Hurricane Ditka

By Mark Giammarino
Love of Sports Correspondent

He is one of the most compelling and charismatic individuals ever linked to the game of football. 

Either as a player, coach or now television commentator, this man has always represented himself with the utmost of class and dignity. I’m talking about “Iron” Mike Ditka, a Hall of Famer who won three championships in his career: two as a player and another as a coach. 

As a player, he was always known as a hard-nosed, rough and tough individual who never shied away from a hit (hence the nickname “Iron Mike.”) He was even quoted once by saying, “If God had wanted man to play soccer, He wouldn’t have given us arms.” His greatest triumphs were winning the 1963 championship with the Chicago Bears, and Super Bowl VI with the Dallas Cowboys. 

However, most of us remember him as “Da Coach” where he led the ‘85 Bears to win Super Bowl XX, and an almost perfect season. Ditka’s Bears can arguably be considered the greatest team in NFL history. The team was filled with colorful individuals, which in part complemented Ditka’s animated personality.

Many of his rabid press conferences are NFL classics. There’s one in particular where he ripped on a report saying, “That’s your IQ, Buddy! Zero!”, a perfect example of classic Ditka.

His vibrant personality helped him land a career after football. 

After being fired by the Chicago Bears in 1992, Ditka joined NBC as a color commentator.  After a successful run with NBC, he then joined “The NFL Today” on CBS as a studio analyst.  Nowadays, “Iron Mike” can be seen or heard on ESPN and CBS Radio.

Ditka transcended football. He became the iconic Alpha Male, a man who cut through all modern B.S. and was simply revered as a man who shot from the hip and gave life everything he had.

That’s why we have to give him some OLD SCHOOL LOVE. He’d probably steal our lunch money if we didn’t.