Posted by chicagomedia.org on October 25, 2008 at 12:01:46:
Jiggetts chronicles favorite Bears stories in new book
LAKE FOREST, Ill. --- Having spent seven seasons playing for the Bears and more than two decades covering them as a sportscaster, former offensive lineman Dan Jiggetts has decided to share his favorite anecdotes about the team that he warmly refers to as the "beloved."
The result is the book, "Then Ditka Said to Payton ... The Best Chicago Bears Stories Ever Told," which chronicles more than 80 years of Bears history, from the organization's birth in 1920 as the Decatur Staleys through the team's appearance in Super Bowl XLI against the Indianapolis Colts.
"I just felt it was time to tell some of the stuff that maybe people haven't heard and some of the great stories about the team," said Jiggetts, who co-authored the book with Chicago Tribune sportswriter Fred Mitchell. "It's a fun thing to do to go back and talk about all the wonderful people that you played with and all the fun stuff that happened along the way."
After graduating from Harvard, Jiggetts appeared in 98 games over seven seasons with the Bears from 1976-82. He blocked for legendary Hall of Famer Walter Payton, who is featured throughout the book [as the title would seem to indicate], from the first time Jiggetts met Payton to the running back's tragic death of liver disease in 1999 at the age of 45.
Included in the book is a 45-minute audio CD that features highlights from Payton's record-setting 275-yard performance against the Minnesota Vikings in 1977.
"Walter was the best, he really was, not only as a player but a person, too," Jiggetts said. "If you could say one thing about him it's that he was the best through thick and thin, and obviously we all miss him."
The book also features chapters about Mike Ditka, the 1985 Bears and Hall of Famers George Halas, Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus. It includes the true stories behind Ditka's hiring in 1982, Payton's notorious training camp pranks and the team's Super Bowl run in 2006.
One funny anecdote involves Steve McMichael's first practice with the Bears in 1981. After assuring defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan that he had remained in excellent shape by jogging with his Great Dane, McMichael ran out of gas while doing wind sprints. Ryan came up to him and said, "Shoot, No. 76, we should have signed the dog."
Jiggetts currently works as a studio analyst for Comcast SportsNet in Chicago. He previously was the weekend sports anchor and lead football reporter for WFLD-TV, the Fox affiliate in Chicago. He also co-hosted a radio sports talk show on WSCR-AM 670.
The book also details how the NFL battled for its financial life in its infancy.
"A lot of times people will look at the game now and think that this is how it always was," said Jiggetts, who served as the Bears' players' association rep. "They get a little bit different picture when they read about how the league itself struggled and gradually got its feet and then became the multi-billion dollar business that it is now."
What makes the book most interesting, however, are the stories about the characters who played in Chicago.
"The Bears have been blessed with a lot of different personalities over the years, I'd say probably more than most teams," Jiggetts said. "If somebody wanted to make a movie, it would be a fabulous one, I could tell you that."
(Larry Mayer, chicagobears.com)