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Ben Johnson Acknowledges the Lasting Bears Legacy Set by Mike Ditka

The death of Mike Ditka weighed heavily on the minds at Halas Hall on Friday and coach Ben Johnson pointed out how the bar was set long ago by the 1980s teams.
Gene Chamberlain|
Ben Johnson is off to a fast start as Bears coach but it won't be easy accomplishing what Mike Ditka did.
Ben Johnson is off to a fast start as Bears coach but it won't be easy accomplishing what Mike Ditka did. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Bears

The new coach paid his respects to Da Coach on Friday at Halas Hall.

Ben Johnson is easily the most popular Bears coach since the late Mike Ditka, who has passed away at age 86. Ditka's record is a bar even for Johnson to take aim at so many years later.

"I just want to start off extending my condolences to the Ditka family," Johnson said. "Sad news here this morning, obviously. As far as I'm concerned, coach Ditka is a gold standard in terms of this place. I mean, he's a legend around here as a player, as a coach. His impact is still being felt to this day. And as the head coach of the Bears I feel humbled to be in that same chair that he was once in.

"It's a sad day to hear that he's passed on. He's in our thoughts and prayers."

Johnson is the ninth Bears head coach since Ditka, counting interim coach Thomas Brown in 2024. Johnson said he never had the opportunity to meet Ditka but the ways his presence is still felt at Halas Hall is as obvious as the trophy case in the main entrance to Halas Hall, housing the only Lombardi Trophy the franchise has ever won.

"Well, I mean, certainly his picture is all over the place," Johnson said. "I don’t know if there’s been a head coach with that much — other than, obviously, George Halas — but that much success just for, I think it was 11 years, and the number of winning seasons, the win/loss record, obviously a Super Bowl winner.

"As a head coach, it’s been hard to replicate that since his time, certainly as a player as well. It means a lot to the McCaskey family. I don’t want to put words in their mouths but he’s one of those big names when you walk into the player entrance, he’s one of those big names for a reason."

Ditka was fired after 11 seasons, seven of those with winning records/playoff berths.

He won six division titles and a Super Bowl in putting together a 106-62 record (.631). In the 34 seasons since they fired him, the Bears are 242-283 (.461) with six division titles and two more wild card playoff berths.

Ditka's teams won six postseason games, three in their Super Bowl year and one each in 1984, 1988 and 1990. Since his 1993 firing, the Bears have won five postseason games total.


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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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