PrintJuly 15, 2004
Da Wildcard Senator
The topic being debated on sports talk radio in Chicago this week was not the coming Bears training camp, or the fading hopes for the Cubs, but whether 'da Coach' would run, and could he win a Senate race for 'da GOP.' Da coach, of course, is Mike Ditka, Iron Mike for the initiated. After flirting with a draft Ditka movement, da Coach took himself out of the race, yesterday. But the intense boomlet around the rumor of his candidacy tells us a lot about Chicago and Illinois politics.
From 1985 to 1988, Ditka coached the Chicago Bears to a regular season record of 52—11, the best in pro football. They won their division title five straight years from 1984 to 1988, and again in 1990. In the 1986 Super Bowl, the Bears trounced the New England Patriots 46—10, capping an 18—1 season. This pattern of success was new to a city whose teams consistently lost to the Celtics, Canadiens, Yankees, Cardinals, and worst of all, to the Green Bay Packers through the years....(Read Full Article)
