Mike Ditka, one of the NFL’s most recognizable figures and a Hall of Fame coach, has died at 86, according to reports that spread on Friday. His family said he passed peacefully and released a statement announcing the news with “profound sadness.”
“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 built a football legacy that stretched from the college game to the NFL’s biggest stages. He was an All-American tight end at the University of Pittsburgh before the Chicago Bears took him fifth overall in the 1961 NFL Draft.
He made an immediate impact, earning Rookie of the Year honors after putting up over one thousand receiving yards. He later helped Chicago win the 1963 NFL Championship title.
His playing career also included a Super Bowl VI win with the Dallas Cowboys, and he became the first tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On the sideline, Ditka added another layer to his résumé by leading the 1985 Chicago Bears to a Super Bowl victory. He also earned NFL Coach of the Year honors twice and won another championship ring as a Dallas assistant coach.
That combination of accomplishments put him in rare company: he remains one of two people to win Super Bowls in three different roles. Beyond the football résumé, his family said he was their center.
He is survived by his wife of over four decades, Diana Ditka, whom he married in 1977 and who was his devoted partner and primary caretaker in his final years. He also leaves behind four children from his first marriage to Marge Ditka: Mark, Matt, Mike III, and Megan.
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