Mike Ditka (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
(CBS) — Legendary former Bears coach Mike Ditka suffered what apparently was a minor stroke Friday.
Ditka, 73, was listed in good condition at Northshore University Healthsystem Highland Park Hospital, a spokesperson said.
Ditka tells friends he felt symptoms, including problems with his hands and speech, while playing cards Friday afternoon at Bob O’Link Golf Club in Highland Park. He told the Chicago Tribune he suffered a “very minor stroke.”
Ditka’s agent, Steve Mandell, tells CBS 2’s Ryan Baker the former coach was resting and doing fine – even watching football to relax.
The Hall of Fame player expects to be released from the hospital Saturday or Sunday, at the latest. He will not be doing his normal NFL broadcasting duties on ESPN this weekend.
Ditka previously suffered a heart attack while coaching the Bears in the late-1980s. His tenure famously included a Super Bowl win in 1986.
“It’s pretty upsetting. I just seen him on Thursday here,” says Luis Arteaj, an employee at Ditka’s namesake restaurant off the Magnificent Mile. “He seemed well and everything, just like the coach.”
“We’re rooting for him. Everybody’s rooting for him,” Pete Cashman, a customer at Ditka’s, told CBS 2.
