Mike Ditka, legendary Chicago Bears head coach, dies at 86

Mike Ditka, the legendary chief of the Chicago Bears who received a Super Bowl as each an NFL participant and coach, has died at 86, his household introduced Friday.

“It is with profound disappointment that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and good friend, Mike Ditka,” his household stated in a press release. “While the international stage knew Mike as a Hall of Fame soccer participant, legendary coach, and chief of the Chicago Bears’ Super Bowl XX championship workforce, we knew him as the center of our household. Mike can be missed past measure and remembered perpetually.”

A explanation for loss of life was not instantly introduced. Known for his fiery persona, Ditka led the 1985 Bears, a workforce extensively considered having the best protection within the historical past of the NFL, to the franchise’s solely Super Bowl title.

Ditka, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988, is considered one of two folks in NFL historical past to win a league title as a participant, an assistant coach and a head coach. He went from native hero to Chicago icon throughout an 11-year teaching stint with the Bears, then retired completely after a failed comeback with the New Orleans Saints in 1999.

The fifth total choose of the 1961 NFL draft by the Bears, he would turn out to be the primary tight finish to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He was part of the Bears’ 1963 NFL championship workforce and the Dallas Cowboys workforce who received Super Bowl VI.

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