Chicago Wildcats

The Chicago Wildcats are an EFL team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Midwest Division of the Jackson Football Conference (JFC). The Wildcats play their home games at Motorola Stadium, which opened in 2016, with administrative offices and training facilities in Wheaton, Illinois.

The city of Chicago had been demanding a new football team since the Chicago Reds relocated to Atlanta in 1978, and the Chicago Colts relocated to New Orleans in 1976. By 1979, the EFL announced that four new expansion teams would be added to the EFL in 1980, expanding the entire amount of teams from 16 to 20. Those four teams were the Charlotte Cardinals (now the Carolina Cardinals), the Orlando Rockets, the now nonexistent Bristol Blazers, and the Chicago Wildcats.

Early Years (1980-1985)
The Wildcats attracted crowds early in 1980, with their home opener against their soon-to-be rivals, the Madison Capitals. Despite a crowd of 45,000 people, the Wildcats were defeated 42-6 in their home opener.