Chicago Bears

Bears history reveals connection between Ben Johnson, Mike Ditka

Ditka is the only coach to have led the Bears to a Super Bowl title

The Chicago Bears are reportedly set to hire Ben Johnson as their new head coach, and if they do Monday, he’ll share a fascinating connection with a franchise legend.

Johnson, the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, was expected to be one of the top available NFL head coaching candidates this offseason, but just two days after the Lions were knocked out of the playoffs, the Bears have swooped in and made him their new head coach, according to multiple reports, including from NBC Chicago's Mike Berman.

The hire has not yet been made official by the Bears, but the timing of the decision carries a ton of significance to Bears fans.

After all, it was on Jan. 20, 1982 that the Bears hired a former tight end named Mike Ditka, then the special teams coordinator with the Dallas Cowboys, as the 10th coach in franchise history.

The rest, as they say, is history, as Ditka led the Bears to a Super Bowl championship in 1985, won coach of the year honors multiple times, and became a franchise legend in the process.

Johnson also shares another small connection with the Bears, as he’ll become the team’s first head coach to have been born after they won Super Bowl XX against the New England Patriots.

Johnson was born just three and a half months after that win by the Bears.

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