The fiery head coach who once broke his wrist after punching a locker during a halftime rant with his Chicago Bears in 1983 showed up yesterday morning in New Jersey to coach an estimated 275 "players."
But this time, there weren't any dented lockers, nor were the players wearing football jerseys. They were in business suits and seeking inspiration on how "win" at the office, and Mike Ditka was there to lead the team.
"I'm not here to tell you how to run your business. I can't, I don't know your business," Ditka said. "But what I'm hoping to do is give you something motivationally to take away from here to share with your counterparts for help."
The business seminar, sponsored by Move Ahead 1, was held at the Holiday Inn in Edison and included 21 exhibitors.
Ditka is one of only two people to win the Super Bowl as a player, an assistant coach and a head coach (Tom Flores is the other.) Now, among other things, he's a television analyst and the owner of two Mike Ditka's restaurants in Chicago, where he serves up his signature "Da Pork Chop."
His advice as a business owner: Treat people the way you want to be treated. "I don't care if you're over them, under them or beside them," he said.
Other speakers included Brad Benson, who spent 10 seasons as an offensive lineman and Pro Bowler for the Giants, including the 1986 team that beat the Broncos in Super Bowl XXI. He now is a fixture on radio ads touting his Mitsubishi/Hyundai dealership, Brad Benson Auto Group, in South Brunswick. Benson opened the event by discussing his experiences as both a business owner and football player.
Rob Adams from CEO Space Northeast, a networking organization, said he left the hotel with some valuable lessons.
"I think they were both very inspirational," he said. "They had a lot of very good points from their own success sharing with people where they come from and how we should look at things."
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