Some legends belong to a team. Mike Ditka belonged to a whole city. The flat-topped tight end from Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, who came back to coach the 1985 Bears to glory, died Friday at 86. A family spokesperson said he passed around 9 a.m., surrounded by family and friends. No cause of death was given.
"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," his family said in a statement. "Mike will be missed beyond measure and remembered forever."
The Bears paid tribute with a video and five simple words: "Thanks for da memories, Coach."
https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/2108603421251059980
Iron Mike, the Tight End Who Changed the Position
George Halas drafted Ditka fifth overall in 1961 out of Pitt, and Ditka made an instant impact. As a rookie he caught 56 passes for 1,076 yards and 12 touchdowns and was named Rookie of the Year. He made the Pro Bowl in each of his first five seasons and won an NFL championship with the Bears in 1963.
He was more than a pass catcher. Ditka was a punishing blocker and a nightmare to bring down after the catch, and he helped turn the tight end into a real weapon in the passing game. After six seasons in Chicago he played two in Philadelphia and four in Dallas, where he caught a touchdown pass from Roger Staubach to finish off the Cowboys' Super Bowl VI win over Miami. When he retired, his 427 career receptions were the most ever by an NFL tight end. In 1988 he became the first tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Da Coach and the '85 Bears
Ditka went straight onto Tom Landry's staff in Dallas and earned another ring as an assistant on the Super Bowl XII champions. But his heart was always in Chicago. In 1978 he wrote Halas a letter promising to "bring back Chicago Bears tradition and pride" one day. In 1982, Halas hired him.
"I believe everyone has a destiny in life and mine is with the Chicago Bears," Ditka said that day.
He backed it up. The 1985 Bears went 15-1, shut out the Giants and Rams in the playoffs, and crushed the Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX. Walter Payton, Jim McMahon, Mike Singletary, Richard Dent and William "Refrigerator" Perry became household names, and Ditka was carried off the field in New Orleans. It's still the franchise's only Super Bowl title. He was named AP Coach of the Year in 1985 and again in 1988, and he later coached the Saints from 1997 to 1999. He and Tom Flores are the only people to win a Super Bowl as a player, an assistant coach and a head coach.
"Mike's impact on the Chicago Bears organization, over decades as a player, coach, and proud icon and ambassador for our organization, is immeasurable," the Bears said in a statement.
Bigger Than Football
Ditka's legend kept growing long after he left the sideline. He spent years as an analyst on NBC, CBS and ESPN, and he appeared on shows like Cheers and Entourage. Saturday Night Live's "Bill Swerski's Superfans" sketch, with Chris Farley, George Wendt and friends worshipping "Da Coach," made him a pop-culture icon.
"He brought intensity, authenticity, and an unmistakable personality to everything he did," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said, also crediting Ditka's work with the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund for retired players.
Ditka summed up his own story best on the day the Bears let him go in 1993, holding back tears: "My life has been a miracle since, because of this game."
Rest easy, Coach. Chicago will be saying your name for generations.
