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 1                      HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 8

 2        WHEREAS,  The  Veterans  Classic  Sports  Foundation   is
 3    working  to  return  service  academy football to the City of
 4    Chicago; and

 5        WHEREAS, The football teams of the  United  States  Naval
 6    Academy  at  Annapolis and the United States Military Academy
 7    at West Point meet annually for what is simply known  as  the
 8    Army/Navy football game; and

 9        WHEREAS,  The  Army/Navy football rivalry, which began in
10    1890 with a game played at West Point in which Navy beat Army
11    by a score of 24-0, has become and has continued to be one of
12    the greatest rivalries in American sports history; and

13        WHEREAS, At the 103rd and most recent Army/Navy  football
14    game,  which took place December 7, 2002 at Giants Stadium in
15    East Rutherford, New Jersey, over 78,000  fans  attended  the
16    event in which Navy beat Army by a score of 58-12; and

17        WHEREAS,  Soldier  Field,  which was opened officially on
18    October 9, 1924 as a monument to American soldiers  who  have
19    died  in  wars, was officially dedicated on November 27, 1926
20    during the 29th meeting of the Army and Navy  football  teams
21    at which over 100,000 fans were in attendance to see the game
22    which  ended  in  a  21-21 tie for which Navy was awarded the
23    national championship; and

24        WHEREAS, The renovation of Soldier  Field,  with  seating
25    for  over  63,000  fans,  located  in  the  heart of downtown
26    Chicago will be complete in time for the 110th meeting of the
27    Army and Navy football teams in 2009;  and

28        WHEREAS, Chicago is the nation's highway and air hub  due
29    to its central location in the United States with easy access
30    for  fans and tourists from all corners of our nation and due
31    to the two major airports, O'Hare and Midway, located  within
 
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 1    mere  miles  of  Soldier Field, that serve almost 100 million
 2    passengers annually using over 40 airlines making over  3,300
 3    flights to and from Chicago each day; and

 4        WHEREAS,  Downtown  Chicago  is home to over 28,000 hotel
 5    rooms and thousands of world-class restaurants, all of  which
 6    either  neighbor  or  are within walking distance of Michigan
 7    Avenue and its world-famous shopping opportunities, Navy Pier
 8    and its nightly entertainment, and the Sears Tower  which  is
 9    one of the world's tallest skyscrapers; and

10        WHEREAS,   The  Veterans  Classic  Sports  Foundation  is
11    focused on the possibility of hosting an Army/Air Force  game
12    or  Navy/Air  Force game in 2004 and beyond, and establishing
13    an annual college football game between a service academy and
14    a local college football  team,  in  addition  to  hosting  a
15    possible Army/Navy football contest in 2009; and

16        WHEREAS,   Illinois  is  home  to  approximately  950,000
17    military veterans, tens of thousands of  men  and  women  who
18    serve  in our nation's armed forces and the Illinois National
19    Guard, and over 2,600 graduates of the United  States  Naval,
20    Air  Force,  and Military Academies, 949 of whom attended the
21    Naval Academy, 854 of whom attended the Military Academy, and
22    833 of whom attended the Air Force Academy, whose hard  work,
23    dedication,  and sacrifice to the United States and the State
24    of Illinois would make it a pleasure to honor them by hosting
25    future football contests involving  their  respective  teams;
26    therefore, be it

27        RESOLVED,   BY   THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE
28    NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF  ILLINOIS,  THE
29    SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the elected representatives of
30    the  House  of  Representatives  and Senate, on behalf of the
31    City  of  Chicago  and  the   entire   State   of   Illinois,
32    respectfully   request  the  honor  to  host  the  110th  and
 
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 1    subsequent meetings of the football teams of Army  and  Navy,
 2    and  the  honor  to  host  the  cadets  of  both academies in
 3    addition to the hundreds  of  thousands  of  fans,  families,
 4    supporters of both teams and Academies; and be it further

 5        RESOLVED,  That  the  members of the House and Senate are
 6    committed to assisting the Veterans Classic Sports Foundation
 7    and the City of Chicago to meet any challenge and  cover  any
 8    expense  necessary  to  return  service  academy  football to
 9    Soldier Field and to allow the 110th and subsequent  meetings
10    of  the  Army and Navy football teams to be held in the State
11    of Illinois; and be it further

12        RESOLVED, That suitable  copies  of  this  resolution  be
13    furnished  to  the  men  and women of the United States Naval
14    Academy at Annapolis and the United States  Military  Academy
15    at  West  Point,  the  United  States  Air  Force  Academy at
16    Colorado Springs, the Veterans Classic Sports Foundation, the
17    City  of  Chicago,  and   each   member   of   the   Illinois
18    Congressional delegation.