Shortly before his 87th birthday and after more than a decade of being in the background of the decision-making, Chicago Bears owner George Halas decided to take over the reins of the organization from general manager Jim Finks and select a new head coach.
Halas settled on Mike Ditka, the former Bears tight end who was then serving as a special teams coach with the Dallas Cowboys.
At a news conference announcing the Ditka hiring, Tribune reporter Bill Jauss questioned whether Halas had the mental faculties to be making decisions at his age.
You are only as young as you feel, the saying goes, and in Halas’ mind he was 86 going on 60.