Mike Ditka sweater vest worn in Super Bowl XX up for auction

As the Windy City celebrates the 40^th anniversary of the Chicago Bears’ Super Bowl XX triumph, an iconic piece of memorabilia from that game is up for auction.

Mike Ditka, whose brash attitude helped inspire the team and its fans during that Super Bowl-winning 1985 season, became well-known for his distinctive sweater vest that he would wear during games, a simple blue vest with “Bears” on the front and two orange stripes.

Now, the very vest that he wore on the sidelines of the Super Dome in New Orleans during the Bears’ 46-10 win over the New England Patriots on Jan. 26, 1986 is up for auction.

The auction will run through Saturday, February 7, and there have already been 26 bids placed, with the current price sitting at $82,000 as of Wednesday morning.

While there isn’t an explicit certificate of authenticity, the sweater does have the next best thing: a letter from Ditka confirming that the sweater was worn during the game.

“I, Mike Ditka, personally attest that this Chicago Bears sweater vest is the vest that I wore on January 26, 1986 while coaching the Bears in Super Bowl XX – the franchise’s only Super Bowl victory,” Ditka said in the letter, which he signed and dated in May 2022.

The Bears thrashed the Patriots during that game, capping off a remarkable season that saw them go 15-1 and then steamroll through the postseason, allowing just 10 points in three games.

Ditka’s 106 victories with the Bears place him second in team history behind only George Halas, who hired him as the team’s head coach prior to the 1982 season.

Ditka coached in 12 playoff games, the most in Bears history, and tied with Halas for the most postseason wins in team history with six.