ALIQUIPPA, Pa. — People all across Beaver County, Western Pennsylvania and the football world are remembering legendary Chicago Bears head coach Mike Ditka, who died at the age of 86 on Friday.
Conway native and Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle Jim “Jimbo” Covert fondly remembers his time playing for Ditka and winning Super Bowl XX in January 1986.
“He was the right guy for the right team at the right time,” Covert told Channel 11’s Andrew Havranek. “At one of the first practices, he said, ‘I don’t know what you guys want to do, but I’m going to the Super Bowl.’”
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Covert reminisced about being drafted by Ditka, another Beaver County native, in 1983, after playing for the University of Pittsburgh.
“He was tough on me, but he expected to challenge me and expected me to be the guy to be out there, and I did it,” Covert said. “I was happy to have a guy push me like that.”
Steve Higgins, founder of the Larry Bruno Foundation Museum in Beaver Falls, said having two Future Hall of Famers from Beaver County on that Super Bowl team is something special.
“I bet Mike loved that; he loved having a hometown guy on his team, because that’s the guy he is,” Higgins said. “He’s just like we are. We’re proud of him. He’s proud of us.”
Ditka won three Super Bowls in his career, one as a player with the Dallas Cowboys, one as the Cowboys’ assistant coach, and one as the head coach of the Chicago Bears.
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Though he’s long been gone from Aliquippa and Beaver County, Aliquippa’s head football coach said his legacy will live forever.
“His standard that he set 60 years ago is still here,” said Mike Warfield. “He’s the standard. He’s done so much for us all. We don’t inherit much, but we have inherited Mike Ditka, and that’s a blessing.”
Covert said Ditka will never be forgotten, not just for what he accomplished on the field, but as the man he was off it.
“For as tough as he was, he had a really kind heart,” Covert said. That’s the kind of guy I’m going to remember."
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