The sports world crowns a new set of champions every year. A few times in a generation, however, the rarest of those champions will break through and reach the echelon of history's most iconic teams.
The 1985 Chicago Bears were one of those truly eternal championship squads. And perhaps no personality was bigger than that of fiery head coach Mike Ditka.
For four decades in the Windy City, no member of the "Super Bowl Shuffle" Bears has ever had to buy a drink on Rush Street.
Fiery head coach Mike Ditka led that group of personalities to arguably the most impressive campaign in NFL history, earning praise (worship?) on a recurring "Saturday Night Live" skit entitled "Bill Swerski's Superfans" in the early 1990s.
Now, one of the most recognizable artifacts from Ditka's tenure on the Bears sideline — the sweater vest he wore in Chicago's Super Bowl demolition of the Pats — has sold at Goldin for $183,000.
The vest came with a letter of provenance, signed by Ditka. Resolution Photomatching was able to return a "possible" photo-match on the item.
The dark blue vest is size XXL and features "BEARS" in prominent white letters across the front.
Ditka, 86, won three Super Bowls in his career, adding titles as a Cowboys tight end in 1972 and a Dallas assistant coach in 1978. He was the first tight end elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988.
Featuring huge personalities such as Jim McMahon and William "Refrigerator" Perry, along with Hall of Fame leaders Walter Payton and Mike Singletary, those Bears finished the regular season at 15-1 and then steamrolled all comers in the playoffs, dominating the Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX in New Orleans.
Hence why Ditka's sweater, though, is not the most expensive item from the Bears Super Bowl win. That honor belongs to Perry's Super Bowl ring, which is so big the size can't even be measured. It sold in 2015 at Heritage Auctions for $203,150.
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Darren Rovell is the founder and editor in chief of cllct and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectibles market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.