Caleb Williams, Angel Reese, Bears stadium drama: Here are the top 10 Chicago sports stories of 2024
CHICAGO (CBS) — It's almost time for 2024 to go into the history books, but not without revisiting some memorable moments and stories that were top of mind throughout, especially for sports fans.
From the firings of three head coaches to a rivalry that got a little physical, we're counting down the top sports stories that people are still talking about, along with a few some may have forgotten.
Honorable Mention: Blackhawks' Connor Bedard wins Calder Trophy as NHL's Rookie of the Year
Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard was selected as the league's top rookie, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy at the NHL awards show back in June.
Bedard, one of the most-hyped prospects in recent years, was last year's No. 1 overall draft pick by the Blackhawks and led all rookies with 61 points. He also was first with 22 goals, and his 39 assists tied for the lead.
10. Bears trade QB Justin Fields to Pittsburgh
Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a sixth-round draft pick in 2025. He was with the Bears for three years before being traded.
His status with the team had been in doubt since the middle of the 2023 season when rumors started to circulate about the Bears' long-term plans for him.
They ultimately decided to start over at quarterback while giving Fields a fresh opportunity with a new team.
9. Chicago Sky drafts Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese
With the No. 3 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, the Chicago Sky selected South Carolina alum Kamilla Cardoso, who led her team to a national championship and an undefeated season, after acquiring the pick from the Phoenix Mercury as part of the Kahleah Copper trade.
Angel Reese, who played for two years at Louisiana State University and led her team to an NCAA national championship in 2023, was drafted No. 7 overall.
Reese is from Randallstown, Maryland, and she played her first and second years at the University of Maryland, earning several all-conference accolades.
8. Illini's first appearance in Elite 8 since 2005
For the first time since 2005, the Illini advanced to the Elite 8 in March after upsetting No. 2 Iowa State. Unfortunately, the Illini's season came to an end when they fell to Uconn, 77-52.
However, the season motivated head coach Brad Underwood, who is serving his eighth year with the Illini, to get the team back into this season's Elite 8 playoffs once again.
"I've said many times we can win a national championship at Illinois. I'm not gonna rest until we do that," Underwood said.
7. Chennedy Carter's foul on Caitlin Clark upgraded
Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter faced backlash after knocking down the Indiana Fever's Clark during their June 2 game.
Carter bumped Clark with her shoulder, knocking her to the floor before an inbound pass during the third quarter of the 71-70 game won by the Fever.
At the time, officials deemed it a common foul and didn't review the play, but the WNBA later upgraded the foul to a flagrant-1 violation after reviewing the play.
Carter said she had no regrets about the foul.
6. Chicago Bears stadium dilemma
Where will the Bears go? No one knows ... yet.
Since the beginning of the year, it almost seemed certain that the Bears were fixing to relocate to Arlington Heights for their new Stadium, one home to a race course that has been torn down. However, property tax issues threw a wrench into things as the team kept options open on where their new stadium should be.
Back in April, the team provided the first renderings of what they are calling a "state-of-the-art, publicly owned enclosed stadium" along the lakefront, on the site of what is currently a parking garage and lots for Soldier Field.
The issue? The plan asked taxpayers to contribute half of the overall project costs, which include a $3.2 billion domed stadium and $1.5 billion in infrastructure improvements on the Museum Campus, where Soldier Field is located.
In November, multiple published reports said the team was also considering the former Michael Reese Hospital site in Bronzeville for a new stadium location.
Mayor Brandon Johnson responded, "My goal is to keep them in Chicago, and as long as we're clear about not just keeping them in Chicago but creating new opportunities for real economic development, that is important."
Johnson claimed that the stadium would create 43,000 jobs.
Earlier this month, the Arlington Heights village board gave the green light to a property tax deal with the Bears and area school districts, taking another step toward becoming the Bears' possible future home.
5. Blackhawks fire head coach Luke Richardson
Luke Richardson, 55, was fired as the Blackhawks' head coach in December following his 57-118-15 record in two-plus seasons with the teams.
The team has missed the playoffs in seven of the past eight seasons and hasn't advanced past the first round since winning the Stanley Cup in 2015.
Before Richardson's release, the team was in last place and in the midst of a four-game losing streak.
4. Angel Reese breaks records, suffers season-ending injury
It was a big season debut for Reese, who became the WNBA's single-season rebounding leader.
Reese had 418 rebounds for an average of 13.1 per game. She surpassed Sylvia Fowles' record of 404 in 2018. She also broke the record for offensive rebounds with 165, passing Yolanda Griffiths (162 in 2001).
She suffered a season-ending wrist injury back in September during the Sky's 92-78 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks.
3. Chicago Bears fire head coach Matt Eberflus
In November, the Bears announced the firing of head coach Matt Eberflus following the team's Thanksgiving Day loss to the Detroit Lions.
The mid-season firing was a first for the franchise team and came just hours after Eberflus said during a Zoom press conference that he was confident he would coach the 49ers game the following week.
Eberflus released a statement the following day expressing his gratitude for his time with the team, saying, "I will always have a deep appreciation for the Bears organization and the city of Chicago."
2. White Sox break record for worst performance in a single season
The White Sox finished their season with a 9-5 win over the Detroit Tigers, putting an incongruous positive note on the end of a historically bad season.
The team ended the 2024 season with a 41-121 record, replacing a 62-year-old single-season record previously held by the New York Mets in 1962 by one loss.
White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf took responsibility for the team's season in a letter to fans. The letter read, in part, "We will do everything we can to fix this for 2025 and the future."
1. Bears draft QB Caleb Williams at No. 1 overall, along with WR Rome Odunze at No. 9
The Chicago Bears made it official, drafting USC's Caleb Williams first overall in the opening round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
The decision was widely seen as a lock after the Bears traded away Justin Fields to Pittsburgh for a sixth-round pick after three frustrating years in Chicago.
It would be the fourth time the team drafted a Heisman Trophy winner.
Joining Williams was Rome Odunze, a star college receiver who came off a year with 92 receptions and more than 1,600 yards, earning him All-American honors and being named a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award.
Odunze was a big part of the Huskies' offense that ranked No. 1 nationally, leading the team to the College Football Playoff National Championship game.
