Cameras captured the moment where President Donald Trump was informed of the passing of Chicago Bears player and coach Mike Ditka.
Ditka, a Hall of Fame player and coach who led the Bears to their only Super Bowl title, passed away on Friday at the age of 86.
On the lawn of the White House, joined by boxing legend Mike Tyson and New York Yankees president Randy Levine, Trump was asked about Ditka’s passing – only to reveal he hadn’t heard the news.
‘Oh, he did?’ Trump asked before turning to his two companions and saying, ‘Mike Ditka.’
Trump continued: ‘He was a great guy. He was with me all the way. He was tough.’
Then, in an echo of his reaction to the death of former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Trump said, ‘Mike Ditka is… that’s a sad one, you’re just telling me that now for the first time.’
President Donald Trump had a stunned reaction to the death of Bears coach Mike Ditka
Ditka, the coach who won the Bears their only Super Bowl title, died at the age of 86
Trump closed: ‘He was great. He was great. He was a… He was a big supporter of mine. Won the Super Bowl in ’86. Yeah, no, he was a winner. He was a tough cookie. He was great.’
The President was speaking just before he left the White House with Tyson for a rally in Syracuse, New York on Friday evening.
After playing just a few seasons for the Bears, Ditka returned to Chicago as a head coach in 1982 and helped lead the team to their most successful era ever.
He became a popular figure in the city and in sports culture, leveraging this into a broadcasting career at ESPN.
Ditka’s high-profile status also made him an effective advocate to secure improved health and retirement benefits for former players.
His name also circulated for years in Illinois political circles. Though he never ran for office, Ditka described himself as a staunch conservative and was mentioned several times as a possible Republican candidate, including a congressional race against then-state Rep. Barack Obama for the US Senate.
In his later years, Ditka was a staunch supporter of Trump’s – saying in 2016: ‘I support Trump all the way. I really do.’
According to The Chicago Sun Times, Ditka died at around 9am on Friday surrounded by family and friends. No cause of death has been announced.
Trump departed the White House for a rally in Syracuse, New York on Friday evening
Ditka was an NFL champion and Super Bowl champion after revolutionizing the tight end role
Ditka’s family announced his passing in a statement on Friday, saying: ‘It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Mike Ditka.
‘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 during his playing career before becoming coach of the Bears and leading the franchise to its sole Super Bowl title in 1985.
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.
Born in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, 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’s 1985 Bears were dominant, going 15-1 before destroying the Patriots in the Super Bowl
Ditka and wife Diana are pictured attending an event at the White House in 1989
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.
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.
