The waiting room on the second floor of Lake Forest Hospital last week was packed with visitors—virtually all of whom had room number 2507 listed on their guest badges.
That was the room where their relative, friend or colleague, John “Moon” Mullin, was receiving treatment for pancreatic cancer.
The longtime Bears beat writer was having a tremendous 2022—vacationing in Naples, Fla., in January and Hilton Head, S.C., in April. But his health took a dramatic downward turn in May. He learned that his chemotherapy treatments had lost their effectiveness and he had to be hospitalized on three different occasions due to difficulty breathing.
Mullin passed away Sunday afternoon, surrounded by loved ones. He was 74.
Mullin left an indelible mark on everyone’s life he touched. The well-liked and highly-respected reporter began covering the Bears for the Daily Herald newspaper in 1992, Mike Ditka’s final year as coach. Mullin continued to cover the Bears for the Chicago Tribune from 1997-2008 and NBC Sports Chicago from 2009-18. He also wrote two books about the team.
“In a competitive business, for somebody to have the respect of his colleagues and the people he covered was very unusual, and Moon had that,” said Bears chairman George H. McCaskey. “Moon had a way of carrying himself that was just dignified. He was a class act.”
“He really loved what he did,” added former Bears defensive end Alex Brown. “He really loved covering the team, and you grow to love somebody like that.”
Former Bears quarterback Jim Miller, who’s now an NFL analyst, recalls that Mullin was a true professional who always could be trusted.
“He was one of my favorites because he was there every day,” Miller said. “He really had a good heartbeat and feel of the team and where it was and how to cover it. Players felt comfortable around John. When he said something was on the record or off the record, he stuck to his word. Players trusted him.”
Long after his playing career ended, Miller remained friends…
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