The football fanatic

Think you’re a Bears fan? You say you bleed blue and orange? Well, there is no greater believer than a convert, and Dacia James, who didn’t have football at her high school or college, was converted in 2007.

“The moment I walked into Soldier Field, I was overwhelmed with everything that was going on,” says James, 32. From that point on, she was hooked.

“It’s where a lot of my money goes,” she says. “I don’t spend extra money on shoes and clothes. I buy Bears tickets. I go to Bears training camp. I go to some preseason games. I went to the NFC championship game. I follow every player who has a Twitter account. I even follow the Bears sportswriters on Twitter.”

She has a bathroom in her Hyde Park home dedicated to the Bears, a drawer dedicated to Bears clothing and her screen saver at work rotates between game shots and general player photos. Her all-time favorite? “Lance Briggs,” she says. “He doesn’t get enough credit.”

She’s been in the Bears’ locker room twice as a member of the 4th Phase Fan Club. She’s had her photo taken with Staley, the Bears’ mascot. When she met Da Coach at his restaurant in May, she cried. Is she hosting a Super Bowl party this year? Not a chance. This super fan wants to watch the game.