Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White and the Chicago Bears unveiled the new Chicago Bears permanent Illinois license plate today.
The navy blue plate, which features the Bears logo, was on display during a press conference at the James R. Thompson Center. Chicago Bears Hall of Famer Richard Dent, Vice Chairman George McCaskey, and Senior Director of Special Projects Patrick McCaskey were on hand for the unveiling.
“As a longtime Chicagoan and sports fan, I am proud of the legacy the Chicago Bears have built in our great city and state,” said White. “This is a good opportunity for fans to express pride for their team while supporting public education in Illinois. It is my pleasure to have the Chicago Bears organization take part in this meaningful legislation.”
“We are appreciative of the opportunity to work with Secretary of State Jesse White to create a Chicago Bears license plate,” said Bears Vice Chairman George McCaskey. “It is a great way to show team pride and help raise money for education in Illinois. We are proud to add the ‘Roaring Bear’ to the plate options for Illinois drivers and hope to see many on the road across our great state.”
Twenty-five dollars from each license plate goes to the Professional Sports Teams Education Fund and is earmarked for the Common School Fund, which supports public schools throughout the state of Illinois.
Public Act 095-0331, enacted in 2002, allows for Illinois sports teams to have license plates designated as Professional Sports Teams license plates. The Chicago Bears are the third sports team in the state to take advantage of the law.
Starting today, the public can preorder the license plates by visiting www.cyberdriveillinois.com
Fans can order random number, personalized or vanity plates. Those plates will be sent out on April 29th.
The cost to purchase a random number Bears plate for a currently titled vehicle with valid Illinois registration is $69.
Pricing varies for vanity and personalized license plates.
Fans who attend the Chicago Bears Draft Party on April 29th and the Bears Expo on April 30th both at Soldier Field will be able to purchase and walk away with random number Bears license plates. The Secretary of State’s mobile unit will also be able to register people for personalized and vanity license plates at the event.