O’Donnell: ‘Blessed’ Jiggetts traced path from Bears to radio to grandfather beaming with pride
THE GREAT BILL VEECK — two-term boss of the White Sox — was fond of saying, “The greatest thing a father can give his kids is a good name.”
Dan Jiggetts — on a life cycle built for two with wife Karen — mastered that golden nuance long ago.
The result is two daughters, two sons-in-law and four grandsons who make Father's Day at any of the family households a celebration of unfettered love, gratitude and happiness.
Eldest Lauren Jiggetts — more fully, Lauren Jiggetts-Donovan — is the Harvard grad who races the milkmen Monday-through-Friday beginning at 4 a.m. to co-anchor the WGN-Channel 9 “Early Morning News” alongside Dan Ponce.
ONE YEAR YOUNGER, Kristan Jiggetts-Kenney — professionally Kristan Kenney — made a sharp mid-career swerve from off-camera TV entertainment (“The Dr. Phil Show,” “Entertainment Tonight,” et al) to education. She now teaches English and is an assistant swimming coach at New Trier High School.
“Parental pride doesn't begin to cover it,” said Dan Jiggetts, the former Bear (1976-1982), enduring Chicago-based sportscaster and unflappable Autopilot good guy. “We are just so blessed. So blessed.”
Blessings may certainly be a part of it. But there has long been both an amazing drive and capacity to seamlessly switch lanes that has powered the father.
Now those traits show in the next generation.
DANNY MARCELLUS JIGGETTS IS the son of an auto mechanic (Floyd) and a house cleaner (Hattie) who grew up out toward the Hamptons on eastern Long Island.
He was a superb prep athlete (11 varsity letters), a very good student and popular enough at Westhampton Beach High School to be elected class president all four years.
His father died while he was still at WBHS. He signed a letter-of-intent to play for Woody Hayes at Ohio State. (“I wanted to be on national TV even then,” he now says.)
BUT MOTHER HATTIE OFFERED a future-oriented nugget of wisdom:
“She said, 'Why not Harvard or Yale or Princeton?'” Jiggetts, once a growing 6-foot-4, 265-pound high school lineman, recalled. “She added, 'They'll take football away from you someday, but they'll never take your education away.'”
Mother knew best. Jiggetts opted for Harvard. Mrs. Jiggetts sadly died four days after his high school graduation.
HE WAS AS GOOD AS IT GETS in Ivy League football. Good enough that Bears all-ops kingpin Jim Finks made him one of his tackles du jour during the long run-up from Dennis Lick and Ted Albrecht to Jimbo Covert and Keith Van Horne in Super Bowl XX.
With a knack for rubbing people the right way, Jiggetts began looking beyond the NFL from his first training camp. He networked. He established new lanes.
He interned under Chet Coppock at WMAQ-Channel 5 Sports in 1981-82. Concurrently, he entered an executive apprentice program at a major downtown Chicago bank. (Dick Duchossois, soon to be of Arlington Park fame, was on the board of directors.)
HE MET KAREN, HIS WIFE-TO-BE, on a business trip in 1981. Their bond was quickly apparent and they married. The stork's perfecta was Lauren and Kristan.
Both girls attended Stevenson High School. Both were excellent students. Kristan was a mainstay on the swim team. Lauren ditched basketball, in part to handle morning announcements, a critical “tell” for all of the good that has come her way in TV.
Both watched their father's post-football career arc — embryonic WFLD-Channel 32 News to CBS Sports to the 1992 startup of “The Score” (then WSCR-AM 820) — and took notes.
LAUREN RECENTLY SAID: “Growing up, I watched my dad lead by example. Nothing was ever handed to him. He worked hard for everything he achieved. And he never compromised his integrity.
“He is unfazed by job titles and wealth. He has a gift for making people feel special. And it's genuine — he values people.
“This business can be tough, especially with some people who mask themselves as friends. No matter what he was carrying at work, he always made sure we felt safe, supported and deeply loved.”
THE SUPREMELY TELEGENIC MORNING ANCHOR concluded, “I followed his career path because I've always admired not just what he did and the enjoyment he found in broadcast journalism, but who he is — a man of unwavering values, and I wanted to build on that legacy.”
“PopPop” himself — the Bears' former No. 62 — simplifies all:
“My life and career is all about the importance of having a solid family behind you. There is nothing more important in life. And, you've got to have some fun along the way, right?”
ON FATHER'S DAY 2025, sons-in-law Pat Donovan and Benjamin Kenney certainly won't disagree.
Nor will grandsons Brendan and Teddy Donovan or Lincoln and Cormac Kenney.
And from wherever memorable Chicago sports dads go to beam, Bill Veeck understands.
The day should be all about love, gratitude and happiness.
And the invaluable asset of a father's good name.
• Jim O'Donnell's Sports and Media column appears each week on Sunday and Wednesday. Reach him at jimodonnelldh@yahoo.com. All communications may be considered for publication.