Published on October 9, 2026 10:52 am
Last Updated on October 9, 2026 10:52 am
Former Chicago Bears Head Coach Mike Ditka has died at age 86, according to reports.
According to Wikipedia, Ditka was an American professional football player, coach, and commentator. During his playing career as a tight end, he was UPI NFL Rookie of Year in 1961, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, and a six-time All-Pro with the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, and Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL); he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988. Ditka was the first tight end in NFL history to reach 1,000 yards receiving in his rookie season.
He was an NFL champion with the 1963 Bears and is a three-time Super Bowl champion, playing on the Cowboys’ Super Bowl VI team, winning as an assistant coach for the Cowboys in Super Bowl XII, and coaching the Bears to victory in Super Bowl XX. He has been named to the NFL’s 75th- and 100th-Anniversary All-Time Teams.
As a head coach for the Bears from 1982 to 1992, he was twice both the AP and UPI NFL Coach of Year (1985 and 1988). He also was the head coach of the New Orleans Saints from 1997 to 1999.
Ditka and Tom Flores are the only people to win a Super Bowl as a player, an assistant coach, and a head coach.
Ditka signed with the Bears and played for them from 1961 through 1966. He won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1961 and was part of the 1963 Bears team that won the the NFL Championship.
He played for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1967-1968 and the Dallas Cowboys from 1969-1972.
Ditka was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988.