![\"BEARMAN-260109-64.JPG\"](\"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/b585c7b\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/6122x4083+0+0\/resize\/840x560!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F4c%2F4b%2Ff1522a43427a89e251b5428f63cc%2Fbearman-260109-64.JPG\")
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Don Wachter also known as Bear Man holds up a cushion in his room of memoraborilia at his home in Plainfield, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026.<\/p>\n
Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
On Saturday night, he\u2019ll bring his Clark Kent-turned-Superman-like persona to the Bears playoff clash with rival Green Bay Packers. <\/p>\n
\u201cChicago gets the moniker of blue-collar, hard working, tough, gritty. … They can take adversity,\u201d Wachter said. \u201cThis team fights to the end, they don\u2019t care if they are down, we\u2019re gonna beat you somehow.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Bearman cheers as the Chicago Bears take on the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field on Nov. 17, 2024.<\/p>\n Ashlee Rezin\/Sun-Times file<\/p>\n While Wachter\u2019s expectations of the team winning the Super Bowl are tempered, he feels good about the Bears\u2019 chances to beat the Packers. If they do claim their first championship in 40 years, Wachter said he\u2019d \u201chave to do something crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone should challenge me [to do something],\u201d Wachter said. \u201cThe city would go crazy.\u201d <\/p>\n It takes nearly an hour for Wachter to get into full costume. He starts by applying a barrier spray on his skin that keeps the paint on when he sweats and mixes various colors to form the traditional Bears colors. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Don Wachter also known as Bear Man applies face paint in his bathroom at his home in Plainfield, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. <\/p>\n | Don Wachter also known as Bear Man applies face paint in his bathroom at his home in Plainfield, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026.<\/p>\n | Applicators and paint on the bathroom sink of Don Wachter also known as Bear Man at his home in Plainfield, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026.<\/p>\n | Don Wachter also known as Bear Man applies face paint in his bathroom at his home in Plainfield, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. <\/p>\n | Don Wachter also known as Bear Man applies face paint in his bathroom at his home in Plainfield, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. <\/p>\n | Don Wachter also known as Bear Man holds paint in his hand as he applies faceprint at his home in Plainfield, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. <\/p>\n | Don Wachter also known as Bear Man powders his face as he applies face paint for his outfit at his home in Plainfield, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. <\/p>\n | Don Wachter also known as Bear Man powders his face as he applies face paint for his outfit at his home in Plainfield, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. <\/p>\n | “[With] the face paint, my personality changes,\u201d Wachter said. \u201cI yell more, holler more, growl more.\u201d <\/p>\n Wachter then puts on a shirt and NFL pants with sections of fur sewn on by a seamstress, shoulder pads he got from Play It Again Sports, mittens he bought online and altered with glued fur and foam and fur covered hiking shoes he got at Yellowstone National Park. <\/p>\n Wachter gets to Soldier Field hours before kickoff to tailgate, but also stops to take pictures with legions of fans who approach him as he tries to make his way to his seat. <\/p>\n He says the attention he has received as a superfan over the years \u201chas been humbling.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Don Wachter also known as Bear Man puts on a jersey that has the bear arms attached for his outfit at his home in Plainfield, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026.<\/p>\n | Don Wachter also known as Bear Man puts on the pants for his outfit at his home in Plainfield, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026.<\/p>\n | Don Wachter also known as Bear Man ties his shoes at his home in Plainfield, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026.<\/p>\n | A small bushy tail on the back of the pants on Don Wachter also known as Bear Man outfit at his home in Plainfield, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026.<\/p>\n | Don Wachter also known as Bear Man adjusts his shoulder pads for his outfit at his home in Plainfield, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026.<\/p>\n | Don Wachter also known as Bear Man gets help putting on his jersey at his home in Plainfield, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026.<\/p>\n | Don Wachter also known as Bear Man adjust his belt as he gets dressed at his home in Plainfield, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. <\/p>\n | Don Wachter also known as Bear Man adjust his bear head gear at his home in Plainfield, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026.<\/p>\n | Don Wachter also known as Bear Man adjust his bear head gear at his home in Plainfield, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026.<\/p>\n | Don Wachter also known as Bear Man growls at the camera at his home in Plainfield, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. <\/p>\n | He was inducted into the Visa Hall of Fans in 1999 and Ford Hall of Fans in 2019. Former Bears legendary linebacker Brian Urlacher personally came to Wacher\u2019s home to inform him about being a finalist for the Ford honor.