Mike Ditka dies at age 86, Hall of Fame Bears coach and tight end
The Hall of Fame tight end who coached the Chicago Bears to their only Super Bowl title has died, his family announced Friday.
What we know
Mike Ditka, the Hall of Fame tight end and former Chicago Bears head coach, has died at age 86. His family announced the death on Friday, saying he was "the heart of our family" and would be "missed beyond measure." No cause of death was announced.
The family's statement is the only information that has been released so far. No further details about services or tributes have come out yet.
The 1985 Bears and Super Bowl XX
Halas hired Ditka, his former player, as Bears head coach in 1982. Over 11 seasons, Ditka took the Bears to the playoffs seven times and the NFC Championship Game three times.
The high point was the 1985 team, built around arguably the greatest defense in NFL history. That Bears team went 15-1 in the regular season and routed the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX, the only Super Bowl title in franchise history. Ditka had a fiery temper and clashed with players and staff on that team, including quarterback Jim McMahon and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, but the Bears won anyway. The Bears fired Ditka after the 1992 season.
A trailblazing tight end
Before he coached, Ditka was the fifth overall pick in the 1961 NFL draft by the Bears. He won Rookie of the Year after becoming the first tight end to top 1,000 receiving yards in a season.
He played six years with the Bears, two with the Philadelphia Eagles and four with the Dallas Cowboys. He was part of the Bears' 1963 NFL championship team and the Cowboys' Super Bowl VI winning squad. In 1988, he became the first tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Bears retired his No. 89 in 2013, saying at the time it would be the last number the franchise retires.
New Orleans, Ricky Williams and life as an icon
Ditka returned to coaching with the New Orleans Saints in 1997 but went 15-33 over three seasons. His Saints tenure is best remembered for a trade: New Orleans sent eight draft picks, including two first-round selections, to Washington to move up and draft running back Ricky Williams fifth overall in 1999.
Ditka and Williams appeared together on a 1999 ESPN The Magazine cover, with Ditka in a tuxedo and Williams in a wedding gown to symbolize their "football marriage." Afterward, Ditka became a Chicago institution off the field, opening restaurants and endorsing wine, cigars and sausages. He starred in commercials, appeared as himself on television, and had a role in Will Ferrell's 2005 comedy "Kicking and Screaming." Saturday Night Live even built a recurring sketch, "Bill Swerski's Superfans," around tributes to Ditka and "Da Bears."
Facts per ESPN. Opinion is the taproom's.