Bears get Fame game
Assuming there is an NFL season this year, the Bears will kick off the preseason portion of it when they face the St. Louis Rams in the annual Hall of Fame game at Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 7.
The game will be televised nationally on NBC’s Sunday Night Football with kickoff set for 7 p.m. Chicago time.
The Bears’ preseason schedule also includes a second nationally televised contest on ESPN’s Monday Night Football, on the road Aug. 22 at 7 p.m. vs. the New York Giants.
The Bears and the Rams will meet one day after the newest class of Hall of Famers are formally enshrined during ceremonies at Fawcett Stadium on Aug. 6. Among the newest members of the select group are Bears defensive end Richard Dent, who had more sacks than anyone in franchise history, and Rams running back Marshall Faulk and linebacker Les Richter. Chris Hanburger, Ed Sabol, Deion Sanders and Shannon Sharpe also will be inducted this summer.
Dent will become the 27th Bear enshrined at Canton, more than any other NFL team.
The Bears are 4-0 in the Hall of Fame Game series, with victories over the Dallas Cowboys (1968), New York Jets (1977), Cleveland Browns (1990), and Miami Dolphins (2005).
Tickets to the game played in Fawcett Stadium are on sale at Profootballhof.com or by calling 800-913-9788. Ticket prices range from $50 to $70. In the event the 2011 NFL/Hall of Fame Game is not played as scheduled, the Pro Football Hall of Fame will offer full refunds.
The remainder of the Bears’ preseason schedule includes home games against the Buffalo Bills (Aug. 11-14) and the Cleveland Browns (Sept. 1-4). They also play on the road against the Tennessee Titans (Aug. 25-28). Exact dates and times for those three contests will be announced later.
The games against the Bills, Titans and Browns will be produced and broadcast by the Chicago Bears Network in high definition. Each game will be shown live on WFLD-TV in Chicago and stations throughout the Midwest.
All five games will be broadcast on WBBM Radio with Jeff Joniak (play-by-play), Tom Thayer (color analyst) and Zach Zaidman (sideline reporter).
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