The Chicago Bears will take the field Sunday carrying more than just a Week 5 matchup with the Green Bay Packers. On Friday, the team and its fans learned that Mike Ditka, the former Bears tight end and coach who became one of the franchise’s defining figures, died at 86.
Ditka’s legacy in Chicago is enormous. Before he coached the Bears to a Super Bowl title in 1985, he was a Pro Bowl player for the organization.
He finished his career with 427 catches for 5,812 receiving yards and 43 touchdowns. His family announced his death in a statement that remembered him as both a football icon and the center of their lives.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Mike Ditka,” the family said. “While the world knew Mike as a Hall of Fame football player, legendary coach, and leader of the Chicago Bears’ Super Bowl XX championship team, we knew him as the heart of our family. Mike will be missed beyond measure and remembered forever.”
As the Bears prepare for Sunday, plenty of fans already have a very specific tribute in mind for Ben Johnson: the sweater vest. Ditka’s sideline look in Chicago was the navy blue and orange version, and supporters would love to see Johnson channel that image against Green Bay.
“I need Ben Johnson wearing the Ditka sweater on the sideline this weekend so bad now,” one fan said.
“Ben Johnson has to wear the Ditka sweater on Sunday, right?” another person wrote on X.
Jon Greenberg of The Athletic even offered his own tongue-in-cheek take on the idea: “Ben Johnson needs to honor Mike Ditka by challenging a fan to a fight and/or telling a fan their IQ is zero. Beating the Packers on Sunday would be good too,”
Johnson, for his part, made clear Friday that he understands what Ditka means to the organization. He called Ditka the standard in Chicago and said the moment carried real weight.
“As far as I’m concerned, Coach Ditka is the gold standard in terms of this place,” Johnson told reporters. “He’s a legend around here as a player, as a coach.
His impact is still being felt to this day, and as the head coach of the Bears, I feel humbled to be in that same chair he was once in. It’s a sad day.”
Whether Johnson shows up in a Ditka-inspired look is still unknown. But with the Packers coming to town, Bears fans are already hoping Sunday brings the right tribute in more ways than one.
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