"It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Mike Ditka," the family said in a statement.
"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. With love and gratitude, The Ditka Family"
Mike Ditka would've turned 87 on October 18th.
Legendary playing and coaching career
Mike Ditka was the fifth overall pick in the 1961 NFL Draft and revolutionised the tight end position as a member of the Chicago Bears, where he played from 1961 to 1966. Ditka, a former Pittsburgh Panther, was the first tight end to break the 1,000-yard barrier in his rookie season.
After retiring with the Dallas Cowboys, Ditka became the first tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988. Over his 12 seasons, Ditka caught 427 passes for 5,812 yards and 43 touchdowns, earned five All-Pro nods (2x First-Team), was named a Pro Bowler five times, and won one NFL championship with the Bears in 1962 and one Super Bowl championship with the Cowboys in 1972.
Soon after retiring, Ditka joined legendary Cowboys coach Tom Landry's staff as an assistant and served under the Hall of Fame coach for nine seasons.
In 1982, Ditka sent a letter to Chicago Bears owner George Halas saying he wished to return to the Bears. Halas hired Ditka as the team's head coach that same year.
Despite regularly clashing with team and staff members, Mike Ditka led the Chicago Bears to a 15-1 record in the 1985 NFL season before beating the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX. The 1985 Chicago Bears defense, nicknamed the 'Monsters of the Midway', has often been hailed as the best in NFL history.
The Bears fired Ditka as head coach in 1992. Ditka left Chicago as the second-most winningest head coach in franchise history with 106 regular-season wins, trailing only Halas' 324.
Ditka joined the New Orleans Saints as head coach five years later. There, he made history by trading all his picks in the 1999 NFL Draft to the Washington Redskins for the first overall pick, which he used to select Texas running back Ricky Williams.
The Pennsylvania-born Ditka retired from coaching in 1999 and went into broadcasting with ESPN and CBS.