Is Detroit Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell ‘Mike Ditka 2.0?’

Is history repeating itself for the Detroit Lions? Memes comparing Dan Campbell to Mike Ditka suggest a Super Bowl win is possible.

There is a graphic making its way around the internet that melted my brain.  It showed all of the similarities between the Chicago Bears' former legendary head coach Mike Ditka and the Detroit Lions' current head coach Dan Campbell.  The facts of this meme seemed too good to be true.  So, I decided to fact-check the meme, and here's what I found.  I have no idea who decided to compare these two coaches and find these similarities, but this is mind-blowing.

Mike Ditka

• Played for the Chicago Bears as a Tight End.
• Wore jersey #89.
• Was later hired by his former team to be the head coach.
• 1st and 2nd seasons were rebuilding years.
• Divisional Champs in his third season as head coach.
• Lost the NFC Championship game to the San Fransisco 49ers at the end of his third season.
• Won the Super Bowl in his 4th season.

Dan Campbell

• Played for the Detroit Lions as a Tight End.
• Wore jersey #89.
• Was later hired by his former team to be the head coach.
• 1st and 2nd seasons were rebuilding years.
• Divisional Champs in his third season as head coach.
• Lost the NFC Championship game to the San Fransisco 49ers at the end of his third season.
• Many experts are picking the Detroit Lions to win the Super Bowl this year.

The two coaches even had very similar win/loss records in their first 3 years as head coach.  Dan Campbell has just a couple more wins over that period.

READ MORE: House Money is on the Lions to Win it All in 2024