Ditka, Mike

Mike Ditka, byname of Michael Keller Ditka, also called Iron Mike, (born October 18, 1939, Carnegie, Pennsylvania, U.S.), American gridiron football player and head coach. In the 1960s and early ’70s he proved himself one of professional football’s greatest tight ends, using his talent for catching passes to revolutionize his position. After retiring as a player, Ditka embarked on a successful coaching career, the highlight of which came in 1986 when he led the Chicago Bears to a Super Bowl victory.

Ditka attended the University of Pittsburgh, where he was named first-team All-American in 1960. A first-round draft selection by the Bears, Ditka earned NFL Rookie of the Year honours in 1961. In each of his first five seasons in Chicago, he was chosen for the Pro Bowl, and he helped the Bears capture the 1963 NFL championship. Ditka also played for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1967–68 and then for the Dallas Cowboys in 1969–72. He caught 30 passes during the 1971 season en route to helping the Cowboys win their first Super Bowl title the following January. He retired after the 1972 season. Over the course of his playing career, Ditka made 427 receptions, gained 5,812 yards, and scored 43 touchdowns. At the time, these were phenomenal totals for a tight end, which hitherto had been viewed primarily as a blocking position.

Ditka served as an assistant coach for the Cowboys from 1973 to 1981, during which time the team captured its second Super Bowl title, in 1978. He became head coach of the Bears in 1982. His tenure as coach in Chicago was marked by some of the franchise’s greatest moments: six National Football Conference (NFC) Central Division titles, three appearances in the NFC title game, and a Super Bowl victory. His wildly popular 1985 team, which included legendary running back Walter Payton and one of the best defenses in NFL history, lost only a single game during the regular season and routed the New England Patriots by a score of 46–10 in Super Bowl XX. Ditka thus became one of only two men to experience Super Bowl wins as a player, as an assistant coach, and as a head coach. In both 1985 and 1988 Ditka was voted the NFL Coach of the Year.

The Bears’ play fell off in the 1992, and Ditka was let go at the end of the season. He returned to the NFL as head coach of the New Orleans Saints in 1997. He accumulated a record of 15–33 in three disappointing seasons with the Saints before being fired. In 2001 Ditka joined the ownership of the Chicago Rush, a member of the Arena Football League. He also worked frequently as an commentator on NFL telecasts and as a spokesperson for a vast number of products. Ditka: An Autobiography, cowritten by Don Pierson, appeared in 1986. In 1988 Ditka was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the first tight end ever to receive the honour. In 1994 Ditka was one of two tight ends named to the NFL’s 75th Anniversary All-Time Team.