Jim Nantz pays tribute to Mike Ditka during Steelers-Colts game
Ditka's college jersey is hanging in the Steelers' stadium.
On Friday, the football world mourned the loss of Mike Ditka, a Hall of Fame player and coach who had reached the age of 86. Ditka, a legendary figure in the sport, had a career that spanned from 1961 to 1966 with the Chicago Bears, during which he made the Pro Bowl in each of his first five seasons. His jersey number was retired by the Bears, and following his time with Chicago, he won NFL Coach of the Year twice with the same team.
Ditka's passing prompted a moment of silence at Lambeau Field before a game between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. Among the tributes to the legendary player was one from CBS’s Jim Nantz during the broadcast of a Pittsburgh Steelers-Indianapolis Colts game. Nantz praised Ditka as a "friend, a colleague, a legend" and noted that he was a former Bear who started on the 1963 NFL championship team.
He went on to win a Super Bowl with the Cowboys and later coached Chicago to their only Super Bowl title in the 1985 season. Nantz concluded his tribute by stating that as long as football is being played, the name Mike Ditka will be on the roll call of legendary players who were bigger than life.
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