MIKE DITKA, LEGENDARY CHICAGO BEARS PLAYER AND COACH, DIES AT AGE 86
Mike Ditka, whose name and likeness became synonymous with the history of the Chicago Bears both as a player and coach, has died at the age of 86. His family confirmed the news in a statement to NBC Chicago Friday morning. "It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Mike Ditka," the statement read. "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 spent the first six seasons of his NFL playing career with the Bears and was hired by the team as a head coach in 1982, establishing himself as one of the greatest sporting legends the city of Chicago has ever known.
Born in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, in 1939, Ditka was a three-sport athlete in high school and earned himself a football scholarship at the University of Pittsburgh, where he embarked on a career that saw him win first-team All-American honors. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986. Ditka was then drafted fifth overall by the Bears in the 1961 NFL Draft, and he immediately began smashing records and dazzling the football world. He was elected to five consecutive Pro Bowls to begin his NFL career and was twice named as a first-team All-Pro. In six seasons with the Bears Ditka racked up 316 catches for 4,503 yards and 34 touchdowns, and he would later finish his career with the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, winning a Super Bowl with Dallas in 1972.
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