Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson has paid a heartfelt tribute to Mike Ditka following his death at the age of 86 on Friday.
The iconic former Bears coach and player’s family announced that Ditka passed away at around 9am while surrounded by his family and friends.
Addressing the media hours later before their grudge match against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Johnson said: ‘As far as I’m concerned. Coach Ditka is the gold standard in terms of this place.
‘He’s a legend around here as a player, as a coach. His impact is still being felt to this day.
‘As the head coach of the Bears I feel humbled to be in that same chair he was once in. It’s a sad day.’
Ditka led the Bears to their sole Super Bowl title in 1985 as head coach. He also had enormous success as a player and was on the Bears’ 1963 NFL championship team and won a Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys in 1971.
Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson has paid a heartfelt tribute to Mike Ditka following his death
Ditka led the Bears to their sole Super Bowl title in 1985 as head coach, earning icon status
Johnson revealed he never had the chance to meet Ditka but is fully aware of his importance to the Bears franchise as he bids to become the second coach to lead Chicago to Super Bowl glory.
‘I don’t know if there’s been a head coach with that much – other than, obviously, George Halas – but that much success just for, I think it was 11 years and the number of winning seasons, the win/loss record, obviously a Super Bowl winner,’ he added.
‘As a head coach, it’s been hard to replicate that since his time, certainly as a player as well.’
Ditka was selected by the Bears with the No. 5 overall pick in the 1961 NFL Draft. He won Rookie of the Year after becoming the first tight end to have more than 1,000 receiving yards.
As well as being a battering ram of a blocker, Ditka was also a major threat in the passing game and paved the way for the sort of tight end the NFL is now accustomed to seeing.
The first tight end to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Ditka played for Chicago for six seasons before spending two with the Philadelphia Eagles and four with the Cowboys.
Ditka was enshrined in the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame and the Bears said during a ceremony in 2013 that his ‘No. 89’ jersey will be the last one retired by the team.
‘It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Mike Ditka,’ his family said in a statement.
‘While the world knew Mike as a Hall of Fame football player, legendary coach, and leader of the Chicago Bears’ Super Bowl XX championship team, we knew him as the heart of our family. Mike will be missed beyond measure and remembered forever.’
Ditka revolutionized the tight end position as a player with the Bears, Eagles and Cowboys
Ditka, pictured in 2020, also coached the New Orleans Saints but left after three seasons
After retiring in 1973, he became an assistant coach to the revered Tom Landry and stayed with the Cowboys for eight seasons.
Ditka was hired to lead the Bears by his former coach and the team’s founder George Halas in 1982. Ditka led them to the playoffs seven times in 11 seasons and reached the NFC title game three times.
But it is Ditka’s 1985 Bears who are remembered for their sheer dominance, going 15-1 while ranking among the top teams in football on offense and defense before obliterating the New England Patriots, 46-10 in Super Bowl XX.
However, that Chicago team was also remembered as a divided locker room, with defensive stars giving their allegiance to defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan while the offense rallied around Ditka.
The schism was crystallized in the moments after the Super Bowl XX win in New Orleans, where both Ditka and Ryan were lifted onto players’ shoulders following the blowout victory.
Although the two were known to have an intense locker-room rivalry before Ryan became the Philadelphia Eagles head coach in 1986, Ditka later made amends with his former assistant, whom he credited for the Super Bowl win.
‘There’s no way that we win anything without that defense, without his coaching, and I think everybody understands that,’ Ditka told ESPN in 2016.
Ditka was eventually fired by the Bears after the 1992 season. Following a five-year absence, he returned to coaching with the New Orleans Saints, but failed to revive the franchise.
After a miserable 1999 season ended with a 3-13 record – Ditka’s worst as either a player or coach – he left the sidelines for good.
In a statement, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said: ‘Mike Ditka epitomized football over so many years. He brought intensity, authenticity, and an unmistakable personality to everything he did.
‘As a Hall of Fame player, Super Bowl-winning coach with his beloved and iconic Bears, and as a broadcaster, Mike served as an ambassador for the game and inspired generations of fans. Through his work with the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, Mike was a champion for taking care of those who helped build our game. We extend our deepest condolences to Diana and the Ditka family.’
