Bears fan fills home with memorabilia

By Frank Mathie

Ron Sheppard of Harvard, Illinois, just might be the biggest, diehard, ultimate Bears fan since George Halas himself. That is because if a piece of Chicago Bears memorabilia was created, the 44-year-old collected it.

About 75 miles northwest of Chicago's Loop, near Harvard, Illinois, in a small home we find what is almost a shrine to the Chicago Bears. NFL Hall of Fame stairs lead down to a basement room that is enough to make Dick Butkus cry with emotion. It all started twenty years ago.

"I've always loved the Chicago Bears and when I went into the Marine Corps I started collecting. I think my first thing was a pennant and thought that looks good. So anytime I see something good I just grab it and it just amassed to what I have now," Ron Sheppard, Bears Fan Supreme.

Sheppard has collected about 1,796 items. His miniature football stadium hosts a variety of memorabilia. The 44-year-old engineer says its worth about $20,000. But this isn't about money. There is no price tag on his Chicago Bears tattoos or on any other item in the collection.

"Not one item. I don't believe in selling this. This means too much to me," said Sheppard.

There's a lot of talk these days about Bears fever but that is sort of a passing ailment. As soon as the season is over, it goes away. But for Ron Sheppard, well, maybe we should call it "Bears brain wasting disease" -- this is permanent, chronic and there's no cure.

"I take the Chicago Bears as a way of life. My vacations are planned around the games. The family does not call me on Sundays. The family doesn't call me for a couple days after a loss until I cool down," said Sheppard.

Sheppard is a man flushed with pride for the Bears and hate for the Green Bay Packers.