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Bears honor legendary coach Mike Ditka with No. 89 helmet decal

The Bears will continue to honor Mike Ditka.

· 335 words

The Chicago Bears continued to honor legendary head coach Mike Ditka in Week 5. Ditka, who led the Bears to a win in Super Bowl XX, died Friday. He was 86 .

In tribute to Ditka, the team unveiled a helmet decal featuring No. 89, the number Ditka wore when he was a tight end with the franchise. The Bears retired the number in 2013, and team chairman George McCaskey said it will be the last number the Bears retire.

The decal appeared on the back of the team's helmet, just under the American flag.

The Bears lost 31-7 on Sunday to the rival Green Bay Packers , a team Ditka went 15-5 against in his 11 seasons as Chicago's head coach. The teams also had a moment of silence in honor of Ditka before the game.

While Ditka is arguably more known for his stint as a head coach, he began his legend as a tight end with the Bears. He is credited with redefining the position , becoming one of the first tight ends to be used as a major receiving threat.

In his six seasons with the Bears, Ditka made five Pro Bowls and was a two-time first-team All-Pro selection. He gained 4,503 receiving yards and scored 34 touchdowns with the franchise. Ditka later played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.

His excellence as a player got him inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame while he was still coaching.

As a coach, Ditka excelled with the Bears. In 11 seasons with the franchise, he posted a .631 winning percentage and won a Super Bowl. Following his time in Chicago, Ditka coached the New Orleans Saints, where he went 15-33 in three seasons.

His excellence as a player and coach, combined with his outspoken personality, made Ditka a popular figure in the game, even after his retirement. Because of that, multiple people and organizations paid tribute to Ditka on Friday.

The Bears added one more tribute to that list Sunday.

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Sunday, October 11, 2026

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