Chicago Says Goodbye to Its Coach The Bears honored Hall of Famer Mike Ditka — who died Oct. 9 at 86 — at Thursday night's game against the Patriots, the team's first home game since his passing.
The Mustache, the Vest, the Legend Ditka coached the Bears from 1982 to 1992, winning 106 games and the franchise's only Super Bowl title.
Super Bowl XX: The Pinnacle Ditka's 1985 Bears beat the Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX — fittingly, Thursday night's opponent was New England.
A Sea of Mustaches at Soldier Field Every fan at Soldier Field received a fake Ditka-style mustache as part of a stadium-wide giveaway.
Fans Join the Tribute The first 10,000 fans also received knit headbands inspired by Ditka's iconic sideline sweater vests.
Caleb Williams Leads the Night Bears quarterback Caleb Williams returned from a hamstring injury to beat the Falcons in Week 6 before Thursday's primetime duel with Drake Maye.
Drake Maye, the Rematch Maye beat Williams and the Bears as a rookie in 2024; the two 2024 draft classmates squared off again Thursday night.
No. 89, Forever Players wore No. 89 patches for Ditka all season, and his number was stenciled into the Soldier Field grass.
Before the Sideline: The Player Ditka began with the Bears in 1961, set a rookie tight-end receiving record, and helped win the 1963 NFL championship.
A City's Icon Ditka died of natural causes on Oct. 9, just over a week before his 87th birthday, his representative told USA Today.
The '85 Bears Standard The 1985 championship team remains the benchmark for every Bears squad since — seven playoff appearances in Ditka's 11 seasons.
Moment of Silence A moment of silence was observed before the national anthem, carried by the Amazon Prime Video broadcast, alongside a video tribute.
89 Forever From the mustaches to the No. 89 in the grass, Chicago spent Thursday night saying goodbye to its coach. Read the full story on The Nerdy Humourist.