We’re headed into week four of the NFL season. The NFC North Division has some tough teams. You may be carved by a Packer, or gored by a Viking. But it’s those wild animals you really be afraid of. The Bears and Lions. How about the Squirrels?!
This photo is from the 1991 season. It took some sleuthing to make that determination.
1. I was working for The Daily Herald, having returned to that publication as a staff photographer after The National Sports Daily had folded earlier that summer.
2. The photo was made using color negative film. The Herald had switched from color transparency to color negative sometime during those 17 months I was gone, working for The National. This fact is what really helped with the time frame.
3. Jay Hilgenberg, Chicago Bears center, is the player in the photo. He was with the Bears in 1991, gone in 1992.
I knew you just had to know that!
I don’t remember who the Bears were playing this day, but it appears to have been a non-conference opponent. Squirrels are NOT in the north division!
The Daily Herald typically sent at least two, many times three, photographers to home games. Three would work the first half, then one (designated by the photo editor) would collect all film shot in the first half and return to Arlington Heights to get an early start on processing and editing. The two remaining photographers would stay until the end of the game.
Film consumption was based on the action, and how “trigger happy” the photog might be. At 36 exposures per roll, and a rough average of six rolls shot (per photographer), that’s 216 frames. Multiply by three, and you’ve got 648 frames to cull through. This is why getting a head start was important. The editing process involved throwing the uncut film on light tables, and using a magnifying loupe to examine each frame closely. Hunched over, eye to the loupe, moving the film across the table, looking for an “eye stopper.” Good enough to make the cut for publishing. As the “keepers” were found, a paper punch was used to put a small notch on the very edge of the frame of the film.This made for quick reference in relocating the shot.
We always arrived early at Soldier Field, even with parking passes, to beat the traffic, and to get onto the field and settle in. There was a lot of standing around, but there was always opportunity to make player profile feature photos, fans, etc. Such was the case this day. I was hanging out on the visitor’s sideline, near the northwest corner, when the cheering and noise level went up. For what, I wondered? Nothing was going on except for warmups.
So small in scale, it took a second to figure out. A SQUIRREL had gotten onto the turf! How, from where?! It was running around in a panic. And it was MOVING! Hard to track with the 400mm lens (manual focus, kids). It began to get more and more attention as people caught on. Fans and players alike, including Jay Hilgenberg. You can see bemused teammates behind him, on the Bears sideline.
The squirrel was darting all over the place. It was headed towards the middle of the field when it suddenly doubled back towards the north end zone. When it finally crossed the plane… TOUCHDOWN! The place went bonkers!
I was one of the two to stay for the whole game. When we got back to the office, there was no mention of a “squirrel photo.” Frankly, I’d sort of forgotten it, tired from the day. When it did register, I asked the photo editor if he’d seen it. His look was that of puzzlement. We found the frames but it was too late to include it for Monday’s paper and was never published. I sensed some embarrassment on the part of the editor, yet can understand why it was missed. In the pace of editing, it’s not an “eye stopper.” One Bear, with teammates in the background. No action to speak of, not even a player from the other team. Just that tiny squirrel.
And that’s where the story ends. I don’t know who won the game. But the squirrel scored first!
