Every summer, multiple members of the Bears organization help round up the necessary things the team will need for its time at training camp, held at Olivet Nazarene University. There are the obvious items on the packing list: footballs, cleats, pads, helmets and uniforms for the players; computers, notepads and whistles for the coaches; team merchandise and paraphernalia that can be sold or handed out to fans.
But the nearly 100-mile journey south on I-57 from Halas Hall in Lake Forest to ONU in Bourbonnais involves a whole lot more than that. Along with the 90 players on the training camp roster and 21 coaches on the Chicago staff this year, there are approximately 150 other members of the organization that make the trek every year to training camp, which this season runs from July 27 to August 10.