Bears great Hampton moving to the Score
Officials at WSCR-AM 670, the home of the White Sox, were beaming Thursday about acquiring their own Hall of Famer.
Bears great Dan Hampton will finalize a deal next week to join Laurence Holmes for middays (10 a.m.-noon) at the Score, beginning Sept. 2.
“It’s time to let the Bear out of his cage,” program director Mitch Rosen said. “Dan is a Chicago sports icon and he brings star power to the radio station.”
Hampton was a prime-time player at WGN Radio until the station waived its Bears pregame and postgame shows in June. Hampton then met with executives from several TV and radio stations, and did a show with Holmes on July 10.
“He didn’t come in with any arrogance,” Holmes said. “It wasn’t, ‘Hey, I’m a Hall of Famer, I can do whatever I want. It was: How can I make this the best show I can?”
Hampton is also in talks with WMAQ-Ch. 5 about a role on Sunday nights.
— Teddy Greenstein
Butkus will be back for Illini celebration
Illinois is throwing a party to celebrate the renovation of Memorial Stadium, and Dick Butkus says he’ll be there.
The school has named the top 10 players at each position in the stadium’s history, and the former All-America linebacker will be among dozens honored at the home opener against Eastern Illinois on Sept. 6.
“I am looking forward to reconnecting with all of the former players who will be there, especially those I played with,” Butkus said. “The atmosphere will be incredible. … I’ve been looking forward to [it] all summer.”
The Illini will wear throwback uniforms from the 1960s. Butkus was a 1965 first-round pick of the Bears, for whom he had a Hall of Fame career.
— Terry Bannon
Irish charity event goes out with a bang
If you liked getting your Notre Dame coaching fix in one fell swoop, it won’t be easy anymore.
Charlie Weis, Lou Holtz and Ara Parseghian were all in one room Thursday night at the Palmer House Hilton for the third annual Notre Dame Coaches’ Kickoff for Charity.
The event — benefiting Hannah & Friends, The Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation and The Holtz Charitable Foundation — will be the last.
Individual tickets started at $1,000 apiece, working all the way up to a $50,000 contribution for “presenting sponsors.”
Honorary chairmen included Joe Montana, Bulls general manager John Paxson, Cubs GM Jim Hendry and Blackhawks great Stan Mikita.
— Brian Hamilton
