SportsFOLLOW-UP

Lions coach Dan Campbell shares cigar-room Ditka story

Dan Campbell recalled sitting alone with Ditka before the 1999 NFL Draft, as tributes from across the sports world keep arriving.

On air: Chip Darnell and Hank Ledger on Late Night BBN
Published 3:10 AM ET, Saturday, October 10, 2026

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Fox NewsLions head coach pays tribute to Mike Ditka after learning of his death from a press conference question

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorDifferent story. More on the death of Mike Ditka, the Hall of Fame player and Bears coach, who died at eighty-six.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorFox News reports Lions coach Dan Campbell learned of it from a question at a press conference, and then paid tribute.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorHe told of sitting alone with Ditka before the nineteen ninety-nine draft, in a room thick with cigar smoke.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorA coach remembered by a coach. That is how the league tends to do it.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorTributes keep coming in from across the sports world, and Chicago is feeling it most.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorA man who filled a room with cigar smoke and a lot of presence. We will leave it there.