ON Friday, October 9, it was announced that NFL legend Mike Ditka had passed away at the age of 86 from an undisclosed cause. Not that it matters; when you’re 86, you don’t really need a reason to check out. The adjective “legend” is not undeserved; Ditka was a standout player in both college and the NFL, and one of the league’s most memorable coaches, and an inductee in both the College Football and National Football League Hall of Fame. The last time I checked, he was ranked 90th on the NFL’s list of 100 Greatest Players, and is one of only two men (Tom Flores being the other) to have won a Super Bowl as a player, an assistant coach, and a head coach. He actually won the NFL championship as a player twice; once in the pre-merger days with the 1963 Chicago Bears – his win as head coach in Super Bowl XX was the only other time Chicago has won the title, so far – and once with the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl VI following the 1971 season. Ditka is widely credited with “modernizing” the tight end position to make it a real offensive weapon; before him, tight ends rarely made catches, and were considered blockers.
The thing that struck me about the news that he had died was not really about him, however, but how his passing marks a historical era in sports that has almost faded. Ditka was almost the last of the “old school” of American football, the second generation of coaches who had been outstanding players under the first generation of coaching giants – guys like George Halas and Tom Landry, both of whom Ditka played for; Vince Lombardi, Hank Stram, John Madden, Bud Grant, Chuck Noll, Paul Brown, Bill Walsh. Maybe a few others belong on that list, it’s a fun topic for bar conversation. The second generation didn’t do as well, but the best of them brought that same kind of toughness, and the very best of them still had the unique, undefinable talent that could make a football team win even when every other indicator said they shouldn’t. About the only ones who are left of this august group now that Ditka is gone are Bill Cowher, Dick Vermeil, and Tom Flores. But again, that’s a suggestion that would definitely start a conversation.
The sport these days has become too sanitized and too player personality-driven rather than team-driven, too commercial, and therefore less enjoyable. I personally think it’s because the coach has become an afterthought, rather than the focus, or if not necessarily that, then at least the glue that holds the team together. Here’s a weird indicator that illustrates it: Find a highlight video of an old game from the 60s, 70s, or even the 80s, and compare it to one from the last 10-15 years or so. In the old game, a guy scores a touchdown, and even if he is one of the team’s superstars, what does he do? He’ll pump his fist maybe, his teammates will run over and give him a hug or slap him on the ass, and then they all get back to work. In the new game, guy scores a touchdown, and you get a choregraphed dance routine.
And yes, I know there’s maybe a little ageism here; after all, I grew up around a grandfather who was himself an outstanding football player back in the 1930s, and who used to point out while games were on TV that he thought face masks on helmets were for pussies. Although I can’t say for sure that he ever used the word “pussies”; despite being capable of knocking you into next week, he was a very courteous and pious man – like Ditka, a devout Catholic and member of the Knights of Columbus – but the point was made.
I miss the old football, the sense of community it brought, and yes, the old fuddy-duddy principles it taught about doing your individual job well for the greater good of the team. And like I said, I think it’s probably possible to say the same thing about any modern team sport, baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer for you non-US types. Ditka’s passing is just another reminder that the world has changed, and not for the better, as far as a lot of us are concerned.
