CHICAGO — Mike Ditka, known as “Da Coach,” led the 1985 Chicago Bears to victory in Super Bowl XX. He also was a Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end, a popular pitchman and broadcaster, Arena Football League team owner, potential Republican candidate and idol of “Saturday Night Live” Super Fans and Grabowskis alike.

Ditka died at age 86. Here’s a look back at Ditka’s extraordinary life, from his humble beginnings in Pennsylvania to his dominant football career in Chicago.

Oct. 18, 1939

Ditka was born in Carnegie, Pa.

1958-60

Ditka was a three-sport athlete at Pittsburgh who earned All-America honors as a tight end and defensive lineman for the Panthers. He led the team in receiving for three years.

According to the school, Ditka once punched two guards in the same game because he didn’t think they were playing hard enough.

Dec. 27, 1960

After winning a coin toss to pick ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Bears selected Ditka with their first selection at No. 5 in the draft.

Aug. 4, 1961

After weeks of weighing his offers, Ditka signed with the Bears shortly after returning home from the Hula Bowl in Hawaii. If Ditka made any comments about the decision, they were not recorded in the Chicago Tribune. The announcement of Ditka’s signing was rescheduled to avoid a conflict with the Cubs’ annual winter press luncheon.

Bears owner George Halas, however, told reporters: “Ditka fits well into our plan for more offensive football next fall. He is rugged enough to take those important first down passes over the line in heavy traffic and from all we have seen, he is strong enough to clear the way for our backs.”

Sept. 17, 1961

Ditka caught a pass for 18 yards — his first catch in his first NFL game. The Bears lost on the road to the Minnesota Vikings, 37-13.

Sept. 23, 1961

Ditka took a pass from Ed Brown 47 yards for his first NFL touchdown against the Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Ditka caught five passes for 130 yards in the Bears’ 21-17 win.

No. 89 had 12 touchdown receptions during his first season, a career high and still a record for NFL rookie tight ends.

Nov. 12, 1961

Though the Bears lost to the Green Bay Packers, 31-28, Ditka caught nine passes for 190 yards and three touchdowns.

“We didn’t do anything special about Ditka,” Packers coach Vince Lombardi said. “We didn’t double team him. Maybe we should have. He hurt us. He could have won the game. He’s a real top-flight pro.”

Dec. 19, 1961

Ditka was named NFL Rookie of the Year with 56 catches for 1,076 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Nov. 24, 1963

In Ditka’s first game in Pittsburgh since his college days, he broke through six tacklers and ran 63 yards during the Bears’ 17-17 tie with the Steelers.

“It was the play of the game,” reporter George Strickler wrote.

Ditka caught 17 passes for 146 yards.

Dec. 29, 1963

A crowd of 45,801 endured a temperature of 9 degrees and an 11-mph wind at Wrigley Field to watch a dominant Bears defense intercept Giants quarterback Y.A. Tittle five times in a 14-10 Bears victory for the NFL championship. Larry Morris, the game’s MVP, hobbled Tittle with three big hits.

Ditka made three receptions for 38 yards.

It was the last of Halas’ six championships as Bears coach.

1964

Ditka had 75 receptions — a season record for tight ends that lasted until 1980, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

He was a two-time first-team All-Pro selection (1963, 1964), was named to the second team twice (1962, 1965) and was selected for the Pro Bowl in each of his first five seasons.

Sept. 16, 1966

During the Bears’ 31-17 loss to the Rams in Los Angeles, Ditka had “the only good Bear block of the game,” the Tribune wrote, when he bumped a spectator into a police officer’s arms after the fan ran onto the field during the fourth quarter.

Feb. 7, 1967

Ditka said he was “obligated” to play for the Houston Oilers of the American Football League.

“I’ve got a valid three-year contract with Houston,” Ditka said. “I won’t say for how much, but they gave me a $50,000 bonus to play out my option with the Bears last season. I keep that, no matter what. It’s in the bank.”

April 25, 1967

Ditka told reporters he and Halas had a “clash of personalities” and he expected to be traded at “any hour.”

“I evidently don’t play ball the way he expects his players to play, and I don’t act the way I should off the field,” Ditka said.

April 26, 1967

Halas traded Ditka to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for quarterback Jack Concannon and an undisclosed draft choice.

Nov. 19, 1968

The Eagles suspended Ditka and Gary Ballman for criticizing coach Joe Kuharich during a luncheon in New York. Both sat on the bench as the Eagles lost their ninth and 10th games of the season.

“The Giants understood our game plan better than our own offense,” Ditka was quoted as saying.

Both players were reinstated two days later.

Jan. 28, 1969

Just a month after second-stringer Ditka told reporters he was “not Kuharich’s type of player,” Ditka was traded to the Dallas Cowboys.

Jan. 12, 1971

As Ditka prepared to play in his second Super Bowl — and first with the Cowboys — he told Tribune sports editor Cooper Rollow that he and Halas were on good terms.

