Dan Campbell had just finished his college football career at Texas A&M and was getting ready for the NFL draft when he met Mike Ditka for the first time.
A promising tight end prospect who would go on to be a third-round pick in the 1999 draft, Campbell was at the NFL combine that winter when he was summoned for a pre-draft meeting with the New Orleans Saints.
Ditka, the first tight end ever inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was in his final year as Saints coach after an iconic run with the Chicago Bears. Campbell figured he'd get to meet Ditka and several others at the meeting, but when he walked into the Saints' combine interview room he was in for a surprise.
"I go in and there’s one little light on," Campbell recalled Friday, Oct.
9. "It’s like a little lamp in the corner. It’s at the train station, and there’s nothing in there. There’s no couches. The room is totally cleaned out and there’s one little table, and the room is full of smoke. I mean, you can’t hardly even see him. You just see this image off in the corner, this little lamp and smoke everywhere and he’s got that big, fat cigar. And it was – it was one of the best times of my life and most intimidating times of my life sitting across from Mike Ditka."
Ditka died Friday at the age of 86.
He won Rookie of the Year and became the first tight end ever to top 1,000 yards receiving in a season in 1961, played for the Bears' NFL championship team in 1963 and led the organization to its last Super Bowl title in 1985 as a coach.
Ditka played 12 NFL seasons with the Bears, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, and Campbell recalled his combine interview with the legendary player and coach as "awesome."
"Just him asking questions about where you grew up, how you think, how you’re wired," Campbell said. "The game, what you see, what you – it was just, it was awesome. So, man, thoughts and prayers go out to his family. He’s a legend. He’s a legend."
Ditka's family announced his passing Friday, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement "Mike Ditka epitomized football.
"He brought intensity, authenticity, and an unmistakable personality to everything he did," Goodell said in his statement. "As a Hall of Fame player, Super Bowl-winning coach with his beloved and iconic Bears, and as a broadcaster, Mike served as an ambassador for the game and inspired generations of fans. Through his work with the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, Mike was a champion for taking care of those who helped build our game. We extend our deepest condolences to Diana and the Ditka family."
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions' Dan Campbell recalls 'intimidating' interview with Mike Ditka
