Legendary Chicago Bears coach and Hall of Fame inductee Mike Ditka has died at age 86, his family announced on Friday.
Ditka coached the Bears to the team's Super Bowl title in 1985.
"It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Mike Ditka. 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," the Ditka family shared.
ESPN reported that Ditka was the first tight end enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was also a former Chicago Bears player himself, as well as playing for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame said Ditka's "toughness and leadership helped define an era of professional football," adding that his "legacy as a player, coach and football icon will endure for generations."
Known lovingly by Chicago fans as "Da Coach" as well as "Iron Mike," his 1985 Bears featured one of the NFL's most dominant defenses ever, according to the Associated Press. The legendary team revived the Bears' nickname of "Monsters of the Midway."
The team was further enshrined in Chicago lore with the "Super Bowl Shuffle," a song recorded by players, credited as "The Chicago Bears Shufflin' Crew," ahead of Super Bowl XX.
"It was more than a team," Ditka once said. "It was a team of characters that had character that played for a crazy man, who let him be crazy and had fun doing it and don't apologize for it ever."
Known for his rough, gruff attitude and his signature mustache—a look often emulated by fans and participants in lookalike contests—Ditka was enshrined in the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame in 2013 as his No. 89 jersey became the last to be retired by the team.
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He was beloved by fans both real and fictional. Saturday Night Live's recurring "Bill Swerski's Superfans" sketch featured characters in dark sunglasses and thick mustaches to emulate their idol, Da Coach.
"Da Coach was not only an icon in Chicago, but the entire football world," Governor JB Pritzker shared on X. "Our thoughts are with Mike Ditka's family, friends, and Bears fans today. May his memory be a blessing."
The NFL also reacted to Dikta's death on X, sharing a photo of the coach being carried off the field after the team's Super Bowl XX win by players William Perry and the late Steve "Mongo" McMichael.
Another Chicago championship-winning coach, former White Sox coach Ozzie Guillen, remembered Ditka's "talks, advice, and friendship."
A Pennsylvania native, Ditka was the fifth draft pick by the Chicago Bears, playing for the team from 1961 to 1966 and earning the Rookie of the Year title. He won a championship with the Bears in 1963, more than two decades before leading the team to another victory as coach.
He was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for the 1967-68 season before being sidelined before injuries. Ditka finished out his playing career from 1969 to 1972 with the Dallas Cowboys, catching the final touchdown pass to help the team win Super Bowl VI.
As an assistant coach for the Cowboys for eight seasons, he helped them to another victory in Super Bowl XII before becoming the Bears head coach in 1982, a position he held for a decade.
He was coach of the New Orleans Saints from 1997 to 1999 before retiring from the NFL and working as a pitchman, TV personality and restaurateur.
Two of his Chicago-area restaurants, Ditka's Oakbrook and Ditka's Grill in Wheaton, remain open.
Contains reporting from the Associated Press
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