“I’m a great Bear fan and a George Halas fan now,” Ditka said. “I stopped by last winter and talked to the old man. We had a nice conversation and at the end he stuck out his hand and said life is too short to carry grudges.”

March 1, 1973

Ditka retired from playing in the NFL, and finished his career with 427 receptions for 5,812 yards and 43 touchdowns.

He became an assistant coach for the Cowboys and remained in Dallas through the 1981 season.

Dec. 29, 1981

Halas received permission from the Cowboys to interview Ditka. The Tribune reported that Ditka wrote a lengthy letter to Halas in which he reaffirmed his interest in returning to the Bears as head coach.

Jan. 20, 1982

Ditka was introduced as the 10th coach in Bears franchise history.

“I believe that everyone has a destiny in life, and mine is with the Chicago Bears,” Ditka, 42, said. “I’m going to give Chicago a winning football team, an interesting football team and a football team that everybody is going to be proud of.”

Said Halas: “I like his ability to handle himself and handle other people. And I know he’ll do a good job getting people to play according to his desires.”

Aug. 30, 1982

“Hi Mike Ditka. I believe in protecting any investment.”

The beloved pitchman was featured in a commercial that first aired on WGN-TV (Ch. 9) for an Elmhurst-based car rustproofing system called The Protector.

Sept. 12, 1982

The Bears lost, 17-10, to the Detroit Lions in Ditka’s coaching debut at the Pontiac Silverdome.

“When you can’t score from the 1, you don’t deserve to win,” Ditka told reporters after the game.

Ditka’s Bears ended the strike-shortened season with a 3-6 record.

Sept. 25, 1983

The Bears lost to the Baltimore Colts, 22-19 in overtime. (The Colts hadn’t won a home game since the end of the 1981 season.)

A frustrated Ditka suffered a broken right hand after punching a steel filing cabinet.

Oct. 9, 1983

“Ditka treated the struggling (quarterback Jim) McMahon with the same kind of patience he showed his own right hand two weeks ago,” Tribune reporter Don Pierson wrote.

In the Bears’ 23-14 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Ditka yanked McMahon out of the game after McMahon threw an interception during the opening of the third quarter.

“They ought to be afraid to make mistakes. That’s their job,” Ditka said a few days later. “I’m afraid to make mistakes too. If you make enough of them, you’re not going to have a job.”

Oct. 31, 1983

Halas died after a long illness. He was 88.

Jan. 31, 1984

After his pain became intolerable, Ditka underwent a three-hour operation on his hip at Rush University System for Health.

Nov. 25, 1984

The Bears beat the Vikings, 34-3, to give Ditka his first NFC Central title.

Dec. 30, 1984

Ditka earned his first playoff win when the Bears beat the Washington Redskins, 23-19, at RFK Stadium.

The Bears defense repeatedly held off the Redskins in the final quarter. Richard Dent sacked Joe Theismann three times and Dan Hampton got him twice.

Oct. 14, 1985

Ditka was arrested at 12:14 a.m. on the Tri-State Tollway, one mile north of Touhy Avenue, shortly after returning to Chicago on a charter flight after the Bears beat the defending Super Bowl champion 49ers, 26-10, in San Francisco. He was charged with driving under the influence of intoxicating liquor, speeding and improper lane usage, according to Illinois State Police.

The coach posted $100 bond and surrendered his driver’s license.

Dec. 2, 1985

Ditka and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan nearly came to blows during halftime of the 1985 team’s only loss of the regular season to the Miami Dolphins.

Jan. 26, 1986

Winning Super Bowl XX made Ditka only the second person to win the Super Bowl as a player (Cowboys, 1972), assistant coach (Cowboys, 1977) and head coach (Bears, 1986).

Ditka was voted the NFL Coach of the Year and won the honor again in 1988.

April 7, 1986

Wearing a white headband that said “SOX,” Ditka threw the ceremonial first pitch at the Chicago White Sox home opener. The Sox lost to the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-3.

Jan. 3, 1987

After a 14-2 regular season, the Bears were upset by Washington at Soldier Field in their playoff opener. Bears quarterback Doug Flutie went 11 for 31 for 134 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, and running back Walter Payon was held to 38 yards on 14 carries.

July 30, 1988

Ditka became the first tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Nov. 2, 1988

Ditka suffered a mild heart attack and was sidelined for two games during the 12-4 season.

He was later named NFL Coach of the Year, though he claimed it “means nothing” compared with the Bears’ upcoming game against the Eagles.

Dec. 31, 1988

Playing on New Year’s Eve for the first time in team history, the Bears beat the Eagles, 20-12, in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs in what became known as the “Fog Bowl” — one of the franchise’s most memorable games. Few of the 65,534 spectators were able to see the final moments of the win because of the thick clouds.

