Barack Obama's classy tribute to 'big Donald Trump supporter' NFL legend Mike Ditka
Barack Obama's classy tribute to 'big Donald Trump supporter' NFL legend Mike Ditka
Oscar Maung-HaleySat, October 10, 2026 at 10:36 AM UTC
0
Barack Obama invited the 1985 Chicago Bears and Mike Ditka to the White House back in 2011 -Credit:Getty Images (Getty Images)
Former President Barack Obama paid a classy tribute to the late Mike Ditka.
On Friday, it was announced that Ditka, the legendary former head coach of the Chicago Bears, had passed away at the age of 86. Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988, Ditka was the first tight end ever to receive a gold jacket. He also presided over one of the NFL's greatest defenses, the 85 Bears.
Chicago's lone Super Bowl win came with Ditka in charge, as he led a team that crushed the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX, 46-10. In a statement, Ditka's family said, "It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Mike Ditka.
• Tyreek Hill’s chilling civil trial testimony deals huge blow to NFL comeback hopes
• NFL legend Mike Ditka who revolutionized football dead at 86 as tributes pour in
"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."
Tributes flooded in following the announcement of Ditka's death, including one from former President Obama. Obama moved to Chicago in the summer of 1985, just months after the Bears Super Bowl XX triumph.
Advertisement
As a result, he became a Bears fan, which would later lead him to invite Ditka and the 85 team to the White House in 2011 while he was President, as the team had originally been scheduled to visit the Oval Office in 1986, but the visit was canceled following the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion.
Posting on social media, Obama wrote, "When I got to Chicago in the summer of 1985, Mike Ditka and the Chicago Bears were king. Coach Ditka set the tone for a team that was punishing, dominant, and fun — and the city loved him for it.
"I'm thinking of the Ditka family and Bears fans everywhere on the passing of a legend."
Obama's comments stand in stark contrast to Trump's tribute to Ditka, who emphasized that the legendary Bears head coach was a huge supporter of his.
"He was a great guy. He was with me all the way," said Trump upon learning of Ditka's passing.
"He was tough. Mike Ditka, that’s a sad one. ... Wow, he was great. He was a big supporter of mine and he was a winner. He was a tough cookie."
Ditka's support for Trump was well documented, and he once admitted that had he chosen to run for Illinois' Senate seat in 2004, Obama would likely never have become President.
"Biggest mistake I’ve ever made," Ditka said back in 2013. "Not that I would have won, but I probably would have and he wouldn't be in the White House."
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
