Mike Ditka Dies at 86: Bears Legend and Da Coach

Mike Ditka, the Hall of Fame tight end who coached the Chicago Bears to their only Super Bowl title, has died at 86. His family announced the news on Friday, Oct. 9, and the NFL world is already pouring out tributes to the man everyone called "Da Coach."

What We Know About His Death

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Ditka died around 9 a.m. Friday surrounded by family and friends, as a family spokesperson said. No cause of death was announced, according to BBC Sport and TSN.

"It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Mike Ditka," the family statement read. It added: "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," as quoted by NBC Boston.

The Tight End Who Changed the Position

Ditka was born Oct. 18, 1939, and grew up a three-sport athlete in Pennsylvania before starring at the University of Pittsburgh, where he was a unanimous All-America pick in 1960, according to TSN. The Bears took him fifth overall in the 1961 draft.

He helped revolutionize the tight end spot and became the first tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, BBC Sport reports. He played on the Bears' 1963 NFL championship team, then spent time with the Eagles and Cowboys, and won Super Bowl VI with Dallas. When he retired after the 1972 season, his 427 career receptions were the most ever by an NFL tight end at the time, according to the Sun-Times.

Da Coach and the 1985 Bears

After nine seasons as an assistant under Tom Landry in Dallas, Ditka returned to Chicago as head coach in 1982, taking over after the Bears went 6-10. Just three years later, CBS Sports reports, he helped lead the team to an 18-1 record that ended with a 46-10 win over the Patriots in Super Bowl XX.

That 1985 squad is often called one of the greatest teams ever, and it remains the franchise's only Super Bowl championship. The Washington Post notes that Ditka helped reshape his position as a player, but it was as a coach that he built his legacy.

Heart Attacks, a Firing, and Life After

Ditka coached the Bears for 11 years. He had a pair of heart attacks, including one in 1988 while he was the Bears coach, and a minor stroke in 2012, according to TSN. After a 5-11 finish in 1992, he was fired by team president Michael McCaskey.

He later took the New Orleans Saints job from 1997 through 1999. That stint is remembered for trading all of the team's 1999 draft picks to Washington to move up for Ricky Williams, and it ended with a 3-13 season, his worst as a player or coach, according to MPR News.

Tributes poured in from across the league and Chicago, where Mike Ditka was more than a coach. He was a symbol of the city's tough, blue-collar football identity, and the Bears' 40th anniversary celebration of the 1985 team earlier this season made his absence noticeable. The Sun-Times notes he was not among the many members of that team honored in person at Soldier Field.

Yet Mike Ditka's name still sits at the top of every conversation about the toughest players and coaches the game has produced.

Why Chicago Will Not Forget Him

Away from the sideline, Ditka became a restaurateur and a pitchman, appearing in commercials for everything from wine to wieners, CBS News reports. His loud, no-nonsense persona made him a fixture in Chicago culture long after his last game.

He was less visible in recent years because of declining health, the Sun-Times notes, and he skipped major Bears events. Still, the reaction from fans on Friday showed how deep his hold on the city remained. For a generation that knows the Bears mostly from highlights and memes, the Super Bowl Shuffle era starts and ends with this man.

Want more of our sports coverage? Check the NFL page and our sports section. Sources: Chicago Sun-Times, BBC Sport, TSN, CBS News.