Oct 9 (Reuters) – Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end best known as the slick-haired and mustachioed head coach who led the NFL’s Chicago Bears to their only Super Bowl triumph in 1986, has died. He was 86.
Ditka’s death was announced in a statement by his family on Friday. No cause of death was given.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend,” Ditka’s family said in a statement.
“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.
“Mike will be missed beyond measure and remembered forever.”
Revered in Chicago and famous nationwide as “Da Coach,” Ditka was a blunt, straight-talking legend with a devoted following and restaurants bearing his name.
He also sold a number of products with his name on, including cigars, sausages and wine.
TRANSFORMED THE TIGHT END POSITION
As a player, Ditka revolutionized the tight end position and was a five-time Pro Bowl selection while playing with the Bears from 1961-66 before moving on to the Philadelphia Eagles and then the Dallas Cowboys, where he featured in the team’s Super Bowl triumph in January 1972.
Selected fifth overall by the Bears in the 1961 NFL Draft, Ditka introduced a new dimension to the tight end position that once was viewed primarily as an assignment for a tough, talented blocker.
While Ditka, also affectionately known as “Iron Mike,” was a superior blocker, he became one of the first tight ends to catch a large number of passes.
He earned Rookie of the Year honors after becoming the first tight end in NFL history to record 1,000 receiving yards in a season and went on to win the 1963 NFL championship with Chicago prior to the start of the Super Bowl era.
At the time of his retirement after the 1972 season, Ditka ranked second among all tight ends in receptions, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
He is also the only individual in the NFL’s modern era to win a league title with the same team as a player and 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 team said in a statement.
“His integral role in bringing world championships to our city and our franchise, both as a player and as our coach, established prominence and excellence at a world-class level, but also created a lifetime of cherished memories in the hearts and minds of Bears fans that will last for generations.”
DITKA ‘EPITOMIZED FOOTBALL’
Following his playing career Ditka became a member of Tom Landry’s coaching staff in Dallas where he won a Super Bowl.
He eventually returned to Chicago as head coach and turned the Bears into one of the league’s most dominant champions.
The Bears team that Ditka led to Super Bowl glory featured one of the most vaunted defenses in NFL history and a top-ranked offense.
With the likes of Walter Payton, William “The Refrigerator” Perry, Jim McMahon and Mike Singletary, the Bears transcended professional sports and became a global pop culture phenomenon after recording “The Super Bowl Shuffle” rap song and accompanying music video that became an unlikely hit.
The song was released weeks before the Bears beat the New England Patriots 46-10 in the Super Bowl. At the time, it was the largest margin of victory in any Super Bowl.
After the game, the Chicago players carried Ditka, who was wearing a sleeveless Bears sweater over a formal dress shirt and tie, off the field on their shoulders.
“Mike Ditka epitomized football over so many years. He brought intensity, authenticity and an unmistakable personality to everything he did,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.
“As a Hall of Fame player, Super Bowl-winning coach with his beloved and iconic Bears, and as a broadcaster, Mike served as an ambassador for the game and inspired generations of fans.”
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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