On Thursday night, the Bears are playing their first home game since Mike Ditka passed away, marking the first time that the team can properly honor Ditka. To do so, Chicago is giving fans the chance to celebrate the coach in a perfect way.
Ditka led the Bears to the Super Bowl championship during the 1985 season, making him one of the biggest icons in sports. As a result, Ditka’s iconic mustache became synonymous with the Bears and a pop culture phenomenon.
It is fitting that the New England Patriots are in town to play the Bears, since that was the Super Bowl 20 matchup in which the Bears won 46-10. Now, Bears fans will say goodbye to the coach with another game against New England, doing so in the most Chicago way.
Here’s how the Bears plan to honor Mike Ditka on Thursday night.
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How Bears are honoring Mike Ditka
The Bears announced that ahead of Thursday night’s game against the Patriots, fans attending the game will get fake mustaches to dress like the coach. Additionally, the first 10,000 fans will get Bears knit headbands that match Ditka’s iconic sweater.
Tonight’s game will feature a special tribute to Ditka, with commemorative gameday elements including a stadium-wide mustache giveaway, fan activations, on-field recognition and moments honoring the legendary coach.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 22, 2026
This will surely not be the first time that Bears fans dress like Ditka, as the coach is probably one of the more popular costumes in Chicago every year.
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Mike Ditka mustache history
While Ditka is known for his mustache, he actually didn’t grow out the facial hair during his playing career. When Ditka was a future Hall of Fame tight end for the Bears and Dallas Cowboys in the 1960s and early 1970s, he initially didn’t have any facial hair.
Card of the Day: 1962 Topps #17 Mike Ditka, the only recognized rookie card of the man who redefined the tight end position — not to mention, the first tight end elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This card suffers from chipping and wear along the black edges. https://t.co/7m61CmZzAh
— PSAcard (@PSAcard) February 18, 2018
It wasn’t until Ditka got into coaching that he grew out his mustache, which gained nationwide popularity after he led the Bears to a Super Bowl title. Ditka’s mustache was such a pop culture phenomenon that it even reached Saturday Night Live.
HILARIOUS: After the #Bears fired Mike Ditka in 1993, the legendary coach made a HILARIOUS cameo on Saturday Night Live with the iconic Chicago Superfans. 🤣🤣🤣 “Ditka is like the sun, only smarter.” One of the all-time great funny SNL skits. https://t.co/P0EqLCv9fq
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) October 9, 2026
Even when the Bears were decades removed from the Ditka era, Chicago fans always remembered the coach and his mustache fondly.
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