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Though Mike Ditka emphasized success isn’t permanent, his legacy certainly is.
The Chicago Bears former tight end and legendary coach Mike Ditka has died, his family announced Oct. 9. He was 86.
"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 to ESPN. "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."
Ditka’s loved ones, which included four children with his first wife Marge Dougherty and wife of nearly 50 years Diana Ditka, added, "Mike will be missed beyond measure and remembered forever."
No cause of death has yet been shared publicly.
Ditka—who was the first ever tight-end to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame—was the coach for the Bears from 1982 until 1992, during which time he led the team to its first and only Super Bowl title in 1985. (His tenure as coach also served as inspiration for the recurring Saturday Night Live sketch Bill Swerski's Superfans.)
"We won that one Super Bowl, and it was a great accomplishment," Ditka reflected to USA Today in 2016, 30 years after the legendary run, "especially when you consider we went 18-1 and outscored the teams in the playoffs 91-10."
"What I’ll always remember and cherish are the players," he added. "The men who came together to get us to the top of the mountain. You can talk about coaching all you want, but you can’t win without great players."
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Before he was a coach, Ditka—who won two other Super Bowls during his illustrious career, both with the Dallas Cowboys (one in 1971 as a player and another in 1977 as an assistant coach)—was an accomplished player.
The tight end was the fifth overall draft pick for the 1961 season, where he was drafted by the Bears. He would go on to play six seasons for Chicago, two for the Philadelphia Eagles and four for the Dallas Cowboys.
Ditka's decade as a coach in Chicago led to a short stint as coach for the New Orleans Saints before he shifted his focus towards endeavors off the field, like opening restaurants in Chicago and appearing in TV shows, commercials as well as the 2005 Will Ferrell movie Kicking and Screaming.
Most notably, though, Ditka was part of ESPN's Sunday Morning Countdown as a commentator from 2006 until 2015.
Rich Pilling/Diamond Images via Getty Images
Reflecting on his heralded Chicago Bears team not winning another Super Bowl title during his coaching tenure, the NFL legend had nothing but gratitude for their overall success.
"I’m so proud of that team," Ditka told USA Today. "Yes, it’s too bad we didn’t win more. I don’t dwell on it anymore. You’re not promised anything in life. What a great time that was for the Bears."
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