CHICAGO — Mike Ditka, the Chicago Bears great who personified the toughness and grit of the Windy City during his time as a player and the head coach for its NFL franchise, has died. He was 86.
His family released a statement Friday announcing the death of Ditka, the Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end who had a second act in the Second City as coach, with his tenure including leading the 1985 Bears to arguably the most dominant season in NFL history,
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Mike Ditka,” the family’s statement read. “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.”
Nicknamed “Iron Mike” as a player, Ditka helped revolutionize the tight end position and in 1988 was the first to play at the spot to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. After playing in the NFL for the Bears (1961-66), Philadelphia Eagles (1967-68) and Dallas Cowboys (1969-72), he moved to the sideline and eventually took over as Chicago’s coach.
His 1985 team featured one of the game’s most dominant defenses ever. It also had enough outsized personalities to record a rap video, “The Super Bowl Shuffle,” and back up its boasting in the championship game three months later. That remains Chicago’s lone Super Bowl title, though the Bears own eight NFL crowns from the era before the league’s merger with the AFL and the dawn of the big game.