Orland Park's Schofield Calls Signing With Bears 'A Dream Come True'

ORLAND PARK, IL — From as far back as he can remember, Michael Schofield says his son wanted nothing more than to play for the Chicago Bears.

Schofield, the Orland Fire Protection District Chief, said both of his sons had Bears jerseys growing up and would religiously watch games and video dating back to the Bears’ 1985 Super Bowl championship, reliving gridiron glory days that they weren’t even alive for.

So, when the former Sandburg High School standout who was drafted in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft signed a one-year contract with the Bears earlier this week, his father said the news sent his extended South Side family over the moon.

Schofield, who won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos before spending time with the Los Angeles Chargers and one year with the Carolina Panthers, will spend training camp competing for a starting job on the Bears' offensive line. The Bears began training camp workouts on Wednesday, which officially kicks off his journey with his hometown team.

But for the veteran NFL lineman’s family, just having a Schofield back on home turf means everything.

“We’re all so happy for him,” Schofield’s father told Patch on Wednesday. “Everybody’s excited, everybody is so happy he has come home to play.”

Schofield signed with the Bears along with fellow veteran Reilly Reiff, who was brought in to solidify an offensive line that allowed quarterback Justin Fields to be sacked 36 times last year. First-year coach Matt Eberflus told reporters on Tuesday that experience and competition will be key for the Bears up front as the Bears begin a rebuilding plan that could create some growing pains again this season.

Schofield will likely get the chance to earn the starting right guard job but says he is willing to play wherever he can to help the Bears win while working to make everyone around him better in the process.

But for Schofield, who is coming off an injury that prevented him from signing with anyone before the Bears called him and offered him a workout Sunday before signing him on Monday getting that chance to earn a job with a team he grew up watching means more than the opportunity itself.

He admitted that the last few months have been a bit nerve-racking as wondered how teams would feel about signing a veteran player coming off an injury. But he said he focused on putting his head down and working every day to rehab from the injury and hope for the best. That’s when the Bears called on Saturday.

“I always wanted to land here definitely grow up,” Schofield told reporters on Wednesday at Halas Hall. “It’s a dream come true for sure to play here. I’m definitely excited for the opportunity. It’s a young team, it’s an exciting team. I think we can do a lot of things.”

He added: “You always want an opportunity, you always want a chance.”

Schofield was around for the Bears’ 2006 Super Bowl appearance and said his first Bears jersey growing up was that of former wide receiver Marty Booker. But when he drove up to Halas Hall on Tuesday knowing he would put on the actual uniform of the team he grew up cheering for, Schofield called it a day he will never forget.

Asked about his family’s reaction, Schofield said it was like getting drafted all over again and said he’s looking forward to having familiar faces around training camp and games, where he said his large family following will tailgate the right way.

Schofield is also looking forward to finally being back in the same city as his wife, Olympic gold medalist Kendall Coyne, who captained the 2022 U.S. women’s hockey team to a silver medal. Schofield said that Coyne — who works as a player development coach for the Chicago Blackhawks — was probably the most excited family member after he signed with his hometown Bears.

Together, the couple has worked to give back to the community and helped design a park for kids in Coyne’s hometown of Palos Heights after providing Christmas gifts last year to families affected by gun violence. But now that Schofield is a member of the Bears, the ability to give back to local communities will mean more, Coyne said on Wednesday.

"We remember being kids and whether it was a Blackhawk or a Bear and being at an event as a kid and hearing there was a Blackhawk or a Bear there how excited you got," Coyne told Patch on Wednesday. "While we've done so many (charitable) things, the connection Michael will now have even deeper into the community just being a Bear opposed to a Bronco, a Charger, or a Panther as he has been in the past, there's just that instant connection to the hometown given that he's now playing for the Bears.

"I know that's just going to be surreal for him."

The surreal feeling also extends to his family.

Schofield's father said on Wednesday that while the south suburban family was always excited about having an NFL player to call their own, there is a difference now that Schofield is with the Bears.

“It’s the home team,” Schofield’s father told Patch. “It’s what every little kid who plays Pioneer football here in Orland looks up to the Bears — that’s what they want to be. To see someone succeed and do that, we’re just extremely happy.”

He added: “(Schofield) knew he was going to go somewhere, but his heart was in Chicago and that was his goal.”