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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION



2 WHEREAS, The 3-day National Football League Player 
3Selection Meeting, commonly known
as the "NFL Draft", is one of 
4the most widely-viewed sports events on worldwide television 
5that
does not involve an athletic contest; and


6 WHEREAS, The signing by the Chicago Bears of University of 
7Illinois great, "Red" Grange, in
1925 was the first significant 
8transition of a college football superstar to the National 
9Football
League, setting the stage for the coming century of 
10"America's game"; and


11 WHEREAS, The owner and founder of the Chicago Bears, George 
12Halas, is a key figure in the history
of the National Football 
13League, recognized as such through the George Halas Trophy, 
14awarded
annually to the champion of the National Football 
15Conference within the National
Football League; and


16 WHEREAS, Twenty-nine of the 500 firms listed in the Fortune 
17500 list are headquartered in the
greater Chicago area, 
18including many firms that partner with the National Football 
19League and
its 32 teams in a variety of ways; and


20 WHEREAS, The 2015 Draft will be hosted at the Auditorium 
21Theater of the Roosevelt
University in Chicago, the first time 
 
 
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1the draft has returned to Chicago since it was held in the

2Sheraton Chicago Hotel in 1964; and


3 WHEREAS, The Chicago area
will continue to be a superb 
4location and headquarters for the annual NFL Draft; therefore, 
5be it


6 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
7NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we 
8invite the National Football
League to continue to hold the 
9National Football League Player Selection Meeting in the 
10Chicago area as a
gesture to the heritage of the NFL and a 
11gesture toward the future; and be it further


12 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be 
13delivered to Roger Goodell, Commissioner of the
National 
14Football League, George Mccaskey, Chairman of the Chicago 
15Bears, and the 31 other
teams of the National Football League.