Mike Ditka, who won NFL championships as a player and coach with the Chicago Bears, has died at 86, his family announced Friday, the Associated Press reported.
“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,” the family said.
Nicknamed “Iron Mike,” Ditka helped reinvent the tight end position before moving to the sideline. His 1985 Bears had one of the most dominant defenses in league history, recorded “The Super Bowl Shuffle” and then routed New England in the Super Bowl.
After coaching, Ditka became a restaurateur, pitchman and broadcaster, remaining one of the most recognizable figures in Chicago sports.
Sources: AP via KTAR News. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Tami Heilemann–Interior Staff / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
