Mike Ditka spent a lifetime establishing a certain reputation in the NFL. First he was one of the toughest, strongest and most athletic tight ends of his era in the 1960s and early 1970s. This helped get him into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and most recently named to the prestigious 100th anniversary All-Time team at that position. Then he helped the Dallas Cowboys win a Super Bowl as an assistant coach before taking over the Chicago Bears in the 1980s and leading them to their own Lombardi Trophy. Few have more respect for him than Cris Collinsworth.
Very few people have had the sort of complete legacy Ditka has built. Nowadays most remember him for his memorable soundbites during which he was famous for his sideline rants and notorious short temper. Collinsworth though spoke during the man’s placement on the all-time roster and insisted he’s misunderstood. People don’t get to see the softer side of Ditka and how passionate a human being he can be.
This led to the former wide receiver telling a story of when he first broke into the broadcasting and analyst business. The two worked together for a time in the mid-1990s for NBC. Collinsworth did whatever he could to learn and mesh with Ditka during that time. Then, at the end of the year he did something a little unorthodox.
He sent Da Coach a Christmas card. The response he got back paints a different picture than you might imagine.
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Cris Collinsworth became a huge fan of Ditka after that
At that point, Collinsworth realized that Ditka may have his football personality, but that didn’t make up the entire person. There was a softer side to him and from then on he became one of the absolute favorite people the longtime analyst has ever know. So it wasn’t a huge surprise when he gushed about Ditka’s inclusion on the all-time roster, stating his belief that the ’85 Bears are the best team in NFL history. The man may have his critics but nobody can ever call him a failure. He was anything but.
