SAN DIEGO | When a former region resident becomes a Californian, the Bears fan inside doesn't die.

That was evident through the tens of thousands of Bears fans who packed the parking lot Sunday to tailgate alongside Chargers fans at Qualcomm Stadium for the Bears-Chargers season opener.

There didn't seem to be any mean-spirited rivalry, just friendly banter.

"We would only allow Bears fans to park next to us," said Toni Jo Schmidt, who was born and raised a Bears fan in Beecher before moving to San Diego a year ago.

She said family and friends from the region rushed to get tickets when they found out the Monsters of the Midway were playing the Chargers to start the 2007 season.

But make no mistake -- just because she hangs her hat in San Diego, her jersey reveals her loyalty to the Bears.

"I lived in Illinois for 25 years," she said. "(Being a Bears fan) is in my blood."

In Schmidt's group was Leigh Olszewski, a Lake Central High School graduate who grew up in Schererville and moved to San Diego two years ago.

"There's a lot more Bears fans here than people think," Olszewski said.

When asked which team he would always root for, he replied, "The Bears, of course."

Schmidt's not the only fan who has Bears loyalty in her blood.

"We bleed orange and blue," said Californian Brian Minor, who was at the game with his dad, Chicago-area native Ed Minor.

"We are die-hard Bears fans," the elder Minor said. "They haven't been here in eight years. It was my mission to get tickets."

The Bears gave fans their money's worth for most of three quarters before falling to the Chargers 14-3.

But a loss -- or a change of address -- isn't likely to kill the loyalty of true Bears fans.