Jim Nantz says Mike Ditka used to pay and tip for everything with $100 bills, and never ask for change
“I noticed early on that all he carried were $100 bills. All he did was peel off hundreds all the time. Buy a beer at the bar on the way out to dinner, ‘Yeah, give me a Budweiser.’ $100. Keep the change.”
“Coat check, comes into a restaurant, comes out, $100. Man on the street, homeless, there was one guy that kind of understood the routine and he was there every week. Mike, every time, $100 bill.”
“I finally got up the nerve to say, ‘Hey coach, why don’t you ever get change? Why just the hundreds?’ He says, ‘Hey, what’s the difference anyway?’”
“He said, ‘You know, the way I look at it, when I die and they drop me down into the ground, I hope there’s a little opening in that coffin and my last $100 bill comes flying out and goes up into the sky and drifts away. That would make me happy.’”
“So I said, ‘This gets a little pricey, doesn’t it?’ ‘It’s not that bad, Jim.’ He said, ‘Here’s the way I rationalize it in my head. We got 20 weeks. I come every single Friday to New York. I come in with 50 $100 bills, $5,000. And at the end of the season, I’m spending $100,000.’”
“He would say, ‘I’ve allocated $100,000 to the football season to go enjoy myself in New York. And that’s the way it is.’ I take $5,000 in cash in hundreds every single week. And that’s what he did.”
it’s official, Eddie Olczyk is back where he belongs as our newest team Ambassador ‼️
catch him in the studio on special @chsn broadcasts this season, starting tonight! don’t miss it, tune in at 5:30PM CT!
📰 https://t.co/zBBM7Omf1Y
We are deeply saddened by the passing of legendary Chicago Bears coach and player, Mike Ditka.
Coach Ditka helped define Chicago sports, represented everything great about Chicago and left an unforgettable imprint on our city.
He was tough, passionate, loyal and proud and will be forever remembered as a champion, both of his team and of our city.
It’s with a heavy heart that I’m sharing the Ditka family has announced the passing of Mike Ditka this morning.
Da Coach. Hall of Famer. The heartbeat of the ’85 Bears and a Super Bowl champion. Chicago won’t be the same.
Prayers to Diana and the family.
RIP, Coach. 🐻⬇️
Here’s a statement from the family:
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Mike Ditka. While the world knew Mike as a Hall of Fame football player, legendary coach, and leader of the Chicago Bears’ Super Bowl XX championship team, we knew him as the heart of our family. Mike will be missed beyond measure and remembered forever.
With love and gratitude, The Ditka Family
This angle gets me, where he’s just kind of standing there soaking it in, then sees his daughter and smiles, then instantly melts into tears … whew. Hell of a run, 35.