Who is Jim Cornelison? What to know about Chicago icon singing national anthem at Bears game

The Chicago Bears faced the Los Angeles Rams in the 2026 Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs. The Bears, as the No. 2 seed in the NFC, hosted the game at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. 

The Bears turned to a Chicago icon to get the crowd into it. It was a frigid environment with a wind chill below zero at kickoff. Before, though, you couldn't tell the crowd was freezing by how excited they were at the national anthem singer.

While some teams turn to famous musical artists for the anthem, the Bears turned to a Chicago legend. They welcomed Jim Cornelison to honor America, and he crushed it as he normally does. 

Here is more on Cornelison and his signing of the national anthem.

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Who sang the national anthem at the Bears game?

Jim Cornelison sang the national anthem ahead of the Bears taking on the Rams in the 2026 Divisional Round. He is a Chicago legend for national anthems and is best known for singing it at Chicago Blackhawks hockey games. 

Who is Jim Cornelison?

Cornelison is a local legend, but you may have seen him before. Since 2007, he has sung the national anthem at Blackhawks games. Cornelison has also sung "Back Home Again in Indiana" at the Indianapolis 500 since 2017. 

The singer went to Seattle Pacific University with degrees in music and psychology. He then earned a master's degree in music from Indiana University. Cornelison moved to Chicago in 1995 and joined the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists. This helped his voice get discovered and he began singing the national anthem part-time for the Blackhawks in 1995. 

Cornelison has sung the national anthem at Bears games before. He handled all of the home games in the 2010-2011 season, the 2011 season opener, the 2019 season opener, the 2025 season opener, and both 2026 playoff games held in Chicago. 

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Jim Cornelison national anthem

The crowd at Soldier Field was excited for the game to get underway, but the second that Cornelison started, they got extremely into his rendition and he delivered. 

Jim Cornelison sings the National Anthem in Chicago 👏 pic.twitter.com/2KCzLilsFe