Mike Ditka: Career retrospective

Born Michael Dyczko on Oct. 18, 1939, in the town of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, Ditka grew up in nearby Aliquippa where he was a three-sport high school star. Initially Ditka wanted to become a dentist, so he attended the University of Pittsburgh, thanks to a football scholarship. He reportedly was also recruited by Notre Dame and Penn State.

While at Pitt from 1958-60, Ditka also played baseball and basketball. However, it was obvious he had what it took to make a serious living on the gridiron. In addition to becoming one of the top receiving tight ends in the nation during his collegiate tenure, the All-American also played on the Panthers defensive line and did some punting.  

Following his stellar career at Pitt, Ditka was selected fifth overall by the Chicago Bears in the 1961 NFL Draft. He was also taken with the eighth overall pick by the Houston Oilers in the 1961 AFL Draft. Choosing to sign with Chicago, the crew-cut-haired tight end made an immediate impact, catching 56 passes with career highs of 1,076 yards and 12 touchdowns en route to becoming the NFL Rookie of the Year.

Ditka played six seasons with the Bears (1961-66). He helped the team win the 1963 NFL championship, was a five-time Pro Bowler and four-time, First-Team All-Pro. However, Ditka’s relationship with legendary team owner/head coach George Halas was deteriorating prior to his final season, mostly due to the star tight end’s contract status. Ditka famously said of Halas: ”He throws nickels around like they were manhole covers.” His days as a player in Chicago were done.

in 1967, Halas traded Ditka to the Philadelphia Eagles, where he spent two rather uneventful seasons. Then it was off to Dallas, where Ditka played four years, caught 30 passes in 1971 and a touchdown pass during the Cowboys’ victory over Miami in Super Bowl VI — making him the only head coach in NFL history to also score a TD in the Super Bowl.

When Ditka retired after the 1972 season, he totaled 427 receptions for 5,812 yards with 43 touchdowns during his 12-year NFL career. However, he was not through with the NFL. Following his retirement, Ditka earned an assistant coaching gig on Tom Landry’s staff in Dallas. He remained on the Cowboys staff as tight end and special teams coach and was part of the team’s Super Bowl XII victory.

Despite the way Ditka left Chicago, the Bears had a special spot in his heart. He respected the tradition and felt he had some unfinished business with the organization. So in a rather bold move, Ditka sent Halas a letter basically saying he would like to return to the franchise as its head coach. The time was obviously right for a return, as the Bears toiled during a 6-10 1981 season, coach Neill Armstrong was fired and Halas decided to give Ditka another chance — in the role Ditka was meant to fill.

Ditka was hired as the Bears head coach in January 1982, a move that was rather stunning because he was a serious under-the-radar selection. Though the team went 3-6 during his strike-shortened first season, Ditka was laying the groundwork for success through his players and own attitude. He would yell and scream but expected the very best from his team. If not, the players wouldn’t be around long.

As it turned out, 1988 was quite the eventful year for Ditka. After being inducted into the Hall of Fame, he suffered a mild heart attack in November of the same year. In true “Iron Mike” fashion, he was back coaching less than two weeks later. The Bears went 12-4, beat Ryan and the Philadelphia Eagles in the infamous “Fog Bowl” and Ditka was named the NFL Coach of the Year for a second time.

It seemed Chicago would be set up for a dynasty, thanks to that caliber of a defense. However, a team as visible off the field as on might have gotten too caught up in its own success, including Ditka, who was all over television on non-game days. The Bears went 37-10 and won three more division titles from 1986-88 but made the NFC championship just once. Injuries, especially at quarterback, and player movement and retirements contributed to the Bears inability to return to their Super Bowl glory of 1985.

After going 11-5 in both 1990 and ’91, the Bears bottomed out with a 5-11 mark in 1992. In a move that was not surprising but still somewhat surreal and covered by Chicago media at the level of a dignitary’s funeral, Ditka was fired following that season. He ended his coaching career with the Bears 106-62 — the second-most wins in team history behind Halas. 

After being dumped by the Bears, Ditka remained in the public eye. He worked as an NFL analyst and color commentator for television. It would be a job Ditka continued through his post-coaching career, a head-coaching run that did not end in Chicago. In 1997, Ditka was hired to coach the New Orleans Saints where the hits just kept coming.

Ditka went a dismal 15-33 during his three seasons coaching the Saints. But man, did he make headlines and keep the franchise in the news. In one of the strangest and most irrational moves in NFL history, Ditka traded all of New Orleans’ 1999 draft picks, plus a first-round selection the next year, to Washington to move up and select Texas running back Ricky Williams with No. 1 overall choice. Who can forget the cover of ESPN The Magazine of the two, with Williams in a wedding dress.

The whole Williams’ draft saga backfired on Ditka and the Saints. They went 3-13 in 1999, and Ditka was often curt and volatile toward the media. At one point following a loss during that season, Ditka said the team deserved better and that “he didn’t have it anymore.” As expected, Ditka was fired following the season. He would never coach again.

As was the case after being let go by the Bears, Ditka again returned to TV as a studio analyst and branched out to radio as well. To this day, Ditka remains a popular figure both in Chicago and nationally, thanks to his outgoing personality, goofy antics and opinions on football — and any subject for that matter. He’s also made several appearances in television and film.

When we think about prominent people associated with the city of Chicago, Ditka is up there with the likes of Walter Payton, Michael Jordan, Al Capone and the Blues Brothers. Love him, hate him (yes, there are those out there), Ditka is as iconic as they come, both as an NFL legend and public figure.

Those who have spent any sort of time in Chicago over the last 35 years know what Ditka means to that city, but he’s obviously left a massive mark on the game of football. A member of both the Pro Football and College Football Halls of Fame, Ditka’s No. 89 is retired by both the University of Pittsburgh and the Chicago Bears. Also, he and Tom Flores are the only coaches to win a Super Bowl as a player, assistant coach and head coach.