GREEN BAY, Wis. \u2013 Philip Hauff says he has owned Chicago Bears season tickets for the last 25 years but had never attended one of his favorite team\u2019s games at Lambeau Field before this week.<\/p>\n
After former Chicago coach Mike Ditka died<\/a> Friday at the age of 86, Hauff figured he had to make a trip to Green Bay to pay respects to the coach who had personified the Bears franchise<\/a> as much as anybody. Hauff bought a ticket to Sunday\u2019s game the day of Ditka\u2019s death and showed up wearing an 89 jersey, the number Ditka wore while playing tight end for the Bears from 1961-66.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a very emotional time right now,\u201d the 61-year-old fan from Oak Park, Illinois, said before Sunday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n The Bears wore No. 89 stickers<\/a> on the backs of their helmets Sunday. The Packers and Bears honored Ditka with a pregame moment of silence. Bears coach Ben Johnson had said Friday that Ditka is \u201cthe gold standard in terms of this place\u201d and that the Hall of Famer’s impact was still being felt.<\/p>\n Perhaps the most notable tributes to Ditka came in the stands rather than on the sidelines.<\/p>\n No. 89 jerseys were a featured choice of attire among the sizable contingent of Bears fans who made the trip to Green Bay.<\/p>\n Ditka revolutionized the tight end position during a playing career that started in Chicago. He returned to the Bears to coach them from 1982-92. Ditka\u2019s 1985 Bears won the franchise\u2019s lone Super Bowl title and remain one of the most iconic teams in NFL history.<\/p>\n \u201cDitka\u2019s like (Michael) Jordan,\u201d Hauff said. \u201cHe\u2019s Chicago. His passion, his devotion, his no-quit, his toughness. He\u2019s compassionate. We\u2019re a team that sucked for years and he brought us a championship.\u201d<\/p>\n Ditka\u2019s lasting legacy was evident from the fact many of the Bears fans wearing No. 89 jerseys weren\u2019t even born during that 1985 season. The ones who were old enough to experience that title wanted a chance to thank Ditka for helping create an indelible moment.<\/p>\n \u201cI snuck a keg of beer in my dorm room, and me and my college buddy and roommate had the greatest time that day,\u201d said Hauff, a Ball State alum. \u201cThat was amazing. It was a wonderful time.\u201d<\/p>\n