When Olivet Nazarene University agreed to host the Chicago Bears' summer training camp back in 2001, the school's top administrator thought it would likely be a three- to five-year arrangement.
When the series of nine one-year contracts expires at the end of the 2022 camp, the Bears will have practiced in Bourbonnais for more than two decades.
"I didn't think long term," Bowling said after Monday afternoon's news conference announcing the contract extension between the university and the storied National Football League franchise. "I'm surprised it's been 12 years. Pleasantly surprised. ... They are happy. We are happy."
That's a far different reaction than one would have received from Bowling in 2001 when the Bears began the search for a new camp site for 2002.
"My first reaction was 'This won't work,' I thought it would be a clash of cultures," Bowling said of placing together the conservative university with brash professional athletes and big-time sports.
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