093_HJ0008eng
HJ0008 Engrossed LRB093 06629 KEF 06761 r
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
HJ0008 Engrossed -2- LRB093 06629 KEF 06761 r
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
HJ0008 Engrossed -3- LRB093 06629 KEF 06761 r
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.