Mike Ditka, the Hall of Fame tight end and fiery head coach who led the Chicago Bears to one of the most memorable championships in NFL history, died Friday at the age of 86.
Jason Smith, John Martin, and producer Brad Carson told stories and talked about the Ditka era in Chicago, and later a rough patch in New Orleans. AUDIO:
His family confirmed his passing on October 9. A cause of death was not immediately announced.
Known as "Iron Mike" during his playing days and later simply as "Da Coach," Ditka was one of football's most recognizable personalities. His trademark mustache, sweater vest, booming voice and sideline outbursts became as much a part of his reputation as his success on the field.
Ditka will forever be remembered for the 1985 Chicago Bears, a team that went 15-1 during the regular season before crushing the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX. Led by Walter Payton, Jim McMahon and one of the greatest defenses in NFL history, the Bears became a cultural phenomenon, even recording the famous "Super Bowl Shuffle."
That championship season also had an interesting connection to Memphis football history.
Earlier in 1985, the Memphis Showboats were making their own mark in the USFL, reaching the league semifinals behind a defense led by future Hall of Famer Reggie White. The former Tennessee standout recorded 11.5 sacks that season before joining the Philadelphia Eagles in the fall. White would go on to become one of the NFL's greatest defensive players, while Ditka's Bears were establishing themselves as one of the most dominant teams the league had ever seen.
The two Hall of Famers helped define an era when defense and physical football were still very much the identity of the game.
But Ditka's football legacy began long before he became a head coach.
A native of Pennsylvania and standout at the University of Pittsburgh, Ditka was selected fifth overall by Chicago in the 1961 NFL Draft. He helped change the way tight ends were used in the passing game, earning five Pro Bowl selections and winning an NFL championship with the Bears in 1963.
He later played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, winning Super Bowl VI with Dallas. After retiring as a player, Ditka joined Tom Landry's coaching staff with the Cowboys, where he earned another Super Bowl ring as an assistant.
In 1982, Ditka returned to Chicago as head coach. Over 11 seasons, he took the Bears to seven playoff appearances and became one of the most popular figures in the city's sports history.
His final NFL coaching stop came with the New Orleans Saints from 1997 through 1999, a difficult three-year run that included the controversial decision to trade eight draft picks to select running back Ricky Williams in 1999.
Ditka was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988, becoming the first tight end to receive the honor. The Bears retired his No. 89 jersey in 2013.
Away from the sidelines, Ditka remained a familiar face through his television work, commercials and restaurants. He also became a popular NFL analyst with ESPN.
Few coaches were more closely identified with a franchise or a city. In Chicago, Ditka wasn't just the coach who won a Super Bowl. He was a larger-than-life personality who represented an entire era of Bears football.
Mike Ditka was 86 years old.
