Tag: Jeff Dickerson

Bear Necessities: Cole Kmet wins 2022 Jeff Dickerson Good Guy Award

Bear Necessities: Cole Kmet wins 2022 Jeff Dickerson Good Guy Award

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There were many mixed emotions at Halas Hall on Wednesday that had nothing to do with the team’s practice or anything on the field. The members of the Pro Football Writers of America’s Chicago chapter announced Bears tight end Cole Kmet as the 2022 Jeff Dickerson Good Guy Award winner. The award was presented on the one-year anniversary of Jeff Dickerson’s passing, the long-time Bears beat reporter for ESPN Chicago. The award was renamed in his honor last year shortly after he passed away from colon cancer.

The award is presented to the player or players that are most cooperative and willing to speak with the media throughout the season. Kmet is someone who has provided thoughtful answers in his press conferences and made himself available whenever possible to reporters inside the locker room. The award was presented by Dickerson’s parents, George and Sandy.

Kmet, the third-year tight end who grew up in the Chicago suburbs, was very appreciative of the award as someone who grew up a Bears fan. He was familiar with Dickerson’s reports and radio hits prior to his Bears career. “To get an award in his name is really special,” Kmet said via 670 The Score’s Chris Emma.

The award was established in 2013. Previous winners include:

  • 2013: Josh McCown
  • 2014: Ryan Mundy
  • 2015: Matt Slauson
  • 2016: Tracy Porter
  • 2017: Zach Miller
  • 2018: Prince Amukamara
  • 2019: Allen Robinson II
  • 2020: Mitchell Trubisky
  • 2021: Tashaun Gipson and Robert Quinn

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Fighting Irish Wire mourns the loss of ESPN reporter Jeff Dickerson

We are deeply saddened by the loss of a great sports reporter and even better human being.

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While we at Fighting Irish Wire are here to cover Notre Dame athletics, every sports journalist feels like family to us. It doesn’t matter what team they cover or who they work for. In the end, we all are part of something much bigger than ourselves.

That’s why we were devastated to learn of the passing of ESPN reporter Jeff Dickerson from colon cancer at the age of 44. Publicly, Dickerson was best known for covering the Chicago Bears for the outlet. For those who worked with him or had a chance to know him, he was an all-around good guy who made everyone feel like they mattered to him. That alone makes this news tough to take, but even sadder is that Caitlin, his wife, lost her own battle with cancer two years ago, meaning Parker, his 11-year-old son, now has lost both parents to cancer.

While I never worked with Dickerson professionally, I did meet him on one memorable occasion. While pursuing my master’s at DePaul, he came to speak to my online sports reporting class, which was taught by Adam Rittenberg, his ESPN colleague. That course featured many prominent guest speakers, but Dickerson easily was the best because of his graciousness, enthusiasm and the obvious vibe that he was happy to be there. If he had talked long into the night, it’s doubtful many in that room would have complained.

Keep the Dickerson family in your prayers as they go through this difficult time. This was one individual who deserved a much better end to his story, but as we know all too well, cancer is a disease that does not discriminate. He will be missed terribly, and that hole never will be filled in this life.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Matt Nagy’s job appears to be safe heading into 2020

Despite a disappointing 2019 season, Bears coach Matt Nagy’s job is safe heading into 2020.

When it comes to expectations for the 2019 NFL season, Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy will be the first to tell you the team isn’t where he thought they would be with just four games to go in the season.

After bursting onto the scene as a rookie head coach and leading the Bears to a 12-4 record and an NFC North division title, the second-year head coach and his team had high hopes going into 2019. Instead of a repeat division title, however, the Bears are now clinging to a 5% chance of making the playoffs via a wildcard spot at 6-6.

The season hasn’t gone according to plan, but despite the struggles, Nagy isn’t expected to be let go during the offseason. According to a recent ESPN article rating the job security of all 32 head coaches, from 4 (on the hot seat) to 1 (on the cold seat), Nagy checks in at a mild 2, “on a cool seat…barring a disaster.”

ESPN Chicago Bears Reporter Jeff Dickerson, who rated Nagy, had this to say following the score:

Nagy doesn’t have the same job security he enjoyed last season when he was the NFL Coach of the Year, but it’s a stretch to think the Bears will fire him. The team has struggled across the board on offense — Nagy’s specialty — and the coach has shouldered his share of the blame. Still, the Bears are 18-10 in the regular season under Nagy. For comparison sake, John Fox went 13-34 in Chicago. Nagy isn’t going anywhere.

Dickerson’s reasoning stems from the long leash former coach John Fox had in his three seasons as head coach despite his dreadful record. Nagy isn’t anywhere close to that and nearly matched Fox’s total wins in just his first season. While 2019 can already be classified as a disappointment, it would be a major upset if team ownership shook things up again just one season removed from a playoff berth.

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