Eagles coach Buddy Ryan — the former Bears defensive coordinator — refused to shake hands with Ditka after the game. It marked the first time in three seasons the Bears advanced past their first playoff game.

Jan. 8, 1989

The Bears lost to quarterback Joe Montana and the 49ers, 28-3, in the NFC championship game at Soldier Field. The 49ers earned “a trip to the warmth of Miami by knocking the Bears stone cold in their own frozen backyard,” Pierson wrote.

Jan. 12, 1991

First “Bill Swerski’s Super Fans” sketch aired on “Saturday Night Live” — from “Ditka’s restaurant.” Chicago native Joe Mantegna, who hosted the show, played Bill Swerski.

“The question is: Did god create the Bears and make them superior to all other teams? Or, is he simply a huge fan and Ditka made them superior to all other teams?” Swerski asked the round table of Super Fans that included Mike Meyers, Chris Farley and Robert Smigel.

Ditka appeared in just one Super Fans sketch — in January 1993, after the Bears fired him.

Jan. 13, 1991

After erasing a disastrous 6-10 season in 1989 by going 11-5 and making the playoffs, the Bears lost to the New York Giants, 31-3, in the divisional round. Quarterback Mike Tomczak threw two interceptions, and the Bears managed only 27 rushing yards in the defeat.

Dec. 29, 1991

Despite an 11-5 regular season, the Bears lost to the Dallas Cowboys, 17-13, at Soldier Field in the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs, with quarterback Jim Harbaugh throwing two interceptions. The Bears were inside the Cowboys 10-yard line four times but came away with only 10 points.

Emmitt Smith ran for 105 yards and a touchdown as the Cowboys won the first playoff game of their 1990s dynasty.

Oct. 4, 1992

The Vikings rallied from a 20-0 fourth-quarter deficit to stun the Bears with three late touchdowns in Minneapolis — including one on an interception return after Harbaugh called an audible.

“I will say this honestly (about Harbaugh calling an audible) — if the situation arises again, there will be changes made and they will be permanent,” Ditka said. “I’m not going to put — 47 guys’ careers in the hands of somebody who thinks he knows more than I know.”

Nov. 15, 1992

Ditka had to be restrained by security after he and an angry Bears fan exchanged words following the Bears’ 20-17 loss to the Buccaneers in Tampa, Fla.

“When your own fans start yelling at you, you start to ask yourself what the problem is,” Bears tackle Stan Thomas said.

Jan. 5, 1993

The Bears fired Ditka after the team went 5-11.

In Ditka’s 11 seasons as coach, the Bears won six NFC Central titles and had three NFC championship game appearances.

Jan. 26, 1997

Ditka, in New Orleans to take part in the ceremonial coin toss before Super Bowl XXXI, was introduced as coach of the Saints days later.

He retired from coaching after the 1999 season with a career record of 121-95.

Feb. 6, 1997

Ditka opened his namesake steakhouse in the Gold Coast at 100 E. Chestnut St. The location remained opened until May 2020, when it closed because of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. A Ditka’s Restaurant location in Arlington Heights closed in 2018, but others remain open in Oakbrook and Pittsburgh.

July 5, 1998

It took Ditka just 21.38 seconds to barrel through “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during a Cubs-Pirates game at Wrigley Field.

He was invited to sing again on Oct. 1, 2018, during the Cubs-Brewers NL Central tiebreaker game.

July 14, 2004

Ditka declines to be nominated by Republican leadership as their U.S. Senate nominee.

“Five, six years ago I would have jumped on it and would have ran with it, and I know this, that I would make a good senator, because I would be for the people,” he said in an impromptu news conference. “But … I have made commitments. I have obligations, and that’s basically the whole reason I’ve chosen not to go in that direction.”

Dec. 16, 2004

Ditka was introduced as an owner of the Arena Football League’s Chicago Rush. The team won the league title in 2006.

June 26, 2007

Ditka testified about NFL retirement benefits on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., during a House Judiciary Committee meeting.

Dec. 9, 2013

The Bears retired Ditka’s No. 89 at Soldier Field during one of the coldest Bears home games at the venue. The temperature was 8 degrees at the 7:40 p.m. kickoff for the “Monday Night Football” matchup against the Cowboys.

Nov. 21, 2018

Thirty years after Ditka suffered his first heart attack, he was hospitalized for a second heart attack in Florida.

June 7, 2019

Ditka takes part in the Bears100 Celebration Weekend at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. “I’m glad I lived this long and made it here to be a part of this,” he said.

Nov. 12, 2024

Ditka and his wife, Diana, bought a two-bedroom, 2,143-square-foot condominium on the 30th floor of a Streeterville high-rise.

Feb. 7, 2026

A Bears sweater vest worn by Ditka was sold for $183,000 during an online auction.

Oct. 9, 2026

Ditka died at age 86.

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