Hall of Fame tight end and former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka had a massive heart attack the day before Thanksgiving, not a mild one as previously reported, The Athletic reports.
Ditka, who led the Bears to a Super Bowl title after the 1985 season, was playing golf in Florida when he started to feel weak.
His playing partners took him to a hospital, where he stayed for a week-and-a-half. Ditka, 79, had four stents inserted to open his arteries and a pacemaker to control his heartbeat.
"I got my ass kicked pretty good there, but I'm feeling a lot better," he told The Athletic. "Every day I get stronger. I'm not exerting myself. When I exert myself is when I can feel it. So, things are good. If you had asked me two weeks ago, I couldn't have said that."
Ditka played 12 seasons in the NFL and made the Pro Bowl five times. He also coached the Bears and the New Orleans Saints, finishing with a 121-95 record in 14 years.
Per the Athletic, Ditka is undergoing treatment every day and says rehab has been slow but steady.
"I'm just going to take it easy," he said. "I realize that I have been riding 'em hard and putting up wet for a lot of years. Time to slow down. I'm not getting any younger."
Ditka also suffered a heart attack while coaching the Bears in 1988.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.