Sports · Mike Ditka rememberedMike Ditka Dies at 86, Leaving a Legacy Across Two Bears Championship TeamsAired October 10, 2026 at 9:58 PM UTCWritten October 10, 2026 at 10:12 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:09Mike Ditka has died at 86.0:12Chicago has lost the Hall of Fame tight end who coached its only Super Bowl0:15champions.0:16Fans are waiting to learn when a funeral or memorial service will take place.0:20Ditka's family announced his death on October 9th.0:23He was nine days short of his 87th birthday.0:25The Bears and the Pro Football Hall of Fame also paid tribute to a man known as Iron0:29Mike and DA coach.0:31A family spokesperson said Ditka died around 9 Friday morning, surrounded by family0:35and friends.0:36His longtime agent and business partner, Steve Mandel, said he died of natural0:40causes.0:41No medical explanation has been released.0:43Mandel had spoken with Ditka the day before and learned of his death the following0:47morning.0:47The family's announcement focused on the man they loved.0:49His family called him a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend.0:54They wrote that the world knew his football achievements, but they knew him as the0:58heart of our family.0:59They said he'd be missed beyond measure and remembered forever.1:03Jarrett Payton, Walter Payton's son, publicly shared the statement, Chicago fans and1:09sports radio callers responded emotionally to the news.1:12Their memories reached beyond the famous coach to a player who helped expand what a1:15tight end could do.1:16Ditka caught 56 passes for 1,076 yards as a rookie.1:20He scored 12 receiving touchdowns in 14 games and won NFL rookie of the year.1:25Chicago had selected him fifth overall in the 1961 draft.1:29His receiving skills added another threat to a position built around blocking.1:33Before the NFL, Michael Keller Ditka played at the University of Pittsburgh from1:381958 through 1960.1:40He entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986.1:43Ditka spent six seasons with the Bears from 1961 through 1966.1:48He played the next two with Philadelphia, then finished his playing career with1:51Dallas from 1969 through 1972.1:54He earned five Pro Bowl selections following the 1961 through 1965 seasons.1:59Across 12 NFL seasons, Ditka caught 427 passes for 5,8122:04yards.2:05His regular season receiving total was 43 touchdowns.2:08His career scoring total also includes touchdowns.2:11He scored another way.2:12Ditka scored 43 receiving touchdowns and two more on fumble recoveries, bringing his2:17total to 45.2:18He had no rushing touchdowns.2:20Those two fumble recovery scores explain why his receiving and overall touchdown2:24totals differ.2:25Ditka caught the final touchdown in Dallas's 24-3 Super Bowl victory over Miami.2:30Roger Staubach, the game's most valuable player, threw him a seven-yard pass in the2:34fourth quarter.2:35The extra point brought Dallas to its final score.2:37That was Super Bowl VI.2:39Played at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans on January 16, 1972.2:43Ditka had already won an NFL championship with the Bears in 1963.2:47His championship career as a player was complete before his defining years as a2:50coach.2:51Ditka returned to Chicago as head coach in 1982 and stayed through the 1992 season.2:56His Bears teams won 106 regular season games and lost 62.3:00They split their postseason games with six wins and six losses.3:04That gave him a combined Bears record of 112 wins and 68 losses.3:09His peak came in 1985, when Chicago went 15-1 in the regular season, then won3:15all three playoff games.3:16The Bears shut out the Giants 21-0, then shut out the Rams 24-0.3:22They beat New England 46-10 in Super Bowl 20, finishing with 18 wins and just one3:27loss across the entire season.3:29The championship game took place at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans on3:33January 26th, 1986.3:35It crowned the 1985 season.3:37Chicago's 46 points set a Super Bowl record at the time.3:41Chicago scored 21 points in the third quarter while New England scored none.3:45The Patriots' only points came in the first and fourth quarters.3:48Ditka's team delivered the Super Bowl championship that still stands alone in Bears'3:52history.3:52Chicago had won league championships before.3:55Ditka took part in the franchise's two most recent titles as a player in 1963 and3:59head coach of the 1985 team.4:01The Bears finished 5-11 in 1992.4:04Team President Michael McCaskey fired Ditka on January 5th, 1993, nine days after4:10the season ended.4:11Chicago briefly kept him as a consultant.4:14He later coached New Orleans from 1997 through 1999.4:17Ditka also worked as a broadcaster.4:20Football had already honored his playing career in 1988 when he became the first4:24tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.4:27That same year, he suffered a heart attack while coaching Chicago.4:30Ditka survived a minor stroke in 2012 and another heart attack in 2018.4:35Over those decades, his public life continued, and Chicago gave his playing number a4:39permanent place in team history.4:41The Bears retired Ditka's number 89 at Soldier Field on December 9th, 2013.4:46The ceremony came at halftime against Dallas, bringing together the two teams where4:50he'd won playing championships.4:52It was Chicago's 14th number retirement, designated its final one.4:56The Bears said Ditka embodied the spirit of Chicago.4:59The Hall of Fame remembered his toughness and leadership, and his legacy as a5:03player, coach, and football icon.5:05A dated funeral or memorial service hasn't been announced.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSSThe shortThe short ↗