Video taking off 6.2x its usual first day

Tom Waddle remembers the chance Mike Ditka nearly didn't give him

Remembering his former Bears coach after Ditka's death, Waddle tells Rich Eisen how another roster cut became a career-defining opportunity.

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The Rich Eisen Show Story of October 26, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 91,364 views a day, 6.2 times a normal first day on this channel (14,694).

Why the Passing of Mike Ditka Hit Close to Home for ESPN Chicago’s Tom Waddle | The Rich Eisen Show

Tom Waddle was considering putting his Boston College education to work in finance. Mike Ditka had cut him again, and the coach's promise to bring him back did not make a football career feel certain.

That memory sits at the center of Waddle's remembrance of his former Chicago Bears coach on The Rich Eisen Show. The Short drew about 60,000 views in 11 hours, already well beyond the channel's usual first-day audience for the format.

Waddle tells Eisen that Ditka praised his training camp performance before explaining that he was too small and too slow to keep. It was the fourth time the coach had cut him. But injuries brought Waddle back for the 1991 season opener against Minnesota, supposedly just to dress as an emergency receiver.

Another injury put him on the field. Waddle converted a third-and-long and caught a touchdown pass, a contribution Eisen confirms by pulling up the old box score during their conversation.

The exchange Waddle remembers most came afterward. Ditka congratulated him at midfield, and Waddle bowed his head and began a tearful thank-you, explaining how much the opportunity meant.

"I finally lifted up my head and he was already in the tunnel," Waddle says. His coach had moved on while he was still speaking. Decades later, Waddle remembers both the uncertainty of being cut and how much that chance to play mattered.

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