Bring Back Iron Mike

FELLOW LOYAL BEARS FANS:

IT HAS BEEN ALMOST 18 YEARS SINCE THE BEARS DOMINATED SUPERBOWL XX.

THE FOUNDATION BEGINS WITH THE HEAD COACH.

POSTSEASON APPEARANCES: DITKA (12) JAURON (01)

LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD AND TELL THE MCCASKEYS ALONG WITH BEARS PRESIDENT AND CEO TED PHILLIPS AND BEARS GENERAL MANAGER JERRY ANGELO THAT WE DEMAND A CHAMPIONSHIP CALIBER TEAM! IT ALL BEGINS WITH THE COACH.

IT WAS THE YEAR OF:

* THE SUPER BOWL SHUFFLE.
* THE PUNKY QB KNOWN AS
MCMAHON
* WALTER "SWEETNESS" PAYTON
* WILLIAM "THE REFRIGERATOR"
PERRY AND THE REFRIGERETTES
* "SAMURAI" MIKE SINGLETARY

* BUDDY RYAN'S "46" DEFENSE WHICH INCLUDED: DAN HAMPTON, RICHARD "THE COLONEL" DENT, PERRY, STEVE "MONGO" MCMICHAEL, MIKE SINGLETARY, OTIS WILSON, WILBUR MARSHALL, DAVE DUERSON AND GARY FENCIK.

* REMEMBER WHEN THE ART INSTITUTE'S LIONS WORE THE
BEARS HELMETS?

* THE PICASSO SCULPTURE WEARING A BEARS HEADBAND?

* HOW ABOUT THE CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
PLAYING "BEAR DOWN, CHICAGO BEARS"?

BEFORE JORDAN RULED THIS CITY, IT WAS DA BEARS!

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON?T REMEMBER, WE HAD A SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (SNL) SKIT BASED ON WHICH COACH DITKA BABY!

"I SAW QUARTERBACKS CRYING. I SAW RUNNING BACKS TREMBLING. I SAW LINEMEN WHO WANTED TO LEAVE. I COULD SEE IT IN THEIR EYES. WE HAD HIRED ASSASSINS ON THAT TEAM. I MEAN THEY COULD TAKE YOU OUT." MIKE SINGLETARY

"THEY WERE CHARACTERS ON THAT TEAM, BUT THEY HAD CHARACTER." - DITKA.

WHY THE TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE?
SIMPLY PUT - THEY WERE CHAMPIONS!!!!

STEVE MCMICHAEL PUT IT BEST: "PEOPLE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT TEAM, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? IF WE HAD LOST, NOBODY WOULD HAVE REMEMBERED. WE BACKED IT UP. WE DON'T HAVE TO CLAIM FAME, BROTHER. WE ACHIEVED IT."

TALENTED FIRST ROUND PICKS INCLUDED: HAMPTON, AL HARRIS, OTIS WILSON, KEITH VAN HORNE, MCMAHON, JIMBO COVERT, WILLIE GAULT, AND WILBER MARSHALL.

WHAT GOT THEM TO BE CHAMPIONS WAS "ATTITUDE AND LOTS OF IT!"

AFTER BEING HIRED AS COACH, DITKA'S FIRST STATEMENT INCLUDED THAT HE WAS GOING TO TAKE THIS TEAM TO THE SUPER BOWL. NOT EVERYONE WOULD BE THERE, AND THOSE THAT DIDN'T WANT TO GET THERE SHOULD JUST LEAVE.

WHAT KIND OF PERSON MAKES STATEMENTS LIKE THESE?

HE IS ONE OF ONLY TWO MEN TO HAVE WON A SUPER BOWL AS A PLAYER, ASSISTANT COACH, AND HEAD COACH.

AS FOR THE CURRENT COACH JAURON, THIS IS NOT A PERSONAL ATTACK ON HIM. SIMPLY PUT, HE IS TOO MUCH OF A NICE GUY AND HIS OUTPUT IS UNACCEPTABLE! SIMPLY PUT - IT IS TIME TO MOVE ON!

IT DOES GET PERSONAL FOR EACH BEARS FAN THAT SPENDS HIS OR HER HARD-EARNED MONEY ON BEARS TICKETS OR MEMORABILIA FOR A NON-CONTENDER TEAM . WHAT ABOUT THE HUMILIATION WHEN OFFICE POOLS ROUTINELY PICK THE BEARS TO LOSE. THINGS MUST CHANGE!

AS THE VENERABLE DAN HAMPTON PUT IT: "WE MIGHT AS WELL TAKE A DAMN KNEE."

SO WHAT KIND OF COACH DO WE NEED?

SOMEONE LIKE IRON MIKE DITKA!!

MIKE LED BY HIS CODE WORD ACE: ATTITUDE, CHARACTER AND ENTHUSIASM.

NOTABLE QUOTES INCLUDED:

* "SUCCESS ISN'T MEASURED BY MONEY OR POWER OR
SOCIAL RANK. SUCCESS IS MEASURED BY YOUR DISCIPLINE
AND INNER PEACE."

* "ATTACK ALWAYS."

* "IF YOU'RE NOT IN THE PARADE, YOU WATCH THE PARADE.
THAT'S LIFE."

* "THE ONES WHO WANT TO ACHIEVE AND WIN
CHAMPIONSHIPS MOTIVATE THEMSELVES."

SO WOULD DITKA EVER RETURN TO THE BEARS (ASSUMING OF COURSE THAT MCCASKEY SWALLOWS HIS SELFISH PRIDE IN EXCHANGE FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM)?

IN A RECENT INTERVIEW, DITKA WAS QUOTED AS SAYING: "IF THE RIGHT OFFER HAPPENED, I WOULD TALK TO THEM. I DON'T GUARANTEE I WOULD DO IT, BUT I'D TALK TO THEM ABOUT WHAT I STOOD FOR AND WHAT I BELIEVED IN."

THE INTERVIEW ALSO INCLUDES HIS COMMENTS ON THE INFAMOUS TOSSING OF A WAD OF CHEWED GUM AT A GROUP OF HECKLERS. HIS QUOTE INCLUDES: "I'VE TAKEN CLASSES IN BEING ABLE TO THROW GUM STRAIGHTER AND HARDER, BECAUSE I WISH I WOULD HAVE HIT THE LADY OR THE MAN, WHOEVER IT WAS, RIGHT BETWEEN THE EYES. AND I HOPE IT STUCK THERE FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. AND THEN THEY'D KNOW, DON'T MESS AROUND WITH IRON MIKE."

A CLASSIC QUOTE BY THE CLASSIC FIT FOR OUR CITY!!