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ESPN: Mike Ditka 'OK' after stroke

By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 10:33 AM EST, Sat November 17, 2012
Mike Ditka won the Super Bowl as a player in 1963 and as a head coach in 1985, both times with Chicago Bears.
Mike Ditka won the Super Bowl as a player in 1963 and as a head coach in 1985, both times with Chicago Bears.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NFL legend Mike Ditka suffered a stroke on Friday
  • "I feel good right now and it's not a big deal," he tells the Chicago Tribune
  • ESPN expects Super Bowl winner to return to broadcasts soon

(CNN) -- Legendary professional football coach and ESPN analyst Mike Ditka is recovering from a stroke he suffered Friday, the sports network said.

Ditka, 73, will not be on ESPN's football shows this weekend, the network said. But Ditka "wanted everyone to know he's OK," ESPN senior coordinating producer Seth Markman said via Twitter.

"I feel good right now and it's not a big deal," Ditka told the Chicago Tribune.

Ditka was playing cards at a country club when he found his hands "weren't working quite right." He then had problems speaking, the newspaper reported.

Kendall Hunter of the San Francisco 49ers breaks away from Chicago Bears defenders for a second quarter touchdown on Monday, November 19, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Check out the action from Week 11 of the NFL and look back at the best photos from Week 10. Kendall Hunter of the San Francisco 49ers breaks away from Chicago Bears defenders for a second quarter touchdown on Monday, November 19, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Check out the action from Week 11 of the NFL and look back at the best photos from Week 10.
NFL Week 11: The best photos
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ESPN says it expects the coach to return to broadcasts soon.

Ditka is a Pro Football Hall of Famer and Super Bowl winning coach who has been with ESPN since 2004.

He is only the second person to win the Super Bowl as a player, assistant coach and head coach, according to a biography by the speaker's bureau that represents him.

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