Since legendary Chicago Bears head coach and tight end Mike Ditak passed away on Oct. 9 at 86, the team has not had a home game, which hasn't allowed the Bears to properly honor him.
Well, the Bears will get their chance to honor one of the biggest sports figures in Chicago history on Thursday night, when they take on the New England Patriots at Soldier Field.
When it comes to how the Bears are going to honor Ditka, they are doing a slew of things things, including giving away a mustache to every fan in attendance, the Bears announced, which is just awesome.
Of course, part of the Ditka legend was his fantastic mustache, as was his iconic sweater. Speaking of that sweater, the first 10,000 fans will receive a Bears knit headband that is modeled after it.
Along with the giveaways, the Bears will have a moment of silence before kickoff and will unveil an on-field stencil that is dedicated to the legendary player and coach. The Pro Football Hall of Fame will also provide Ditka memorabilia that can be seen in Soldier Field's south courtyard.
In addition to all that, Bears players will sport a No. 89 patch on their jerseys, which will stay through the rest of the season, and Chicago's "spirit squad" will wave Ditka-inspired flags during ceremonies before the game starts.
A hot ticket
With a marquee matchup between two rising star quarterbacks in Caleb Williams and Drake Maye, and with the Ditka giveaways and ceremonies planned, the Bears-Patriots game has become a hot ticket.
According to TickPick (H/T ESPN's Field Yates), the get-in price for the Thursday night matchup is the highest of any game this season at $702.
So, if you were looking for a last-second ticket to get your Ditka 'stache and watch the game, you're going to have to pony up plenty of dough.
Mike Ditka's legendary careers
Everybody knows about Ditka's status as a legendary coach of the Bears and his Super Bowl victory in 1985, but the kids might not know how great of a tight end he was.
Ditka was a first-round pick of the Bears in 1961 and completely changed the position. Before Ditka, tight ends weren't known for catching passes.
However, the Hall of Famer changed that right away, with Ditka posting 1,076 yards in his rookie season. That mark stayed the single-season record for rookie tight ends for 63 years before Brock Bowers broke it in 2024.
Ditka was a true trail blazer in more ways than one and he will be missed, but his unforgettable legacy will live on.
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