1985 Bears Coverage: Mike puts curse on Ditka

Every day of the 2015 Chicago Bears season, Chicago Sun-Times Sports will revisit its coverage 30 years ago during the 1985 Bears’ run to a Super Bowl title.

Mike puts curse on Ditka

Herb Gould

Originally published Oct. 28, 1985

Reality got a little too real yesterday as a field microphone picked up Bears coach Mike Ditka uttering the four-letter word.

The incident occurred during the fourth quarter of the Bears’ 27-9 victory over Minnesota, when Ditka was trying to remove defensive end Richard Dent from the field.

After being penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, Dent hammered Minnesota quarterback Tommy Kramer hard on the next play, an incomplete pass, and the two had to be restrained. A penalty flag was thrown, but

it turned out to be a delay-of-game call against the Vikings.

At that point, the camera closed in on an enraged Ditka, who said, “I don’t give a – – – -. Get him out.”

The camera quickly cut back to players milling around, while commentator Johnny Morris said, “I think he wants Richard Dent out.”

Afterward, Morris said he half-heard Ditka swear, but didn’t think the obscenity had been picked up on the broadcast.

“We use mikes on the field to add ambience,” Morris said. “If he did swear, this sometimes happens, but I didn’t think it could be heard in this case.”

Morris said Channel 2, which televised the game here, had received no calls complaining about the incident.

“But we got a lot of calls about not televising the 49ers-Rams game after the Bears game,” Morris said.