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david braun
david braun
If you watched the Chicago Bears 30-24 win over the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football, you might remember the broadcast showing some solid drone footage over the new Ryan Field. The Amazon Prime broadcast also shouted out the Northwestern University Marching Band, while they were performing at halftime, at Soldier Field.
Overall, it was a great de facto informercial for the Northwestern Wildcats football program.
ryan field
ryan field
Northwestern coach David Braun, speaking to the media after his team blew out Rutgers 42-14 at home, said that family activities had kept him from seeing the Ryan Field clip on TNF live.
But Braun then said: “immediately, my phone started blowing up, with excitement around that.” With today’s win, NU is now 6-1 (3-1 in the Big Ten), and they’ve started a season 5-0 at home for the first time since the historic season of 1995.
And @KirkHerbstreit describes Ryan Field as “it’s right on the lake”.
Actually, it’s 3/4 of a mile away from Lake Michigan.
Do your homework bro
— Paul M. Banks (@PaulMBanks) October 23, 2026
That season (the Darnell Autry, Pat Fitzgerald, Steve Schnur Rose Bowl campaign) is also obviously the de facto Year 1 A.D. in modern Northwestern football history.
With Saturday’s win the Cats have now secured bowl eligibility in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2017-2018.
“If you don’t see what’s going on in Evanston right now and you don’t want to be a part of it, man, do not miss out,” Braun said.
ryan field
ryan field
“This is something special. We got the best stadium in all of college football.”
Despite all the first class amenities and cutting edge technologies present within the new stadium, lots of empty seats were visible, all day long, in every corner of the venue. This despite the weather being absolutely picture perfect.
Northwestern is currently nationally ranked, and they play an exciting brand of football.
chicago bears
chicago bears
They’re good, and fun to watch. Even Mother Nature is cooperating. And with the smaller/reduced capacity, they simply deserve to play in front of a packed house, each and every game.
Meanwhile the Bears are 5-2 and looking like a major contender in the NFC right now. Said Braun:
“We have some pretty good football being played in the Chicagoland area right now between the Cats and the Bears.”
pat ryan northwestern
pat ryan northwestern
There are, of course, numerous connections between the Chicago Bears and Northwestern Wildcats, but the main one is obviously Pat Ryan.
Ryan, the retired founder and former CEO of AON Corporation, is one of the university’s greatest benefactors of all-time. The NU alum is hands down the most generous donor that the school’s athletic department has ever had.
pat ryan
pat ryan
He also owns a one-fifth stake in the Chicago Bears.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor ofThe Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.