Mike Ditka, Legendary Chicago Bears Coach and Football Analyst, Dies at 86

Mike Ditka, the iconic football player, Chicago Bears coach and football analyst, died at 86 years old, his family announced. ESPN was the first to report the news. No cause of death was revealed.

Ditka’s larger-than-life personality made him a celebrity in the ’80s as he coached the 1985 Bears to their only Super Bowl win. He was fired by the Bears in 1992, and after some time off, coached the New Orleans Saints for three seasons.

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After coaching, Ditka became an analyst at NBC and later ESPN. He was a fixture on ESPN’s “Sunday Morning Countdown” from 2006 to 2015.

“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend, Mike Ditka,” his family shared in a statement posted by Jarrett Payton, son of Hall of Fame player Walter Payton, who played under Ditka. “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 was born Michael Dyczkoon in Carnegie, Pennsylvania and grew up in Aliquippa. He started his pro football career in the NFL after college at Pitt. He was a tight end who was drafted in 1961 by the Bears and won Rookie of the Year. He played six years in Chicago, followed by two for the Philadelphia Eagles and then four playing for the Dallas Cowboys.