What REALLY Happened When the Bears Fired Mike Ditka

At halftime of the only game the 1985 Chicago Bears ever lost, head coach Mike Ditka and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan had to be pulled apart in the locker room. Eight weeks later, both men were carried off the field after Super Bowl XX. Everyone remembers the '85 Bears, the 46 defense, the Super Bowl Shuffle and the 46-10 win over the Patriots. Almost nobody remembers how the Ditka and Buddy Ryan feud really started, with a letter the Bears defense sent to George Halas in 1981, or how close it came to tearing apart the greatest team in NFL history. Mike Ditka died on October 9, 2026, at 86, ten years after Buddy Ryan. This is the true story of their rivalry, from Halas hiring Ditka in 1982 to the William "Refrigerator" Perry power struggle, the Monday Night Football loss in Miami, Ryan leaving for the Philadelphia Eagles, the 1986 homecoming at Soldier Field, the Fog Bowl, the Bounty Bowl, Ryan's sideline punch in Houston, the ESPN 30 for 30 letter, and Buddy Ryan's death in 2016. 🔔 Subscribe for the real stories behind the legends, every week. 💬 Were you on Mike Ditka's side or Buddy Ryan's side back in 1985? Tell us in the comments. #MikeDitka #BuddyRyan #ChicagoBears