Beloved reporter and respected figure in the Chicago sports landscape, honored through the work of this foundation.
Reporter Jeff Dickerson, a beloved and respected figure on the Chicago sports scene, died after a bout with cancer. He was 43.
The longtime ESPN reporter, who made his name covering the Chicago Bears, had been undergoing treatment at a hospice center in Barrington after being diagnosed with colon cancer earlier that year.
WMVP-AM 1000 personality Marc Silverman, who announced the news on “The Waddle & Silvy Show,” called Dickerson “the most optimistic man I’ve ever met in my life.”
Almost three years earlier, on Feb. 26, 2019, Dickerson’s wife, Caitlin, died of melanoma at age 36 after battling cancer for eight years. Dickerson took time off from his ESPN duties to care for Caitlin and raise their young son, Parker, during her illness. After Caitlin’s death he hosted a radio telethon to help raise money for cancer research.
“It’s hard to put into words what losing one of my closest friends at this stage of life feels like,” WSCR-AM 670 reporter Zach Zaidman said. “Seems like something that should be a few decades away. I loved him like a brother. He was so determined.”
“The most optimistic man I’ve ever met in my life.”
— Marc Silverman, ESPN 1000
Though Dickerson’s illness was known by his colleagues at the radio station and many in the Bears press box, he did not make it public and was still tweeting information about the Bears as recently as Dec. 3.
“Jeff Dickerson is the strongest person I know,” said Silverman, a cancer survivor. “People say that and they throw that around about people all the time. I know firsthand.”
The Bears called Dickerson “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. JD always was one of the first media members to arrive in the press box on game day, with a hello and a smile that could brighten anyone’s day. He was one of a kind and will truly be missed.”
Credit: Chicago Tribune
