Fans and friends took to social media Friday to remember the late Chicago Bears coach and player Mike Ditka, with family saying he will be “missed beyond measure.”
Ditka’s family confirmed to NBC Chicago Friday morning in a statement that the Hall of Fame tight end and Bears coach, who led the 1985 team to a Super Bowl win, had passed away. More details on his death weren’t immediately provided.
The news quickly spread across social media, with fans sharing video clips and photos of Ditka dating back to the 80s. One fan-favorite clip shared by multiple accounts, including Barstool Sports captured one of Ditka’s most memorable and unfiltered moments from a decades-old press conference, where Ditka was asked by a reporter why he was in a bad mood.
“What do you care? If you were 2-7 you’d be in a bad mood too.”
In a post on social media, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker called Ditka an icon.
“Da Coach was not only an icon in Chicago, but the entire football world,” Pritzker said. “Our thoughts are with Mike Ditka’s family, friends, and Bears fans today.”
Former Chicago White Sox player and manager Ozzie Guillen also shared memories of himself and Ditka.
Jarrett Payton, the son of renowned 1970s and 90s Bears player Walter Payton, Walter played with the Chicago also posted a tribute, saying “Chicago won’t be the same.”
Ditka was 86-years-old when he died. He was set to turn 87 on Oct. 18.
“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.”
A slew of other reactions poured in as the news reached the wider Chicago and NFL sports world.
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.
Ditka was 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.
Ditka would ultimately serve as an assistant coach under legendary Cowboys coach Tom Landry until 1981, and it was then that legendary Bears owner George “Papa Bear” Halas brought Ditka home, hiring him as head coach of the Bears in 1982.
He also coached 12 playoff games for the Bears, more than any other coach in the team’s history, and he posted a 6-6 record in those games.
His most famous season with the team came in 1985, when the Bears went 15-1 and then steamrolled through the playoffs, thrashing the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX for their first and only Super Bowl championship in team history.
During his coaching career Ditka was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988, and he spoke eloquently about his attitude toward the sport, and toward life.
“In life, many men have talent, but talent in itself is no accomplishment,” he said. “Excellence in football and excellence in life is bred when men recognize their opportunities and then pursue them with a passion.”
Ditka did have a health scare during the 1988 football season when he suffered a mild heart attack, but he only missed one game as the full-time head coach and returned to the sidelines a short time later, further cementing his reputation as Chicago tough.
Unfortunately the Bears began to slide in the final years of his tenure, and in January 1993 the team fired him after 11 seasons at the helm.
After his time with the Bears ended, Ditka went on to coach for the New Orleans Saints, but his run there was far less successful, going 15-33 in three seasons before he was fired after the 1999 season.
He also produced and endorsed a number of products, including wine and cigars, and he even did some work in Hollywood, appearing as himself as a coach in 2005’s “Kicking and Screaming” with Will Ferrell, among other projects.
Ditka has had a variety of media jobs, including serving as an analyst on ESPN’s NFL Countdown, but he has always maintained a presence in Chicago, and he holds the distinction of being the last Bears player to have their number retired by the team, as his No. 89 jersey was officially taken out of circulation by the Bears in 2013.
Needless to say, Ditka never let go of his time as a Bears coach and player.
“I know one thing: I’m a Bear,” he said. “Whether people don’t like it or they like it, I’m a Bear.”
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