In the spring of 1999, when Tim McManus designed a “Ditka Cow” for Chicago’s Cows on Parade Art Exhibit, little did he suspect that his art project would become a figure in an NFC Championship game several years later. With the local media looking for every angle on this Sunday’s football game, four separate television crews have come to Saint Patrick to take a look at the “Ditka Cow.“

McManus graduated from Saint Patrick in 2001, and he is currently a member of the United States Marine Corps, stationed in Virginia. McManus will be watching this Sunday as the Bears host the Saints for the right to play in Super Bowl XLI on February 4, 2007 in Miami.

Eight years ago, McManus was selected to paint a cow, purchased by Mike Ditka, for the exhibit. In recognition of Ditka’s history with the Chicago Bears, and the fact that he was the Head Coach of the New Orleans Saints at the time, the cow was to feature both the Bears and the Saints. McManus came up with a design that had the Bears on one side of the cow, and the Saints on the other. The Bear side of the cow features Ditka as a both a player and as a coach as well as football Hall of Famers Mike Singletary, Dick Butkus, Walter Payton, and the quarterback of the 1985 Super Bowl Champions, Jim McMahon. The Saint side features Ditka with 1999 first-round draft choice, Ricky Williams, the player Ditka traded eight draft picks to select, Craig “Ironhead” Heyward and Morten Andersen.

The Cows on Parade Exhibit featured 300 cows displayed around the city of Chicago in the summer of 1999. After the exhibit was over, the cows were auctioned off for charity. Ditka purchased the “Ditka Cow” and donated it to Saint Patrick High School. Originally, the cow was on display in the in the Atrium of the Saint Patrick Performing Arts Centre, before being moved to its permanent location in the Gym Lobby.

This week’s NFC Championship match-up between the Bears and the Saints has sparked renewed interest in the “Ditka Cow.” With the two teams that Ditka coached squaring off for a berth in Super Bowl XLI, the cow has become a symbol of the most obvious connection between the two teams, Mike Ditka. The cow also serves as a reminder of the summer of 1999, a time when cows were all over the city, and Ditka was viewed as a hero in both Chicago and New Orleans.