ESPN 1000 Bears reporter dies at 44
ESPN 1000 Bears reporter Jeff Dickerson, 44, died Tuesday in hospice after battling colon cancer. He’s survived by his 11-year-old son, Parker. Dickerson’s wife, Caitlin, died from melanoma at 36 in 2019.
‘‘He was simply the best,’’ ESPN 1000 morning-show host David Kaplan said. ‘‘When people die, everyone says nice things. He was truly that guy. Never had a mean bone in his body.’’
To honor Dickerson, ESPN 1000 will air local shows from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday. Mike Greenberg’s national show from noon to 2 p.m. will be preempted.
‘‘He deserves that, to celebrate his life with friends,’’ said Danny Zederman, who was promoted to program director at ESPN 1000 earlier Tuesday. ‘‘We lost a teammate and a close friend. It’s really painful. Tomorrow is gonna be really cathartic.’’
Zederman said Dickerson was remarkably strong in what became his final days.
‘‘He went through it with his wife; she battled for years,’’ Zederman said. ‘‘When he was diagnosed, I went to visit him. He had seen the battle firsthand, he knew what was coming for him and he still said: ‘I’m not worried at all. I have to be here.’ I went to visit him Christmas Eve. He was alert, coherent, cracking jokes, and he still was telling me, ‘I’m going to beat this thing.’ ’’
Dickerson graduated from Buffalo Grove High School and attended the University of Illinois. He began covering the Bears at ESPN 1000 in 2001.
‘‘Jeff did as good a job as anybody can do on what might be the most competitive beat in the city,’’ Kaplan said. ‘‘That Bears beat, you’ve gotta come up with content; the team usually stinks. Jeff was able to be opinionated and break news.’’
Said Zederman: ‘‘JD never lost sight of the fact that he was covering his favorite team as a child. He never lost sight he got paid to watch Bears practices. It made him proud to be associated with the Bears. Because of that, he took great pride in his work.’’
The Bears released a statement that said: ‘‘We are absolutely heartbroken to learn of the passing of our friend and colleague Jeff Dickerson. Always the consummate professional, JD took a great deal of pride in his coverage of the Bears for 20 years. He was a true professional and even better person.’’