickets at Soldier Field for years. Teammate Bubba Mowry has attended plenty of Bears games, and the two share a similar opinion of the team's current home.
"It's a dump," they said.
Valiska isn't thrilled about the Bears' plans for a domed stadium, but that doesn't change his hopes.
"I think they're going to come here," he said. "I really hope they do."
Like that nervous teenager waiting for an answer after asking for a date, Northwest Indiana is still staring at the phone.