Mike Ditka didn’t let a heart attack stop him from coaching the Bears in 1988, and he won’t let one stall him now.
Less than two months after he suffered a heart attack while playing golf in Naples, Florida, which was first reported by Mike Sneed of the Chicago Sun-Times, Ditka is back on course. He recently told TMZ that he feels better and is playing golf again.
Asked if he had any good rounds, Ditka joked: “No, I never have a good round. I stink.”
Since Ditka was released from the hospital with a pacemaker on Nov. 26, the 79-year-old legendary Bears coach said he’s been overwhelmed with the amount of support he received from the NFL community. He also told TMZ that he feels lucky that the doctors were able to act fast and save him.
Ditka said his most recent health scare has made him realize he’s not invincible.
“I’m lucky,” he said. “How long this [pacemaker] will ride out? I don’t know … but I’m gonna try to make it last.”
Ditka told Sneed last month that his cigar smoking days are over — that is unless the Bears win the Super Bowl.
Although Ditka’s put down the smokes, the 79-year-old assured TMZ that he’s still living life to the fullest and having fun.
Ditka, who led the Bears to their only Super Bowl win in 1985, won’t be at Soldier Field Sunday for the Bears’ Wild Card game against the Eagles, but he told TMZ he plans to watch it from his Florida home.
“I’ll just tell you, the Bears are good,” Ditka said. “They run the ball well. Their defense is outstanding. They do the things they have to do.
“There a good football team … When I’m looking at them, they’re a team that’s pretty solid.”
