Mike Ditka: The man behind the game. 

An introspective look on the man who made Chicago football great, reinvented his position as a player, and stayed true to the game long after his final play.

By Corey Hodges

Mike Ditka has described himself as an “ultra conservative” who has done more for the game he loves after his retirement than perhaps any former player in NFL history. The ventures that followed the hanging up of his helmet and shoulder pads have not been narrowed to simply broadcasting games or standing behind ticker tape at a public function. His involvement since 1972 as a commentator, philanthropist, political player, and father to three sons and daughter are perhaps all overshadowed by his accomplishments as coach of the 1985 world champion Chicago Bears who dominated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX 46-10 and secured not only a title but a place in history as one of the most dominant defensive teams over an entire season of football. It is these accomplishments that have won over millions of fans of not just the man or the teams he played and coached for but for what he embodied as someone who was never wavering in his passion or commitment to the game.

That passion was ignited in Carnegie, Pennsylvania in 1939 as Ditka was born to Michael and Charlotte Dyczko, a couple with strong Ukrainian roots who instilled their zeal for hard work and perseverance in not only their oldest son but in their other children as well. It was a large and bustling family and Mike was not about to live the rest of his life in a town built and sustained by manufacturing. He attended Alliquippa High School and while there played three school sports but made his biggest impact in football where, while considering a career in dentistry, changed his outlook and focused on the game he continued to master right up to his recruitment by the University of Pittsburgh in 1958. His accomplishments at Pittsburgh as one of the best tight ends and punters in college football history were enough to have him enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986, the year he would take those lessons learned on Saturdays as a player and turn them into perhaps the greatest victory of his career.

A playing career that spanned three teams and eleven seasons would not commence until 1961 when Ditka was drafted by the Chicago Bears and proceeded to compile one of the most dominant seasons ever seen by a rookie. Five Pro Bowl selections, a reinvention of the tight end position as a not just a blocker but a valuable receiver, and Rookie of the Year honors thanks to 58 receptions in his first season with Chicago are the bullet points of a career cut short by injury during Ditka’s final year with the Dallas Cowboys. A stint with the Philadelphia Eagles preceded his shipment to Dallas where Ditka would win his two Super Bowl championships and later serve the team in another capacity as an assistant coach for over ten years. Enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988, Ditka’s service within the league to the tune of over 5,800 total yards, 43 touchdowns, and 427 career receptions were enough to instill himself as one of the most dominant tight ends in history and a player who redefined the position he mastered.

With his playing days now behind him, Ditka turned to his coaching career which in 1977 had added up to a successful tenure in Dallas and a Super Bowl championship. Following his leave from the Cowboys, Ditka was scooped up by Chicago Bears founder George Halas who personally sought out Ditka to take over the coaching position and turn around a team that had plummeted in recent seasons. Ditka’s take over was much like that of his early years as a player as he immediately improved the players around him and forced everyone to become better at the position they played. Six NFC titles and three appearances in the NFC Championship Game would all be a preface to the 1986 Super Bowl where the hard work both team and coach had invested for over four years came to fruition in the ultimate accomplishment in professional football.

The years following their world championship were mostly a letdown as season records were sterling but playoff appearances were short lived as never again did the Bears advance as far as they did in 1985 for the rest of Ditka’s tenure as head coach. A 5-11 1992 season was enough for front office managers to fire Ditka and leave him without a job for almost five years. 1997 saw the New Orleans Saints pick up Ditka’s still valuable experience and hope for a turnaround the likes of which Chicago had enjoyed almost a decade ago. Those hopes were quickly dashed as a rapid-firing Ditka traded away draft picks for Ricky Williams and was bombarded with criticism for moves and decisions that went against everything rational and coherent. 15-33 was the final record for the Saints during “the three worst years” of Ditka’s life.

A broadcasting career flourished following his head coaching stint and today sees Ditka alongside other legends of the game on ESPN’s “NFL Live” and “Sunday NFL Countdown.” His experience on the field is invaluable as Ditka still delivers harsh criticism when warranted and speaks with a matter-of-fact tone that all at once conveys both displeasure and pride in players and team. His dabbling in politics saw a possible run for office in Illinois collapse after both his wife and burgeoning restaurant chain take center stage in his still bustling private and public life. He stood with President Barack Obama earlier this month and presented him with a Chicago Bears jersey with the president’s name emblazoned on the back. Obama, an ardent Bears fan, quipped that the reigning champion Packers, also in attendance in honor of their Super Bowl victory, trade some of their star players to Chicago in order to bring the life once seen during the Ditka years back to the Windy City. Obama’s pleas were met with laughs from Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Ditka himself, two men in different stages of their lives and careers who know what it means to be great for the short timespan that is an NFL career.

Today, Ditka continues to give back to the game he played and planned for almost thirty years. He is still the same outspoken, grizzled kid from Carnegie, Pennsylvania who opted for football dreams over a life in a town that was full of dreamers who never got their wish. Ditka left and set his sights on becoming the greatest at whatever he chose to be. As a player he changed the game. As a coach he defined greatness and won championships still remembered and reminisced upon today. As a husband and father he raised a family between two wives and, while often never having the opportunity to spend that quality time so many parents yearn for with their children, still provided a home and life that existed long after those pads and clipboards were put away to rest. It’s a life to be proud of and a football life that was worth living.