Bears coach Ben Johnson opened his press conference Friday by extending his condolences to Hall of Famer Mike Ditka's family.
Hours earlier, Ditka's family had released a statement announcing that the legendary former Bears player and coach had passed away at the age of 86.
"Sad news here this morning," Johnson said. "As far as I'm concerned, Coach Ditka is the gold standard in terms of this place. 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."
Ditka is the only individual in the NFL's modern era to win a league title with the same team as both a player (1963) and head coach (1985).
Selected by the Bears with the fifth pick in the 1961 draft, Ditka spent his first six NFL seasons in Chicago. He was named NFL Rookie of the Year after catching 56 passes for 1,076 yards and 12 touchdowns in 1961, was voted to the Pro Bowl in each of his first five seasons and was chosen All-Pro in 1963 and '64. Ditka helped lead the Bears to the NFL championship in 1963, catching a team-high 59 passes for 794 yards and eight touchdowns.
Ditka was hired as Bears head coach in 1982 by George Halas a few years after sending Halas a letter expressing his interest in the job. In 11 seasons, Ditka compiled a 112-68 record while leading the Bears to six NFC Central titles, three NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl XX victory. He was named NFL Coach of the Year in 1985 and 1988.
"His legacy is very strong," Johnson said. "Certainly, his picture is all over the place. I don't know if there's been a head coach — other than George Halas — with that much success. 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 when you walk into the player entrance, he's one of those big names for a reason.
"When you hear about [him] as a player, he was a dominant force. And then certainly his impact as a coach as well. I feel like he carried that demeanor and mindset over to coaching the entire team, and certainly those teams emulated what he was all about. And so, no surprise the success that they had in those 11 years."
Johnson feels that the Bears teams in the 1980s embodied their coach.
"That defense there in the '80s, that was something to behold," Johnson said. "We keep talking about the Monsters of the Midway and how much we'd like to bring that back. They were the standard, and they have been for some time. I think he had a lot to do with that, that mindset. Certainly, they were great players, but that head coach, he was special, a special individual."
