Mike Ditka likes to ham it up as an NFL broadcaster on ESPN. It wasn’t a personality that the network created.
If you need proof, look at the video below – the introduction of Ricky Williams as a member of the New Orleans Saints after being picked fifth overall. Ditka’s Saints traded all their picks in 1999 to move up and select Williams, who was the NCAA’s all-time leading rusher at the time.
Ditka, as an ode to Williams, came out to the press conference with a dread-locked wig. Even the jaded media laughed.
It didn’t work out for the Saints – Williams was traded to the Dolphins in 2002 – but he is still in the league and this is one of the best remembered moments involving the draft.
