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Football Fans Loved Blackhawks Singer's Electric Anthem Before Bears-Vikings MNF Game

A sensational start to ‘Monday Night Football.’
Jim Cornelison sang the national anthem prior to the Bears and Vikings Monday Night Football game
Jim Cornelison sang the national anthem prior to the Bears and Vikings Monday Night Football game | Screengrab via @NFL on X and ESPN

The first Monday Night Football game of the season got out to an electric start thanks to Jim Cornelison.

Cornelison sings the anthems at Blackhawks games, and graced Soldier Field with his pipes before the Bears took on the Vikings in the conclusion to the NFL's Week 1 slate. The hockey vibes were absolutely perfect for the occasion:

Football fans and personalities quickly took to the internet to praise Cornelison's singing:

Cornelison, who has the amazingly appropriate X handle of @Anthem_Singer, posted how excited he was to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" before the incredible performance:

Chicago sports fans are used to Cornelison's legendary anthems for the Blackhawks where the entire stadium cheers throughout. Now, they got to bring a little piece of the city to the entire country on one of football's biggest stages.

The anthem may have brought the Bears some luck too, as Caleb Williams scored a rushing touchdown to open up the scoring on their first drive of the game. The nine-yard scamper marked the first rushing touchdown of the second-year quarterback's career. Per Josh Dubow of the AP, the play was also Chicago's first opening-drive touchdown since Week 17 of the 2023 season.


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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a writer at Sports Illustrated, primarily covering the NBA and WNBA. Before joining SI in November 2024 as a breaking/trending news writer, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation and A10Talk. He’s an alum of both Michigan State and St. Bonaventure University, receiving a master’s degree from the Bonnies’ sports journalism program. Outside of work, he’s a husband, father, yogi and fairly mediocre tennis player who’s open to any tips on how to play defense in EA Sports College Football.

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