Mike Ditka
ON THE RECORD · 7 verbatim quotes · every quote source-verified
“The interview was about the NFL and related issues. That’s where my head was at.”
Mike Ditka · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-09
Ditka's apology statement to WGN-TV clarified the context of his controversial radio interview about NFL players kneeling.
“threw nickels around like manhole covers.”
Mike Ditka · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-09
Ditka said this disparagingly about Bears owner George Halas after failing to reach a contract agreement.
“There are teams that are fair-haired, and those that aren’t so fair-haired,”
Mike Ditka · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-09
Ditka described his team's identity during the Bears' Super Bowl championship season.
“Give me three years, and if you walk with me, we’ll get to the dance,”
Mike Ditka · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-09
Ditka reportedly vowed this at a team meeting when he became Bears head coach in 1982.
“Some teams are named Smith, some Grabowski. We’re Grabowskis!”
Mike Ditka · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-09
Ditka declared his team were Grabowskis during the Bears' Super Bowl run.
“Chicago is my home,”
Mike Ditka · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-09
Ditka said this in 2024 when he moved back to Chicago after several years living in Florida.
“I have absolutely seen oppression in society in the last 100 years,”
Mike Ditka · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-09
Ditka apologized in a statement to WGN-TV the day after a 2017 radio interview in which he said he was unaware of racial oppression in the U.S.