(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — You can own the most famous sweater in Chicago history, but it’ll cost you.
It is a picture that graces many a tavern, restaurant, and rec room in the Chicago area: Bears Coach Mike Ditka on the sidelines during games, wearing aviator shades, a suit and a navy blue sweater with the word BEARS across the chest.
While many knockoffs are available online, authentic versions of the Cliff Engle sweater are a collector's item.
Heritage Auctions is now selling THE sweater Ditka wore during Super Bowl XX in January 1986.
The auction house says the XXL sweater is in perfect condition because it lay untouched in a dresser drawer in the decades after Ditka was carried off the field after the Bears won their first — and, so far, only — Super Bowl.
"The sweater vest is iconic and legendary, just like the man himself," Ditka's son and daughter-in-law, Mark and Stacy Ditka, said in a prepared statement. "Polished, colorful and bold, it represents a moment in time that is so meaningful not only to our family and Bears fans, but to so many people who were caught up in the spirit of this team. We hope whoever takes home this win will continue to enjoy that great energy.”
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