Staley Field

Staley Field in Decatur, Illinois, United States, was the home of the Decatur Staleys club of the American Professional Football Association in 1920, coached and managed by the young George Halas.

Decatur Staleys, 1920

The team was owned by the A. E. Staley Manufacturing Company, for which Staley Field was the company athletic field.[1] According to Michael Benson's Ballparks of North America, the field was located at Eldorado and 22nd Streets. In fact, the Staley company's own address is 2200 East Eldorado Street, so presumably Staley Field occupied a piece of the company's grounds. It was also used by the Decatur entry in the Three-I League in 1915 and 1922–23.[2]

Although the Staley football team was popular in 1920, it struggled financially, partly due to Staley Field's 1,500 seating capacity. Fans were charged $1 to attend games and company employees received a 50 percent discount, which was not economically feasible for the Staleys and prompted Halas to move games to Cubs Park (now Wrigley Field) in Chicago.[3]

The Staley company sold the team to Halas and his partners, who transferred the team to Wrigley Field in Chicago in 1921. As part of the deal, they operated under the "Staley" name for one more season. They proceeded to win the APFA championship that season. For 1922, they renamed themselves the Chicago Bears in order to associate themselves with their landlords.[4]