Mike Ditka
- Style
- Chevron
- Peak Era
- 1980s
- Born
- 1939
- Hall of Fame
- Inducted 2024
- Fan Votes
- 0 legendary · 0 meh
About Mike Ditka
Mike Ditka was born in 1939 in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, and revolutionized the tight end position. Drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1961, he was NFL Rookie of the Year and helped the Bears win the 1963 NFL Championship. He later played for the Philadelphia Eagles and won Super Bowl VI with the Dallas Cowboys in 1972.
As head coach of the Bears from 1982 to 1992, he built the ferocious 1985 team that went 15–1 and crushed New England in Super Bowl XX. He later coached the New Orleans Saints (1997–1999) and became a long-running television analyst.
In 1988 Ditka became the first tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is one of only two people to win an NFL title as a player, assistant coach, and head coach.
Why the Stach Became Iconic
The Ditka mustache is thick, bristly, and permanently clenched above a jaw that is chewing gum aggressively. It was parodied endlessly on Saturday Night Live's "Bill Swerski's Superfans" sketches, where it became a religious symbol for Chicago. It is the mustache of a man who would win a fight with a hurricane.
Career Highlights
- Chicago Bears, TE (1961–1966) — NFL Champion 1963; Rookie of the Year 1961
- Philadelphia Eagles (1967–1968)
- Dallas Cowboys (1969–1972) — Super Bowl VI champion
- Head Coach, Chicago Bears (1982–1992) — Super Bowl XX champion
- Head Coach, New Orleans Saints (1997–1999)
- Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1988
- He was the first tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- The 1985 Bears recorded the novelty rap "The Super Bowl Shuffle" before they had actually won anything.
- He has owned restaurants in Chicago and appeared in the film "Kicking & Screaming" (2005).
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