RIP: Mike Ditka

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Mike Ditka died today from natural causes.  Mr. Ditka was 86.

Mike Ditka was born Michael Dyczko.  His family changed their surname to Ditka because it was so hard to pronounce.  Mike played three sports in high school where he excelled at football.  After his graduation, Mr. Ditka was recruited by Notre Dame, Penn State, and Pitt. He planned to become a dentist.

Mike Ditka selected Pitt where he was again he was a three sport athlete: football, baseball and basketball.  He started all three years in a variety of positions.  Mike Ditka was selected as the team captain his senior year.  He was also a unanimous first-team selection on the College Football All-America Team.

Mike Ditka was selected by the Chicago Bears fifth overall in the 1961 NFL draft.  Mr. Ditka was selected as Rookie of the Year due to his success on the field.  He would go on to make the Pro Bowl in each of the next five years.

Unable to reach a contract agreement, Mike Ditka was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles where he played for two years.  Injuries plagued Mr. Ditka and after two years he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys.  He played five seasons for the Cowboys before announcing his retirement as a player.  At the time of his retirement,  Mike Ditka’s 427 receptions were the most by a tight end in NFL history.

When Mr. Ditka announced his retirement, Dallas’ Head Coach, Tom Landry, immediately hired him as an assistant coach.  Mike Ditka’s successful run with the Cowboys inspired him to express his interest in a head coach position with the Chicago Bears if it became available.  It did and in 1982 Mike Ditka was hired to fill it.

In 1984, their third season under Coach Ditka, the Bears went to the National Championship.  In 1985, the Bears compiled a 15-1 record and were Super Bowl Champions.  Mike Ditka went on to coach the Chicago Bears through the 1992 season.  After a four year break, Mike Ditka accepted the head coach position for the New Orleans Saints where he coached for three years.  Mike Ditka then moved into broadcasting working for NBC, CBS and ESPN.

Mike Ditka was the first tight end  inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

As a lifelong Chicago Bears fan, Mike Ditka is easily my all-time favorite football coach.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mike Ditka’s family, friends and fans.