WASHINGTON — Mike Ditka, Hall of Fame tight end and the coach who delivered Chicago’s only Super Bowl title, died Friday at 86.
A family spokesperson said he died about 9 a.m. Friday with family and friends around him. Funeral plans had not been announced. The family’s statement said the world knew him as a football legend, but to them he was the heart of the family.
Nicknamed Iron Mike and Da Coach, Ditka remade the tight end role. Chicago took him fifth overall in 1961 out of Pittsburgh; he won NFL Rookie of the Year after 56 catches for 1,076 yards and 12 scores. He made five straight Pro Bowls and helped win the 1963 NFL title.
Founder George Halas traded him in 1967 after a falling out, then chose him to coach in 1982. Across 11 seasons Ditka went 112-68 with six NFC Central titles, capped by the 1985 team’s Super Bowl XX win.
He still leads Bears tight ends with 4,503 receiving yards. Tributes arrived Friday from former President Barack Obama, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the Bears, who said his championships left memories for generations of fans.
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