NEWSLETTER
Wednesday marked the first anniversary of the passing of the late Jeff Dickerson, a beloved Bears voice and reporter. And as such, the press core, as well as some of the Bears players and coaches, sported ‘Celebrating JD’ shirts and sweaters designed by our friends over at Obvious Shirts.
The PFWA (Professional Football Writers of America) has a yearly award each chapter presents to the player who best helps the media do their job. Shortly after Dickerson’s passing last year, the Chicago chapter of the PFWA decided to rename the award in honor of their late colleague.
This being the first year that Dickerson was the namesake of the award, they decided to present it on the anniversary of his passing and Bears tight end Cole Kmet was named the 2022 recipient of the Jeff Dickerson Good Guy Award on Wednesday at Halas Hall.
Kmet called the honor a special one, praising the efforts of the Bears press core at large for their work this season and the respect they have shown him and the Bears locker room.
“You guys have been fantastic this year, in the locker room and being super respectful to all the players, and we feel that,” Kmet said.
“You guys have got a big responsibility for this game and all you guys have got your takes—whether the guys in the locker room agree with it or not—but it’s good for our game. You guys are promoters of this game for us and it’s the reason why the NFL is what it is today. So, I appreciate all your good work and I appreciate all the respect that you guys have given me.”
Being a local product who grew up in suburban Barrington, Kmet is no stranger to Jeff Dickerson’s work on the Bears beat. Dickerson covered the Bears from 2001 until his passing.
Kmet’s parents, Sandy and George, were on hand for the award presentation. Previous winners include Tashaun Gipson and Robert Quinn (2021), Mitchell Trubisky (2020), and Allen Robinson II (2019).
Our friends at Obvious Shirts who created a ‘Celebrate Jeff’ shirt in the wake of his passing with 100 percent of all proceeds donated to the Dickerson family and Parker’s Fund. You can purchase a shirt here.
