Mike Ditka’s tenure as New Orleans Saints head coach didn’t turn out the way anyone expected — after trading a king’s ransom for running back Ricky Williams, Ditka went 15-33 over three years and was dismissed without a fraction of the fanfare he arrived with. But it wasn’t all bad. The former Chicago Bears coach returned to the Windy City and came away with a rare win in 1997.
That doesn’t mean it was easy. The Saints jumped out to a 10-3 lead at halftime but were trailing 17-13 late in the fourth quarter. That’s when quarterback Heath Shuler lobbed a pass down the sideline to wide receiver Randall Hill, who jumped up and caught it, slipped past the Bears defender covering him, and took off down the sideline. He scored the game-winning touchdown from 89 yards out, which you can watch for yourself right here.
It was a really impressive moment at a time when the Saints were running short in them. Hill left the NFL after the 1997 season at just 28 years of age, and Ditka was out of New Orleans just a few years later (and he eventually wound up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame). There’s a lot to be said for coming away with a win against Ditka’s former team in such a high-profile Sunday night game during his first year on the job.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Randall Hill’s 89-yard game winning TD is the Saints Play of the Day
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