Legend of the Gridiron: Hindman Presents the Mike Ditka Collection
This October 24th Hindman will present the Mike Ditka Collection featuring property from the iconic Chicago attraction – Ditka’s Restaurant. Located at 100 E. Chestnut St., this historic eatery open for 23 years has served many illustrious guests with countless memories made. This restaurant collection will offer exceptional decorative material from its walls along with one-of-a-kind items from the legendary football player’s personal collection.
To celebrate Ditka’s collection coming to market as well as his monumental contributions to the sport of Football, we invite you to reminisce with Stacy Ditka, Founder of Ditka Kids and Mike Ditka’s daughter-in-law.
To begin, can you tell us a little bit about the legendary atmosphere of Mike Ditka’s Restaurant? Do you have any fond memories of the space?
Yes. The Ditka’s Restaurant on Chestnut in the Gold Coast opened in 1997 and was the center for our family until 2020. Ditka’s Chicago was where we met up with family, entertained friends and our children’s friends, celebrated birthdays, and milestones, and ate many, many meals. The atmosphere was warm, friendly, and always made people feel welcome and special. And there was so much fun memorabilia to look at!
There is so much interesting property featured in this auction. Which items particularly speak to you and are there any interesting stories associated with them?
The most fascinating item is the framed Bears jersey and sweater that Coach was given during the December 2013 Bears-Cowboys game when his number 89 was retired in a ceremony mid-field. We were in a skybox as it was negative 5 degrees out, but the loyal fans were there in the stands cheering for Da Coach!
In your work as the founder of Ditka Kids, what are you doing to further his legacy and history?
In addition, our retail business, we hope to further help organizations that are dear to Coach’s heart, such as Misericordia and Gridiron Greats.
Finally, what do you hope bidders take away from this auction?
That these pieces are truly a part of Coach’s legacy and we hope each piece will be treasured and bring joy!
Featured Image: Lot 41 | Mike Ditka’s Chicago Bears Jersey and Sweater Retirement Presentation Formerly Displayed at Mike Ditka’s Restaurant | Estimate: $30,000 – 50,000