Mike Ditka, the Hall of Fame tight end who later coached the Chicago Bears to their Super Bowl XX title, has died at 86. His family announced the news on Friday, according to The Guardian and CBS Sports. Yahoo Sports reported that no cause of death was given.
In their statement, the family called him a beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend, and said that beyond his football fame he was the heart of the family. The Bears said his impact on the organization, as a player, coach and ambassador, was immeasurable.
A tight end who changed the position
Ditka was the fifth overall pick in the 1961 draft, taken by the Bears. The Guardian reported that he won Rookie of the Year honors, while CBS Sports noted he was that season's NFL Offensive Player of the Year and the first tight end in league history to pass 1,000 receiving yards. He was a member of the 1963 NFL championship team.
After his years with the Bears, he played for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys. Yahoo Sports said he scored the last touchdown in Dallas's 24-3 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI. His 12-year playing career produced 427 receptions, 5,812 yards and 43 touchdowns, per the same report. He was the first tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and is also in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Da Coach in the Super Bowl era
Ditka joined Tom Landry's Cowboys staff after his playing days, working with special teams and receivers, and CBS Sports said he earned a second Super Bowl ring there. He became the Bears' head coach in 1982.
His 1985 team went 15-1 in the regular season, according to Yahoo Sports, then beat the New England Patriots 46-10 in the title game. The Guardian described a dominant defense and a roster of big personalities that recorded The Super Bowl Shuffle, a rap-style video, months before the game. The paper also detailed his long-running feud with defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan. CBS Sports quoted Ditka saying after Ryan's death in 2018 that the defense was the reason the team won.
Looking back on that group, Ditka once said: "I was what I was and they were what they were and, damn, it was fun." The Guardian carried the remark.
The Bears said at a 2013 ceremony that his No. 89 jersey would be the last one the club retires, the Guardian reported.
After the sideline
Ditka's time with the New Orleans Saints did not go as well. The Guardian said a 3-13 finish in 1999 was his worst record as a player or coach, and he left coaching afterward. He then built a set of restaurants, appeared as himself on shows from Cheers to Saturday Night Live, and worked as an ESPN analyst. The Guardian added that he pushed for better medical and retirement benefits for former players.
Jarrett Payton, son of Bears great Walter Payton, remembered Ditka on social media as the heartbeat of the '85 Bears and a Super Bowl champion, Yahoo Sports reported.
Reporting sources: Sport | The Guardian, “Mike Ditka, legendary Chicago Bears head coach, dies aged 86” · sports.yahoo.com, “Super Bowl-winning player and coach Ditka dies aged 86” · CBS Sports Headlines, “Mike Ditka, Hall of Fame tight end and Bears' Super Bowl-winning coach, dies at age 86”.