Mike Ditka, Bears Super Bowl-winning coach, dies at 86

Mike Ditka, the Hall of Fame tight end who led the Chicago Bears to their only Super Bowl title as head coach, has died at 86, his family said. No cause of death was immediately announced, The Guardian reported.

“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.”

Ditka’s football career spanned championship teams in three roles: player, assistant coach and head coach. He was one of only two people in NFL history to win a league title in each role.

Born Oct. 18, 1939, Ditka grew up in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, and earned a scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh, where he became an All-American tight end in 1960, according to CBS News. “If you wanted to be good at something, you had to work at it,” he told CBS Chicago in 1985, “and nobody was going to give you nothing for nothing.”

The Bears selected Ditka fifth overall in the 1961 NFL draft. He was named the league’s rookie of the year and became a five-time Pro Bowler, CBS News reported. He helped Chicago win the 1963 NFL championship before a contract dispute with owner George Halas led to a trade to the Philadelphia Eagles before the 1967 season.

Ditka later played for the Dallas Cowboys, catching a touchdown in their Super Bowl VI victory. After retiring as a player, he joined coach Tom Landry’s staff in Dallas. Halas brought him back to Chicago as head coach in 1982.

The defining season came in 1985. Ditka’s Bears beat the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX on Jan. 26, 1986, in New Orleans. “I don’t want to be competitive. I know what that is,” Ditka said in 1985. “I want to be the winner.”

Ditka became the first tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988. CBS News reported that he suffered a heart attack later that year, recovered and led the Bears to a sixth division crown in 1990. Chicago fired him after a 5-11 season in 1992. He coached the New Orleans Saints from 1997 through 1999, then retired from coaching.

His No. 89 Bears jersey was retired in 2013, according to CBS News. The outlet also reported that he worked in broadcasting, appeared in commercials and was closely tied to Misericordia, a Chicago facility serving young people with developmental and physical disabilities.

“The NFL is deeply saddened by the passing of Hall of Fame coach and tight end, Mike Ditka,” the league said. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker called “Da Coach” an icon of Chicago and the football world.