Wrigley Field historical sleuthing: Walter Payton edition

Chicago Bears Hall of Famer Walter Payton passed away 22 years ago yesterday, November 1, 1999, far too young at age 45.

Another Hall of Famer, Fergie Jenkins, tweeted out the photo above, and a reader called it to my attention and asked me to sleuth it. First, though, here’s the full version of the photo which shows part of the scoreboard, via Fergie’s Twitter account:

So, there are a few games visible on the scoreboard, and it’s obviously a full house and it’s April, since the ivy is brown.

The message board beneath the Wrigley board threw me off momentarily. It was installed after Tribune Co. bought the team in 1981, but for a couple of years it had beer company ads placed on either side. I…