In their early years, the Chicago Bears and the Chicago Cardinals—two of the longest-lived teams in football—travelled the country with only rare mention in the newspapers. Both teams later saw their official records destroyed by fire. Most of what is now known about them is based on often inaccurate statements made many years later.

Reconstructing their missing history, this book draws on newly available resources to document the battles and brawls both on and off the field, the cunning backroom deals, the financial woes and the 40-year rivalry that endured while both teams were in Chicago. Figures like Al Capone, Red Grange, Jim Thorpe and Bronko Nagurski make appearances in the unearthed lore of two old adversaries whose uneasy alliance helped ensure the survival of the fledgling NFL.