Bears head coach Ben Johnson called Ryne Sandberg “a big part of my childhood” in offering condolences to the family of the Cubs’ Hall of Fame second baseman before Tuesday’s training camp practice.
Sandberg died from cancer Monday night at age 65.
“I grew up a big Cubs fan, and so he was a big part of my childhood, my family,” Johnson said before practice Tuesday. “We watched him, Mark Grace the whole crew on WGN for a number of years. I know what he means to the city and the career that he had.”
Johnson’s family were Cubs fans in North Carolina thanks to those television broadcasts. His brother even applied for season tickets once he graduated high school — despite not living in Chicago — and landed them in 2015. Johnson was drawn to the Bears in part because of summer trips to Wrigley Field over the last decade.
In a social media post Tuesday morning, the Bears’ official account called Sandberg a “true Chicago legend.”
Johnson also said he was praying for the victims of a shooting at 345 Park Avenue in New York City. One NFL employee was shot at the building, which houses, among other businesses, the league office. New York City mayor Eric Adams said Monday the shooter, Shane Tamura, was targeting the NFL.
“Keeps things in perspective,” Johnson said. “As we enter training camp and the guys are going hard that there’s a little bit more to life than just football.”