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s fun being famous,\u201d quipped an unmarried Wachter. \u201cI don\u2019t know if a wife would let me do all this stuff.\u201d <\/p>\n Ben Wachter, the superfan\u2019s second cousin, has seen both sides of Wachter at family reunions. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen he comes to family reunions, we know him as Don and he\u2019ll sit there and talk to you but he\u2019s quiet,\u201d Ben Wachter said. \u201cWhen he brings the bear costume, Don is a different person, like he\u2019s growling and doing the whole show.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like his alter ego, it really transforms him,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Shane Taube has gone to games with Wachter for years and describes the devout supporter as someone \u201cwho means a lot to the Bears community.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen so many instances where kids will follow him or chase him down,\u201d said Taube, 51. \u201cYou can see how many lives he touches.\u201d <\/p>\n Lena Duda, who goes by the moniker \u201cHoneybear,\u201d was inspired by Wachter\u2019s dedication to the team and wanted to be the female representation of what a super fan looked like. <\/p>\n \u201cI saw what he was doing and I wanted to be that for girls,\u201d said Duda, 42. \u201cWe do it so that everybody else can be crazy and loose and feel the joy that we feel when we watch football.\u201d <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bearfan is among the Chicago Bears fans who endure heavy rainfall during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Soldier Field on Sept. 11, 2022.<\/p>\n | Bearfan attends a game at Soldier Field as the Chicago Bears take on the Detroit Lions on Dec. 22, 2024.<\/p>\n | Fans watch the Chicago Bears take on the Oakland Raiders at Soldier Field on Oct. 4, 2015. | Ashlee Rezin\/For the Sun-Times<\/p>\n | Chicago Bears fans cheer during the second quarter against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. | Ashlee Rezin\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n | Chicago Bears fans cheer during a third down as the Bears take on the New Orleans Saints at Soldier Field, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025. | Ashlee Rezin\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n | Fans endure rain and cold weather against as the Chicago Bears take on the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2017. | Ashlee Rezin\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n | Painted in his teams colors and wearing a bears head, Chicago Bears fan Don Wachter, waits for the start of the NFC divisional playoff football game between the Bears and Carolina Panthers in Chicago, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2006. The winners of this game will play the Seattle Seahawks for the conference finals on January 22nd. (AP Photo\/Charles Rex Arbogast)<\/p>\n | Chicago Bears fans cheer and celebrate during the fourth quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Soldier Field, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. | Ashlee Rezin\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n | Don Wachter of Plainfield, Ill, cheer for the Chicago Bears as they warm-up for the NFC divisional playoff football game between the Bears and Seattle Seahawks in Chicago, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2007. (AP Photo\/Morry Gash)<\/p>\n | Don Wachter, known as Bearman, cheers during the first half of an NFL football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo\/Jeff Dean) ORG XMIT: ILEH174<\/p>\n | Wachter fell in love with the Bears after they drafted Walter Payton in 1975 but didn\u2019t attend his first game until 1983. His love grew after witnessing Payton break Jim Brown\u2019s all-time rushing record in 1984.<\/p>\n He became a season ticket holder in 1985 \u2014 paying $150 for a season\u2019s ticket for seats behind a goalpost.<\/p>\n He blew an air horn when the team scored a touchdown or field goal in the 1980s. In the 1990s, he waved a custom flag and wore punk wigs before he went to a taxidermist in 1996 and bought a bearskin rug so he could wear the head as a hat. He acknowledged that he was too embarrassed to tell store clerks his plans for the bear head.<\/p>\n \u201cI was like, \u2018Would this work?,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Wachter gained attention for his unique look. He was featured in a commercial for Miller Lite. He then spent a few years as a flag runner for the team at Soldier Field. <\/p>\n In the future, he said he plans to place a speaker into the mouth of the bear hat to include a growl. <\/p>\n![\"Bearman](\"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/18ac374\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/4876x3252+0+0\/resize\/840x560!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F04%2F77%2F166347ef40189a785437f19902ab%2Fbears-111824-58.jpg\")
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\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
\n Ashlee Rezin\/Sun-Times file<\/p>\n
\n Ashlee Rezin\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
\n Ashlee Rezin\/for Sun-Times Media\/Sun-Times Media<\/p>\n
\n Ashlee Rezin\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
\n Ashlee Rezin\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
\n Ashlee Rezin\/Chicago Sun-Times\/Sun-Times Media<\/p>\n
\n CHARLES REX ARBOGAST\/AP<\/p>\n
\n Ashlee Rezin\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
\n Morry Gash\/AP<\/p>\n
\n Jeff Dean\/AP Photos<\/p>\n
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