SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2026
Chicago woke up Saturday to a second day of mourning. Mike Ditka's death at 86, announced by his family Friday morning, landed the way it always does when a city loses its avatar — and by this morning the tributes had come from every direction that mattered: the franchise he defined, the league he helped build, the rival he tormented, and the city that adopted him.
Yesterday we ran the full obituary — the player who reinvented the tight end, the coach who built the '85 Bears, the persona that became Chicago itself. This is what happened next: the football world saying goodbye, one statement at a time.
The Bears: "immeasurable" impact
The team spoke first, and it didn't hold back. "We are deeply saddened by the passing of legendary and treasured Chicago Bear and Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Ditka," the Bears said in their official statement, carried Friday by Bears Wire and USA Today. The team called his impact on the organization "immeasurable" — as a player, as a coach, and as what the statement called a "proud icon and ambassador" for the franchise.
The statement credited Ditka's "integral role in bringing world championships to our city and our franchise, both as a player and as our coach," and said he created "a lifetime of cherished memories in the hearts and minds of Bears fans that will last for generations." It closed the way these things should: "We extend our love, prayers, and heartfelt condolences to the Ditka family, and join all Bears fans in deep sadness and reverence as we remember and honor Mike Ditka."
The league: Goodell and the Saints
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell released a statement of his own, carried by TSN and the Associated Press. "Mike Ditka epitomized football over so many years," Goodell said. "He brought intensity, authenticity, and an unmistakable personality to everything he did."
Goodell also nodded to the work Ditka did long after he left the sideline: "Through his work with the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, Mike was a champion for taking care of those who helped build our game." The statement closed with condolences to Ditka's wife Diana and the family.
The Saints — the other franchise Ditka coached, from 1997 to 1999 — weighed in too. "We extend our deepest condolences to the Ditka family, his loved ones, and the generations of fans who were inspired by his unforgettable presence in our sport," the team said, praising his "unyielding work ethic, a fierce love for the game, and a relentless determination that helped reshape American football."
The rival: Green Bay tips its cap
Here's the one that tells you how big Ditka was: the Green Bay Packers — the other half of the oldest rivalry in professional football — put out a full tribute. "One of the fiercest competitors in NFL history, Mike helped define the intensity and tradition of the Packers-Bears rivalry," the team wrote on X, per theScore's roundup. "He embodied the toughness and passion that have made the rivalry one of the most storied in all of sports."
The timing makes it heavier. Sunday is the 214th meeting between the Packers and Bears, and Packers coach Matt LaFleur — who'll be coaching against Chicago for the 16th time — opened his Friday press conference before taking a single question, per Sports Illustrated. "Before we begin, I always want to embrace this rivalry," LaFleur said. "Sometimes in life, there are things that happen that are more important than football, so I just wanted to offer my condolences to the Bears and to the Ditka family in memory of Mike Ditka — obviously a true legend of the game as a player, as a coach. Just wanted to throw that out there."
SI also resurfaced the perfect footnote: in a 1961 game the Packers won 31-28, Ditka torched them for nine catches, 190 yards and three touchdowns. Even in a loss to Green Bay, he was the story. Of course he was.
The players: Favre, Watt, and the cigar story
Brett Favre put one of football's most intense rivalries aside. "My condolences to the Ditka family and to all Bear fans on the passing of Coach Mike Ditka," the Hall of Fame quarterback wrote on X, via theScore. "It was truly an honor to play against you and your teams. Now rest in peace and God Bless you Coach."
JJ Watt kept it to three words: "Rest in Peace Legend."
The best story of the day belonged to Lions head coach Dan Campbell — himself a former tight end turned head coach, Ditka's spiritual descendant — who told reporters about a pre-draft meeting with Da Coach, per TMZ. "I mean, you can hardly even see him, you just see this image off in the corner, this little lamp, and smoke everywhere, and he's got that big fat cigar," Campbell said. "It was one of the best times of my life and one of the most intimidating times of my life, sitting across from Mike Ditka." Campbell said he "loved" Ditka. You can hear why.
Pat McAfee's tribute was pure McAfee, also via TMZ: Ditka was a man who "will smoke a cigar, will crack a joke, will tell you the truth, and will be remembered forever."
And then there was the man sitting in Ditka's old chair. Bears head coach Ben Johnson — in his first season in Chicago — told media Friday, per TMZ: "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 he was once in. It's a sad day."
The city: all of Chicago's teams, and Pitt
It wasn't just football. All four of Chicago's other teams posted tributes, collected by Sportsnet and theScore. The Bulls wrote that Ditka "helped define Chicago sports, represented everything great about Chicago and left an unforgettable imprint on our city," calling him "tough, passionate, loyal and proud." The Cubs: "We join the Bears and the city of Chicago in remembering the legendary Mike Ditka. Thank you for the memories, Coach." The White Sox sent condolences to his family, friends and fans. The Blackhawks: "Remembering a Chicago legend... Thank you, Coach for all you did for Chicago."
Back in western Pennsylvania, the University of Pittsburgh honored the kid from Aliquippa. Athletic director C. Allen Greene said Ditka "was the embodiment of a Pitt man" who "brought the toughness and pride of western Pennsylvania" to the program and "carried the Pitt name with him to the Pro Football Hall of Fame," per theScore. Current Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi added: "He gave everything he had and expected the same from the guys beside him. That's Pitt."
And the line of the weekend so far belongs to Jarrett Payton — Walter Payton's son, the man who first shared the family's statement Friday morning: "Chicago won't be the same."
What comes next
No funeral arrangements have been announced. But Sunday's Packers-Bears game at Soldier Field will be the first time the franchise takes the field without its defining figure — the 214th chapter of the rivalry Ditka helped make legendary. Expect a moment of silence, expect the video board, expect 60,000 people who all feel like they knew him.
Our full obituary has the life story — the tight end who reinvented the position, the '85 Bears, the mustache. Our NFL Friday wire has the weekend slate. Rest easy, Coach. The city you built will take it from here.
Friday, October 9, 2026, at 86; family statement shared Friday morning by Jarrett Payton; no cause announced.
