The NFL is straight-up paying tribute to Mike Ditka today after his family announced his passing on Friday. Across the league, especially where Ditka left his mark, everyone’s taking a moment. The Packers, who are hosting the Bears at Lambeau Field, and the Saints, a team Ditka once coached, both held pregame moments of silence for the former Super Bowl-winning Chicago coach. It’s a sad day for football, no doubt.
Honoring a Legend: From the Field to the Sidelines
Talk about a classy move: the Bears are rocking a helmet decal with the No. 89, Ditka’s jersey number when he was a Hall of Fame tight end. You know that’s not just some random number; it’s deep. Bears coach Ben Johnson didn’t even mess around, reportedly playing a Ditka tribute video during a team meeting on Saturday. He wanted his players to *get* the full impact Ditka had on that franchise. Johnson wasn’t holding back either at a news conference Friday, saying, “As far as I’m concerned, Coach Ditka is the gold standard in terms of this place. I mean, he’s a legend around here as a player, as a coach. His impact is still being felt to this day. And as the head coach of the Bears, I feel humbled to be in that same chair that he was once in.” That’s real talk, man.
“Gold Standard” Legacy: The 1985 Bears Reign
When you talk Ditka, you gotta talk about his coaching career. The guy was a winner, plain and simple. His teams went 121,95 across 14 seasons, and he was 6,6 in the playoffs. But let’s be real, the moment everyone remembers? It’s 1985. Ditka was at the helm, and Chicago rolled through the regular season with a ridiculous 15,1 record before absolutely dominating and winning Super Bowl XX. That team, that season, it’s etched in NFL history, and it’s a direct result of Ditka’s leadership. What a career, what an impact.
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Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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