Mike Ditka’s players have seemingly endless stories that capture the essence of who he was as a coach and a man. Those memories returned in a rush Friday when Ditka, who led the Bears to their only Super Bowl win and towered as a Chicago icon, died at 86.
Hall of Fame defensive lineman Dan Hampton’s snapshot might speak the loudest, especially as the Bears are set to visit the archrival Packers on Sunday.
The teams played a preseason game in 1984, and logistics were an issue since Milwaukee County Stadium was a baseball facility, so the Bears and Packers were on the same sideline. Ditka, of course, stood at one 49-yard line and Packers coach Forrest Gregg stood at the other, and Ditka spent the entire game screaming profanities at Gregg.
“He was the tip of the spear,” Hampton told the Sun-Times. “A lot of coaches say, ‘OK, do this, do this,’ and then they stand back and watch. Ditka was right there at the front.
“It was about us against you. Our team against you. Let’s go. It didn’t matter that it was preseason.”
Ditka coached the Bears to a five-year run as the NFL’s most powerful force as they went 62-17 from 1984 through ’88, the peak being his 1985 team that won Super Bowl XX. It is the only Lombardi Trophy in franchise history, and no coach since has matched his dominance.
That includes his sparkling 15-5 record against the Packers, whom the Bears visit Sunday.
He despised them. As good as Ditka was for the Bears as a tight end from 1961 through ’66, they ran up against the Packers during the Bart Starr era. Ditka went 3-9 against them as a player and never let go of that grudge.
“The whole City of Chicago hated the Packers, and he had played against all those legendary Packers teams and they beat up the Bears pretty good,” left tackle Jimbo Covert said. “There was a lot of animosity there, and he carried it forward. When you got to Green Bay week, you knew there was going to be more intensity on the practice field.”
It’s hard to imagine what that level must’ve been for Ditka, who was always at full throttle anyway.
Playing for him was grueling, so much so that Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary referred to him as “a real badass,” but it brought out their best. They learned the value of preparation, worked relentlessly and adopted his ferocity.
“I didn’t realize how wonderful it was to be able to play for him until years after I retired,” Hampton said. “Nothing felt better than if we were playing against the 49ers and we’d go out and execute and beat their ass, and then come into the locker room and he was like a proud father.”
Ditka coached the Bears from 1982 through ’92, the longest tenure other than franchise founder George Halas, and went 106-62. He matched Halas’ team record with six playoff wins.
As a star tight end for the Bears, he helped them win the 1963 championship, made the Pro Bowl his first five seasons and still ranks in the top six all time in catches (316), yards receiving (4,503) and touchdown catches (34).
His brash playing style translated perfectly to coaching. His attitude rippled through the Bears as he established not only rigorous practice and preparation habits — “It was all about winning,” Hampton said — but the confidence that no one could stop them.
“We embraced the bravado that he displayed and the way he would just put it out there that we’re good and we know we’re good and you can’t do nothing about it,” said cornerback Leslie Frazier, now an assistant coach with the Seahawks. “That was rare, but that’s how he was. He took it personal if someone felt like they were better than us or tried to impose their will against us.”
Players knew of Ditka’s declining health the last few years, and Hampton wanted one last chance to see him. He stopped by last month, and while reality set in that his beloved coach didn’t have much longer, he got one last glimpse of the man he remembered in his prime.
“He wasn’t in the best of shape, but when I leaned over to look at him in the eyes, his eyes burned with that Ditka fire and he said, ‘Dan!’” Hampton said. “It was great.”
He was tough, but loving. And most of all, he was theirs.