Mike Ditka: Chicago Bears honor ‘Da Coach’ with fake mustaches, knit headbands

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears paid tribute to “Da Coach” on Thursday.

Before Thursday night’s NFL game at Soldier Field, the Bears honored the late Mike Ditka before Chicago faced New England, the team his 1985 squad defeated in Super Bowl XX.

Ditka, the Bears’ hard-nosed coach, who in 1988 became the first tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, died on Oct. 9. He was 86.

Thursday night’s nationally televised game was the Bears’ first home contest since Ditka’s death, and the team had some promotions to honor the Bears’ iconic coach.

The first 10,000 fans who arrived at Soldier Field were given knit headbands inspired by the sweater that Ditka wore on the sidelines for many games as coach, ESPN reported.

The Bears also handed out fake mustaches to every fan who attended the game.

The team wore a No. 89 helmet decal and a uniform patch to honor Ditka number from his playing days, and the number was painted on the Soldier Field turf, USA Today reported.

The Bears held a moment of silence before kickoff, according to the newspaper.

Right guard Jonah Jackson arrived at Soldier Field wearing a long-sleeved No. 89 jersey, ESPN reported.

All day before the kickoff, the clocks inside Soldier Field read 89:00. Ditka’s number was retired by the Bears in December 2013.

The Bears capped an emotional night with a victory against New England. While it was not as dominant as Chicago’s 46-10 victory against the Patriots in Super Bowl XX, the Bears improved to 5-2 with a 30-24 win against New England (4-3).

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