Mike Ditka, the iconic football player, Chicago Bears coach and football analyst, died at 86 years old, his family announced. ESPN was the first to report the news. No cause of death was revealed.
Ditka’s larger-than-life personality made him a celebrity in the ’80s as he coached the 1985 Bears to their only Super Bowl win. After coaching, Ditka became an analyst at NBC, and later ESPN. His was a fixture on ESPN’s “Sunday Morning Countdown” from 2006 to 2015.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend, Mike Ditka,” his family shared 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.”
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