# Mike Ditka, NFL icon and Bears Super Bowl coach, dies at 86

> The Hall of Famer led Chicago to victory in Super Bowl XX and was the first tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- Title: Mike Ditka, NFL icon and Bears Super Bowl coach, dies at 86
- Summary: The Hall of Famer led Chicago to victory in Super Bowl XX and was the first tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Mike Ditka, who coached…
- Keywords: mike ditka, chicago bears, super bowl xx, pro football hall of fame, nfl, sports, Mike, Ditka, icon, Bears, Super, Bowl
- Source: BBC Sport — https://bbc.co.uk/sport/american-football/articles/cqly055pnn8go
- Published: 2026-10-09T16:32:08.776+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: mike ditka, chicago bears, super bowl xx, pro football hall of fame, nfl, sports
## NFL legend Mike Ditka dies
Mike Ditka, the Chicago Bears coach who won Super Bowl XX, has died aged eighty six. His family confirmed the news but gave no cause of death.

> It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Mike Ditka.
## Ditka's playing and coaching career
Ditka was the fifth overall pick in the nineteen sixty one draft. He played for the Bears, Eagles and Cowboys, helping Dallas win Super Bowl VI in nineteen seventy two with four hundred twenty seven…
## Bears coach and Hall of Fame honour
Ditka became Chicago Bears head coach in nineteen eighty two. He led them to a fifteen one record in the nineteen eighty five to eighty six regular season before winning Super Bowl XX against the…
## Bears and fans mourn the loss
The Bears said Ditka's impact over decades as player, coach and ambassador was immeasurable. Hall of Famer Jarrett Payton wrote that Ditka was the heartbeat of the eighty five Bears and that Chicago won't be…

> Chicago won't be the same.
## Key takeaway

Mike Ditka, who coached the Chicago Bears to Super Bowl XX victory in nineteen eighty six and was the first tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has died aged eighty six.