Mike Ditka Dies at 86 After Leading Bears to Super Bowl Glory

Mike Ditka, the Hall of Fame tight end and former Chicago Bears coach who led the team to its only Super Bowl championship, has died at age 86, his family announced Friday. Ditka became one of the NFL's most recognizable figures after guiding Chicago to a dominant victory in Super Bowl XX following the 1985 season.

The Bears finished the 1985 regular season with a 15-1 record before defeating the New England Patriots 46-10 in the championship game. The team was renowned for its defense, widely regarded as one of the greatest in NFL history.

Ditka's family announced his death in a statement but did not disclose a cause.

"It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Mike Ditka," his 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."

Chicago hired Ditka in 1982, bringing him back to the organization where he had established himself as a standout player. During 11 seasons as head coach, he led the Bears to seven playoff appearances and reached the NFC Championship Game three times, according to his career record.

His coaching style was famously intense, and he sometimes clashed with members of the championship team, including quarterback Jim McMahon and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan. Despite those tensions, the Bears delivered one of the most successful seasons in franchise history.

Ditka first joined the NFL as the Chicago Bears' fifth overall selection in the 1961 draft. He became the first tight end to record more than 1,000 receiving yards and earned Rookie of the Year honors.

He played six seasons with Chicago, two with the Philadelphia Eagles and four with the Dallas Cowboys. His playing career included the Bears' 1963 NFL championship and the Cowboys' Super Bowl VI victory. In 1988, he became the first tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

After Chicago dismissed him following the 1992 season, Ditka returned to coaching with the New Orleans Saints in 1997. He went 15-33 over three seasons, unable to reproduce his success with the Bears.

His tenure in New Orleans was particularly remembered for a 1999 trade with Washington that sent eight draft picks, including two first-round selections, to secure the fifth overall pick. The Saints used that selection to draft running back Ricky Williams.

Ditka and Williams also became the subject of a widely discussed 1999 ESPN The Magazine cover, which depicted Ditka in a tuxedo and Williams in a wedding gown to symbolize their football partnership.

Beyond football, Ditka became a prominent public figure in Chicago through restaurant ventures, product endorsements, television commercials and entertainment appearances. He appeared as himself in several television programs and in the 2005 comedy Kicking and Screaming, starring Will Ferrell.

Saturday Night Live also featured the recurring sketch Bill Swerski's Superfans, which celebrated Ditka and the Bears. After leaving coaching, he worked as a football analyst for NBC before joining ESPN, where he appeared on Sunday Morning Countdown from 2006 to 2015.

Born Oct. 18, 1939, in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, Ditka was a three-sport athlete at Pitt, competing in football, basketball and baseball. He led the university in receiving during each of his three varsity seasons from 1958 through 1960 and was a unanimous All-America selection in 1960.

Before becoming Chicago's head coach, Ditka spent nine seasons as an assistant under Tom Landry with the Dallas Cowboys. Bears founder and former coach George Halas hired him to replace Neill Armstrong after the 1981 season.

Ditka also experienced significant health problems during his life, suffering two heart attacks, including one in 1988 while coaching Chicago, and a minor stroke in 2012.