Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on Sept. 7, according to the Tribune’s archives.
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Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago)
- High temperature: 100 degrees (1960)
- Low temperature: 42 degrees (1986)
- Precipitation: 1.79 inches (1980)
- Snowfall: None
From Halas to Hester: The 32 Chicago Bears inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
1963: Chicago Bears owner/coach/player George Halas was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
![Walter Payton [34] dives into the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown in the first quarter of a game against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 7, 1986, giving the Chicago Bears a 14-7 lead. (Ed Wagner Jr./Chicago Tribune)](https://i0.wp.com/www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/CTC-L-CTHIST-AFF-860-CT_F_234364805.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1)
1986: Instant replay was used in the NFL for the first time in a game between the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. Bears center Jay Hilgenberg snapped the ball past quarterback Jim McMahon and it was recovered deep in the end zone by Browns safety Al Gross, who, almost simultaneously, rolled over the end line. (Watch video of the play here.) If Gross had possession of the ball before he left the field, it was a Browns’ touchdown; if not, it was merely a safety. It was ruled a touchdown, but the Bears still won 41-31.
2010: Mayor Richard M. Daley announced he would not run for reelection. His 22 years in office surpassed his father’s record of 21 years.
2011: In a vote of 10-5, the Cook County Board passed an ordinance to free immigrants suspected of living in the U.S. illegally who were jailed in both felony and misdemeanor cases despite federal immigration authorities’ requests to detain them. The ordinance was based on a recent federal ruling in Indiana that determined ICE detainers are voluntary requests and not criminal warrants.
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