Mike Ditka, Hall of Fame Tight End and Coach of the 1985 Bears, Dies at 86
Ditka was the first tight end enshrined in Canton and coached Chicago to its only Super Bowl title. His family announced his death on Oct. 9. On Thursday night, the Bears honored him with mustaches, sweater headbands and clocks set to 89:00.
Mike Ditka, the Hall of Fame tight end who coached the 1985 Chicago Bears to the franchise's only Super Bowl championship, has died at 86. His family announced his death on Oct. 9, saying "we knew him as the heart of our family." No cause was given.
What did he accomplish as a player?
The Bears drafted Ditka fifth overall in 1961, and he was Rookie of the Year after becoming the first tight end to top 1,000 receiving yards in a season, still the only Bears tight end to do it. He won the 1963 NFL championship in Chicago, played two seasons in Philadelphia and four in Dallas, where he won Super Bowl VI, and in 1988 became the first tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
And as a coach?
George Halas hired him in 1982. Over 11 seasons Ditka took the Bears to the playoffs seven times and three NFC Championship Games, and his 1985 team went 15-1 and beat New England 46-10 in Super Bowl XX. He was fired after the 1992 season and coached the Saints from 1997 to 1999, going 15-33. The Bears retired his No. 89 in 2013.
How has he been remembered?
Roger Goodell said Ditka "epitomized football over so many years." The Bears called his impact "immeasurable," and coach Ben Johnson called him the "gold standard in terms of this place." At Thursday night's game against the Patriots, the Bears' first home game since his death, fans received knit headbands styled after his sideline sweater and fake mustaches, the stadium clocks read 89:00 before kickoff, and players wore No. 89 decals and patches. The Bears beat New England 30-24.
Sources
- ESPN: Legendary coach, Hall of Fame TE Mike Ditka dies at age 86
- Pro Football Hall of Fame: Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Ditka, 86, dies
- ESPN: Da Coach: Bears pay homage to Mike Ditka at first home game since coach's death
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