Bears fan looking to score big again
After buying face-value tickets in 1986, Batavia resident taking a leap of faith by making a second Super Bowl trip
Memories vivid and a few trinkets of his trip framed with care, Bob Arundale easily recalls his visit to the Big Easy more than 20 years ago.
Just like instant replay.
(Peter Hoffman/Staff Photographer)
Following his beloved Bears -- a team his family has cheered for since his grandfather owned season tickets at Wrigley Field in the 1950s -- Arundale and a group of pals made the 18-hour drive to New Orleans in 1986, when the Bears met the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX.
With a total of four in his group scouring for tickets, Arundale finally decided to hang out in the lobby of the Bears' hotel -- just hours before kickoff -- where he roamed around with a sign beneath his chin:
"Need Two."
In all the commotion, "a muscular gentleman in a black suit, white shirt, opened at the collar" approached Arundale and asked what he'd be willing to pay.
"I can't go more than $150 per ticket," Arundale told the man, whom he suspected was a player, but likely not a Bear, considering such a transaction would not only be bold but illegal.
"Well," the man said, "this is your lucky day."
No questions asked, Arundale ultimately wound up with four tickets -- and paid face value, which back then was a mere $75, compared to today's price of $605 minimum.
"At that point," said Arundale, 54, of Batavia, "I was about ready to fall over."
During the Bears' 46-10 pounding of the Patriots, Arundale found himself in the middle of the New England section.
"Well, they started out Patriots fans, but were cheering for the Bears by the end," Arundale said.
With his Bears returning to sport's brightest stage this weekend against the Indianapolis Colts, Arundale's plans haven't changed a bit.
He's booked airline tickets to Miami and will use similar tactics to secure a game ticket for Super Bowl XLI, but this time he has set his ceiling at $1,000 apiece.
"I'm really confident we're going to get them," Arundale said. "The trip is half the fun -- getting into the game is the other half.
"I have that same anxiety again. I don't know if I got lucky the first time, or if I could somehow pull it off once more."
In the wake of last week's news that there would be no tailgating within a one-mile radius of Dolphin Stadium, Arundale was one of the few local Bears fans taking it in stride.
"I've walked more than a mile before," he said. "Resourcefulness is an important part of tailgating, so I'm sure we'll figure out how to do it."
Amid all the hype, hysteria and preparation, Arundale will board Thursday's plane with one recurring thought in mind.
"I couldn't do any of this without a great wife," he said.
Sande Arundale, Bob's spouse of 30 years, pays no attention to football, let alone the Bears.
"I guess you just learn to appreciate each other's ability to follow their own passions," she said.
Mike Davids, editor/publisher of the Downers Grove-based Condo Lifestyles Magazine, will be traveling with the Arundale group and making his first Super Bowl appearance.
Davids, 43, of Lombard, seeks a game ticket and plans to reach out to clients in the Miami area and sniff around what is sure to be a popular hotspot.
"We always think it's a good idea to hang out in the Bears' hotel and make some friends in the lobby," Davids said.
Like Arundale, Davids vowed not to exceed $1,000 for his ticket.
"Unless they're really good seats," he said.
twagner@scn1.com