How They Got Here

He got on the Poll for a being a Chicago Bear, a legendary Chicago Bear in fact, as his prestigious description on this Prestigious Poll so accurately articulates. He had the rare feat of winning it all as both player and coach with the same NFL team, and doing it in groundbreaking style as an early pass-catching tight-end and a wonderfully-ranting head coach.

But when analyzing the results from the World Famous Sweet Livin’ Productions World’s Best Bear Poll, 2024, it does not appear as though the Chicago Bear fanbase got him to this prestigious runner-up position.

How can we come to such a conclusion?

Well, the Chicago Bears themselves only got 6 votes only barely bested by Staley Da Bear with a mere 9. Because of this, it is doesn’t appear that the Chicago fanbase was very active in the Poll voting. Considering the fact of the Poll’s ever-fair voting process where you can vote once per hour, you can vote for various bears that you feel worthy. As such, had the Chicago fanbase been active and been responsible for Ditka finishing so high up on this Prestigious Poll, it would make sense that the Chicago Bears themselves as well as Staley Da Bear would have been able to ride Ditka’s coattails for more than a measly 15 combined votes.

So then who was responsible for supporting Ditka in obtaining such sensational success?

The Pittsburgh fanbase.

How can we come to such a conclusion?

The Pittsburgh fanbase is familiar with gridiron success, with 6 Lombardi trophies in the Steelers trophy case and the Pitt Panthers claiming a whopping 9 national college football titles. In fact, the Steelers haven’t had a losing season since 2003. In short, Pittsburgh knows a lot about winning and very little about losing.

We also may have been able to come to this conclusion because we may have firsthand knowledge of many, if not most, if not all, of those Mike Ditka votes.

Where They Came From

Born just outside of Pittsburgh, the greatest city in the world, in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, hometown of the greatest shortstop of all time Honus Wagner, Mike Ditka had winning in his blood.

Best known for football, Ditka also played basketball and baseball for the University of Pittsburgh Panthers, where he also was an intramural wrestling champion.

He then brought his winning ways to Chicago (paving the way for Michael Jordan to later win 6 NBA titles with the Bulls) where he revolutionized the tight end position, taking it from an almost-exclusively blocking position, to an aerial threat with 58 receptions and 12 touchdown in his rookie season, both numbers eclipsing his entire college career. Ditka’s rookie tight end receiving yards record of 1,076 stood for 63 years until Brock Browers broke it in the Raiders last game of the 2024 calendar year—appropriately enough in the same year which Ditka was recognized as the 2nd best bear in the whole entire world.

Ditka’s success in the NFL, which included a 1963 championship with the Chicago Bears, helped earn him entry to the NFL Hall of Fame in 1988 as the first tight end ever inducted to Canton.

Despite all of this success between the lines on the gridiron, Ditka is perhaps best remembered (outside of this Prestigious Poll, of course) as the head coach for the memorable ‘85 Bears. There was Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton, Sweetness: a true Sweet Livin’ running back indeed. There was Buddy Ryan and the 46 Defense. There was Mike Singletary and Richard Dent. There was Refrigerator Perry. There was “The Super Bowl Shuffle.” And in the middle of it all was cigar-smoking Mike Ditka.

The Bears were good beyond ‘85, with arguably an even better defense in ‘86, and some amazing Ditka commercials even later, but it is the ‘85 season that sparked it all and anchors the Bears 80’s iconic status.

What’s Next For Them

If Legendary Chicago Bear Mike Ditka is able to combine the great Pittsburgh support with the support of the United States’ third largest city, Chicago, he could capture it all in 2025, the 40th anniversary of the ‘85 Bears.

The only question is: will Chicago shuffle their way to the polls in 2025, specifically the World Famous Sweet Livin’ Productions World’s Best Bear Poll, 2025?

How They Compare To Their Predecessor

Both Ditka and 2023 Runner Up, the Kodiak Bear, are dangerous. But Ditka probably had done a little more ranting on average than the Kodiak Bear, who mostly defends itself when attacked. The two fatalities on record by Kodiak Bear attacks could be compared to Ditka’s 1963 and 1985 NFL titles with the Chicago Bears. Like Ditka, the Kodiak Bears are big and great. Though the Kodiak Bear weighs in modestly bigger than Ditka’s playing weight of 208 lbs. on his 6’3” frame as Kodiak Bears can weigh up to 1,400 lbs.