Mike Ditka was an NFL icon and his death Friday has resulted in tributes from a plethora of his former players, assistant coaches and associates. The former Chicago Bears coach was well-known for his outbursts while coaching and his demonstrative style.
One of his most famous incidents came when the was coaching the Bears in the 1992 season. The Bears had built a 20-0 lead in a road game against the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome. The game had reached the third quarter and Ditka wanted quarterback Jim Harbaugh to play it safe with a conservative game plan. That meant running the ball or being safe with his passes.
Shortly after sending that message to Harbaugh, the quarterback threw an out pattern that was picked off by Minnesota's Todd Scott and the defensive back brought it 35 yards for a touchdown. Ditka lit into Harbaugh with a memorable tirade that TV cameras captured.
Despite the embarrassing scene, Harbaugh and Ditka were quite close and the Chargers head coach was clearly influenced by Ditka. He reminisced about the coach following the announcement of his passing.
“I was sitting in his office and we were about to go over the gameplan,” Harbaugh said. “Mike was sitting at his desk and he was writing out check after check. This went on and I asked him what he was doing. He explained that he had gotten letters from people who were struggling and needed money. I asked him if he knew the people, and he said that he didn't. He just wanted to help since they asked him.”