Mike Ditka, Hall of Fame player and Super Bowl-winning Bears coach, dies at 86
In short
Mike Ditka, the Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end who coached the Chicago Bears to victory in Super Bowl XX, has died at 86, his family announced in a statement on Friday. The statement did not give a cause of death, NBC News reported. The Bears, the NFL, Commissioner Roger Goodell and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker issued tributes.
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Mike Ditka, who played tight end for the Chicago Bears and later coached the team to a Super Bowl title, has died at 86, his family announced on Friday in a statement. "It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Mike Ditka," the family said. "While the world knew Mike as a Hall of Fame football player, legendary coach, and leader of the Chicago Bears' Super Bowl XX championship team, we knew him as the heart of our family." NBC News reported that the statement did not include a cause of death. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 11 , 13 ]
The Bears said Ditka's impact on the organization "as a player, coach, and proud icon and ambassador for our organization, is immeasurable." The NFL said it was "deeply saddened" by his passing. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Ditka "epitomized football over so many years," and ABC News reported that Goodell called him an "ambassador for the game" and highlighted his work with the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, a nonprofit providing assistance to retired players. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker wrote: "Da Coach was not only an icon in Chicago, but the entire football world." Pro Football Hall of Fame President and CEO Jim Porter also issued a statement, CBS News reported. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 ]
Ditka coached the Bears to a 15-1 regular season record in 1985 and a 46-10 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX, ABC News reported; NBC News and CBS News describe it as the team's only Super Bowl title. That team also recorded the rap video "The Super Bowl Shuffle." According to ABC News, Ditka won a Super Bowl as a player with the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl VI, as a Dallas assistant coach in Super Bowl XII and as Chicago's head coach in Super Bowl XX, and also played for the Bears when they won the 1963 NFL Championship Game. [ 2 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 11 , 16 ]
Drafted by the Bears in 1961, Ditka won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year that year and made five consecutive Pro Bowls from 1961 to 1965, Fox News reported. He played for the Bears from 1961 to 1966, the Philadelphia Eagles in 1967 and 1968 and the Cowboys from 1969 to 1972, finishing with 427 receptions, 5,812 yards and 43 touchdowns. Fox News said he was the first tight end selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame; NBC News reported he was inducted in 1988. He was also enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame, and the Bears said during a 2013 ceremony that his No. 89 jersey will be the last one retired by the team. [ 1 , 2 , 7 , 11 ]
Ditka was born in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the son of a welder who changed the family name from Dyczko, and grew up in nearby Aliquippa before becoming an All-American at Pitt. NBC News gave his birth date as Oct. 18, 1939. Nicknamed "Iron Mike," he inspired "Saturday Night Live" sketches about Bears fans. After retiring as a coach he became a restaurateur, pitchman and TV personality and an advocate for improved medical and retirement benefits for former players; The New York Times described him as one of the sport's most visible talking heads. [ 2 , 4 , 7 , 9 , 11 ]
Why it matters
Ditka coached the Bears to a 46-10 win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX, which NBC News and CBS News describe as the team's only Super Bowl title. ABC News reported he won a Super Bowl as a player, an assistant coach and a head coach, a feat it said only Tom Flores has matched. His death drew coverage from major US national outlets and wire services.
Key facts
- Mike Ditka has died at 86, his family announced in a statement on Friday. [ 1 , 2 , 7 , 9 , 11 , 13 ]
- The family statement did not include a cause of death, NBC News reported. [ 2 ]
- As Bears head coach, Ditka led the team to a 46-10 win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX. [ 2 , 6 ]
- ABC News reported he won Super Bowls as a player with Dallas (VI), as a Dallas assistant coach (XII) and as Chicago's head coach (XX). [ 6 ]
- Drafted by the Bears in 1961, he played for Chicago, Philadelphia and Dallas, finishing with 427 receptions, 5,812 yards and 43 touchdowns, Fox News reported. [ 1 ]
- He was enshrined in the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, and the Bears said in 2013 that his No. 89 jersey will be the last one retired by the team. [ 7 , 11 ]
- After coaching he became a restaurateur, pitchman and TV personality and an advocate for improved medical and retirement benefits for former players. [ 7 , 9 , 11 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Mike Ditka has died at 86, as announced by his family in a statement. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 11 , 13 ]
- The Chicago Bears issued a statement calling Ditka's impact on the organization immeasurable. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Ditka "epitomized football over so many years." [ 3 , 6 ]
- Ditka coached the Bears to a 46-10 win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX. [ 2 , 6 ]
- Ditka was nicknamed "Iron Mike." [ 2 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]
Still unclear
- Cause of death NBC News reported the family statement did not include a cause of death.
- Jim Porter's role NBC News describes Porter as the organization's president, while CBS News identifies him as president and CEO of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- After coaching he became a restaurateur, pitchman and TV personality and an advocate for benefits for former players. Reported by a single source so far