President Donald Trump remembered former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka as a “winner” and a longtime supporter after learning of the football legend’s death Friday.
“He was a great guy. He was with me all the way. He was tough,” Trump said.
Ditka, a Hall of Fame tight end who later coached Chicago to a Super Bowl championship, died at 86, his family announced Friday morning. The Bears confirmed his death in a statement honoring his decades with the organization.
Trump said he had not heard about Ditka’s death before the exchange.
“That’s a sad one. You’re just telling me that now for the first time,” he said.
“Wow. He was great. He was great. He was a big supporter of mine,” Trump continued. “Yeah, no, he was a winner. He was a tough cookie. He was great.”
Ditka publicly backed Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. Although he declined an invitation to speak at the Republican National Convention, he supported Trump’s candidacy and said he agreed with his views on the country.
“Coach Ditka, I really appreciate everything you’ve said about me, you are a winner. A real winner,” Trump told Ditka.
“Everything you say about things, about the country, I agree with your opinions. You resonate with my kind of people. I believe in what you say wholeheartedly,” Ditka responded.
Known to football fans as “Iron Mike” and “Da Coach,” Ditka won championships with the Bears as both a player and a head coach. Chicago selected him fifth overall in the 1961 NFL draft out of the University of Pittsburgh, and he earned NFL Rookie of the Year honors that season after recording 1,076 receiving yards and 12 touchdown catches. He made the Pro Bowl in each of his first five seasons and helped Chicago win the 1963 NFL championship.
Ditka played 12 NFL seasons with the Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, and Dallas Cowboys. He finished his playing career with 427 catches for 5,812 yards and 43 touchdowns and entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988.
He returned to Chicago as head coach in 1982 and led the Bears through their championship season in 1985. That team won 18 of its 19 games, including the playoffs, and defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX in January 1986. Ditka earned NFL Coach of the Year honors in 1985 and again in 1988.