Legendary coach Ditka speaks in Bloomington

With a homecoming game around the corner, IU head coach Terry Hoeppner may have been able to take some advice from coaching master Mike Ditka, who was in Bloomington last Thursday to speak on behalf of the National Football Foundation's Central Indiana Chapter. \n"Da Coach," who became legendary from coaching the Chicago Bears and is a current ESPN NFL commentator, spoke during a luncheon held at the Bloomington Convention Center, the proceeds of which benefited Indiana educational youth football organizations, and a scholarship endowment to IU.\nIU head football coach Terry Hoeppner, who said Ditka has always been one of his personal heroes, both as a player and a football coach, introduced Ditka.\n"He's a great coach," Ditka said of Hoeppner. "Once you get the right coach with the right players, the record will improve. He definitely has this program back on the right track."\nDitka began his football career as a successful tight end and linebacker at the University of Pittsburgh, eventually selected as the fifth overall pick by the Chicago Bears in the 1961 draft. \nAfter being named the 1961 Rookie of the Year, Ditka won a Super Bowl with the Bears in 1963. After two self-described "miserable" seasons with the Eagles, Ditka revitalized his career with the Dallas Cowboys and won another Super Bowl in 1971 before retiring in 1972. Upon his retirement, Ditka was offered a coaching job with the Cowboys by legendary head coach Tom Landry. Ditka described this as the opportunity of a lifetime and credits Landry for his eventual success as a NFL head coach.\n"I was ready to get out of football, I was at a crossroads," Ditka said. "I could have gone left or I could have gone right, and fortunately Tom Landry was there to put me on the right path."\nAs a head coach, Ditka's mercurial style lead the 1985 Chicago Bears to one of the most successful seasons in NFL history, the Super Bowl title and of course, the Super Bowl Shuffle -- a project Ditka insisted he had no part in.\n"I didn't want to be in it and I had nothing to do with it," Ditka said. "But when the damn thing came out, it gave every team in the league bulletin board material because it looked like we were so confident."\nHowever, Ditka said this confidence was an important factor in the success of the legendary team.\n"We believed we were going to win the Super Bowl that year," Ditka said. "If you don't think you can win, you won't win. You have to have a positive mind set in everything you do."\nDitka came to Bloomington as a result of the work of NFF's Central Indiana Chapter President Carl Barzilauskas, who said Ditka was the best spokesman he could think of to raise money for educational youth football organizations.\n"We have a pool of about four or five speakers I can choose from, but I picked Coach Ditka because of his personality, and I personally like him," Barzilauskas said.\nIn addition to the money raised from the luncheon, IU also agreed to donate tickets to the Nov. 5 IU-Minnesota football game to local Bloomington youth football players.\n"We chose to have the luncheon here because we talked with IU, and they donated tickets and money to the scholarship endowment. They were integral in bringing awareness to youth football with their charity," said Barzilauskas. \nDitka agreed to speak on behalf of the foundation because he said it works for a cause he believes in. \n"I like to do these luncheons because I believe in the work that the NFF does. I enjoy college athletics of all varieties, not just football, and I think the causes they work for are great," Ditka said.\nThe College Football and NFL Hall of Famer ended his speech with a poem and some words of advice for anyone looking to succeed in any field, not just football.\n"Have a good attitude, have good character and have a love and passion for what you do"