R.I.P. Coach Mike Ditka

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

Drink one, maybe even pour a little out for the coach of the Bears. Mike Ditka, dead at the age of 86, won a Super Bowl as the head coach with the Chicago Bears. The 1985 Bears, some would argue, the greatest team in NFL history. They didn't go undefeated. They lost one game. The Dolphins beat them on that Monday night.

But, man, what a squad, just dominating defense. And they captured like pop culture America.

They were doing the Super Bowl shuffle, and they had these big personalities, Jim McMahon. Then you had the very classy Walter Payton, but this big fat rookie named The Fridge. And every once in a while, they'd give him the ball and he'd score a touchdown. The Bears, man, they were a big part of pop culture, and Dtika was.

SPEAKER_2 (0:54)

Do you remember, were they doing the Super Bowl shuffle? Was that before they actually played the Super Bowl, or was it after they won?

SPEAKER_1 (1:03)

Before. That's the bravado that they had, man.

SPEAKER_2 (1:07)

Unbelievable.

SPEAKER_1 (1:09)

And Ditka was everything you wanted, like the head coach of that team to be. He had the look, you know, the stash, the sweater vest, the shopping on the gum, the cigar.

This was Mike Ditka at a training camp press conference with the Bears, and some drunk fan tried to heckle him.

Mike Ditka (1:30)

Get your mouth shut. Get your mouth shut, jerk.

See that? That's your IQ, buddy, zero. I'd rather talk to him.

SPEAKER_2 (1:54)

I had the press in the palm of his hand there, too.

SPEAKER_1 (1:57)

He did. This was on his radio show. He did a coaches radio show in Chicago, and some dude tried to call up and be a tough guy to him.

SPEAKER_4 (2:08)

Why did it appear that Mike was holding back, and trying not to cry like the baby that he is?

Mike Ditka (2:16)

Well, I tell you, what you are, I can't say on the air, but I tell you what. I'm 53 years old, and my office is 250 North Washington. Anytime you want to meet me there, you call me back on the air, you tell me what time and when, and I'll whip your ass.

You got that, big boy? It's easy to hide behind a microphone, son. Let's get your face out in public, and let's live where people have to see you every day, and we'll see who the gutless wonder is.

SPEAKER_1 (2:52)

Love it.

SPEAKER_2 (2:52)

Oh, I never heard that.

SPEAKER_1 (2:54)

Oh, that was a beauty.

SPEAKER_2 (2:55)

Wow. He actually gave him his office address.

SPEAKER_1 (2:59)

Said, I'll beat your ass.

When he went to coach the Saints, the Saints were having a hard time, and I think they were like two and seven at the time. The Saints weren't very good. We got this beauty of a press conference.

Mike Ditka (3:14)

There'll be a quarterback that will be named next week. That will be the starter. There's three quarterbacks on this football team. Whichever one starts starts, whichever ones don't will back him up. Period. Cut and dry.

SPEAKER_5 (3:25)

It's nobody's concern but ours.

Mike Ditka (3:27)

Nobody's. Next.

SPEAKER_1 (3:29)

Injuries from the game.

SPEAKER_5 (3:30)

Talk to the trainer.

Mike Ditka (3:32)

Next.

SPEAKER_5 (3:33)

Mike, why are you in such a bad mood?

Mike Ditka (3:35)

What do you care? You were two and seven. You'd be in a bad mood, too.

SPEAKER_2 (3:38)

What next?

SPEAKER_1 (3:41)

I saw Ditka and his grandkids at Orlando Resort.

We went down to Disney with the family. This is probably 15 years ago.

SPEAKER_2 (3:51)

I'm kidding.

SPEAKER_1 (3:51)

And there's Ditka. There's Mrs. Ditka and the grandkids. And I didn't want to bother him, but I walked by. I'm like, Coach, and I gave him a thumbs up. And he had the Stoge, had the cigar. He's like, How are you guys doing? Give me a thumbs up. Right on.

SPEAKER_2 (4:06)

Yeah, that's cool.

SPEAKER_1 (4:08)

So the Ditka is taking the grandkids down to look like Disney's thing at our resort.

Ditka, though, man, he did not hold back when people were kneeling for the national anthem. Remember when that was the thing, the Colin Kaepernick thing? Here's what Ditka thought of it.

SPEAKER_5 (4:24)

If you can't respect our national anthem, get the hell out of the country. Then that's the way I feel. Of course, I'm old fashioned, so I'm only going to say what I feel.

I think there's a way that you protest and there's a way you don't protest. You don't protest against the flag, you don't protest against this country who's given you the opportunity to make a living playing a sport that you never thought would happen. So I don't want to hear all the crap.