Sitting Bull
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Mike Ditka was the motivational speaker at a conference I attended today and I got to chat him up a little bit after waiting in line for the "handshake" photo opp that will soon have a prominent place in my office. I introduced myself as a long-time Cowboys fan, congratulated him on the HOF and asked him what he thought of the Wade Phillips hiring. To paraphrase: "Wade's a good guy and a good coach. It'll all depend on whether that ownerdoesn't meddle too much and let's him do his thing." Said he believed in the prinicipal of surrounding yourself with good people and letting them do their thing and added, "the owner's a smart guy, but we'll see if he lets Wade coach the team."
The speech was pretty much what you would expect from Ditka, straightforward talk about the lost emphasis on character and accountability in society and sports, etc. Surprisingly polished and well-spoken, he joked about being a reluctant member of a media that has contributed greatly to a society obsessed with the negative and cited three months worth of Anna Nicole coverage as proof that the media is completely out of control.
Interestingly, while Ditka touched several times on his Bears' success, he built his speech around his respect and gratitude for his relationship with Tom Landry. Said people who called him "plastic man" were clueless and, sadly, would never know what a special man he was. Never would've become a coach for the Bears or anyone else if he hadn't met Landry. Some comments I found amusing/interesting:
...After the Bears, Ditka played two years for a bad Eagles team. He had decided to retire after the second season (making $40k) and actually spent that Christmas season looking for a job in the private sector. Landry called him up and said "I don't know if you can play anymore but I just traded for you. Make a deal with me to come see what kind of player you can become." Ditka said he had only played for himself until he became a Cowboy under Landry.
...After retiring, was a wealthy club owner with no desire to coach until Landry called. Became a receivers coach for $16k just only because he was flattered Landry thought of him.
...Tried Fridge Perry at RB only because Buddy Ryan hated rookies and wouldn't play the first-round pick over his "favorites" on the d-line. Ditka had to get him on the field somewhere to justify the pick. Later found that the players practiced harder if they knew each day would end watching Perry's reps at RB or FB.
...When asked the random question of who he thought would win the Democratic nomination, deadpanned "who cares?" Said he seriously considered running for the Illinois Senate several years ago and joked if he had, nobody would know who Obama is today.
...Asked what he would've done in life if not for football, said he'd studied to be a dentist but never felt cheated because he "extracted plenty of teeth" in his day. Gotta love the guy.
The speech was pretty much what you would expect from Ditka, straightforward talk about the lost emphasis on character and accountability in society and sports, etc. Surprisingly polished and well-spoken, he joked about being a reluctant member of a media that has contributed greatly to a society obsessed with the negative and cited three months worth of Anna Nicole coverage as proof that the media is completely out of control.
Interestingly, while Ditka touched several times on his Bears' success, he built his speech around his respect and gratitude for his relationship with Tom Landry. Said people who called him "plastic man" were clueless and, sadly, would never know what a special man he was. Never would've become a coach for the Bears or anyone else if he hadn't met Landry. Some comments I found amusing/interesting:
...After the Bears, Ditka played two years for a bad Eagles team. He had decided to retire after the second season (making $40k) and actually spent that Christmas season looking for a job in the private sector. Landry called him up and said "I don't know if you can play anymore but I just traded for you. Make a deal with me to come see what kind of player you can become." Ditka said he had only played for himself until he became a Cowboy under Landry.
...After retiring, was a wealthy club owner with no desire to coach until Landry called. Became a receivers coach for $16k just only because he was flattered Landry thought of him.
...Tried Fridge Perry at RB only because Buddy Ryan hated rookies and wouldn't play the first-round pick over his "favorites" on the d-line. Ditka had to get him on the field somewhere to justify the pick. Later found that the players practiced harder if they knew each day would end watching Perry's reps at RB or FB.
...When asked the random question of who he thought would win the Democratic nomination, deadpanned "who cares?" Said he seriously considered running for the Illinois Senate several years ago and joked if he had, nobody would know who Obama is today.
...Asked what he would've done in life if not for football, said he'd studied to be a dentist but never felt cheated because he "extracted plenty of teeth" in his day. Gotta love the guy.
