Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson paid respect to legendary head coach Mike Ditka who passed away at the age of 86 on Friday, and says the Super Bowl championship winning coach's impact is still being felt.
The tributes and memorial for Ditka have been flooding in following the news, and with the Bears heading to Green Bay to take on the Packers on Sunday, Johnson paid the ultimate respect to Ditka, saying the legendary coach's impact is still being felt to this day.
"As far as I'm concerned, Coach Ditka is the gold standard in terms of this place. He's a legend around here as a player, as a coach. His impact is still being felt to this day, and as the head coach of the Bears, I feel humbled to be in that same chair he was once in. It's a sad
day."
Johnson took the connection to Ditka a step further in his comments, saying that he plans to honor the former Bears head coach before the team steps on the field at Lambeau Field to take on the Packers, looking to replicate the success he had against Green Bay.
"He carried that demeanor and mindset over to coaching the entire team, and certainly those teams emulated what he was all about," Johnson said. "No surprise the success they had in those 11 years."
In his coaching tenure for Chicago, Ditka compiled a 15-5 record over the Green Bay Packers, and last season, Johnson went 2-1 against them, including bouncing them out of the playoffs with a victory in the wild-card round.
Johnson's arrival in Chicago has certainly intensified the rivalry between the two franchises, and now looking to honor and respect the legacy of Ditka, it'll be fun to see what message the Bears head coach plans to do in looking for a win.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Ben Johnson paid the ultimate respect to Bears legend Mike Ditka
