Mike Ditka's best and most successful NFL days weren't spent as head coach of the New Orleans Saints, but he helped center the football universe around the franchise during his three-year stint from 1997-99.
Ditka, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and a Super Bowl champion with the Chicago Bears in the Caesars Superdome in 1984, died Friday morning at the age of 86.
The owner of an outsized personality, an outspokenness that sometimes wasn't well-received, and a generosity that possibly was larger than both, Ditka entered the NFL as a first-round draft pick by the Bears in 1961. He crafted a Hall of Fame career as a player with the Bears, Eagles and Cowboys from 1961-72, catching 427 passes for 5,812 yards and 43 touchdowns in 158 games, with 119 starts.
Ditka, the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in '61, was a five-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler in his six seasons with the Bears and is joined by Tom Flores as one of just two people in NFL history to win a Super Bowl as a player (Cowboys), assistant coach (Cowboys) and head coach (Bears).
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
New Orleans Saints' head coach Mike Ditka watches his team play against his former team the Chicago Bears during the first half Sunday, Oct. 3, 1999 in Chicago
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
Coach Mike Ditka returns to the sidelines as he leads the New Orleans Saints against the Tennessee Oilers in a preseason game on Saturday, Aug. 2, 1997, in Memphis. Behind Ditka are Wayne Martin (93) and Randal Hill (81)
NFL Hall of Famer and former Chicago Bears head coach Mike Ditka, right, presents New Orleans Saints Deuce McAllister with the NFL Play of the Year Award in Houston on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2004. McAllister and his teammates Michael Lewis, Donte Stallworth and Jerome Pathon won for their 75-yard touchdown reception and laterals against the Jacksonville Jaguars known as the "River City Relay".
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints remember head coach Mike Ditka, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who coached for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The two-time NFL Coach of the Year, who was named to the NFL 75th and 100th Anniversary All-Time teams, became a head coach in 1982 after serving at Dallas' assistant head coach and special teams coordinator from 1973-81.
During his 11-year run in Chicago, the Bears went 106-62, won Super Bowl XX, won the NFC Central Division six times and played in the NFC Championship Game three times.
"'Iron Mike' brought an unrivaled level of toughness to an era already defined by physicality," Hall of Fame president and CEO Jim Porter said in a statement, "but he also was much more gifted as a pass catcher than many realized and became the ideal player for Coach George Halas to reimagine the tight end position.
"Mike brought competitiveness and a hard-nosed style of play as he developed into both a fantastic blocker and someone who could punish would-be tacklers on his receptions."
After a four-season break following his coaching career in Chicago, which included time on television as an NFL analyst, Ditka was hired to coach the Saints in '97. New Orleans was 15-33 in those seasons.
"Special combination of player and coach, (his) impact on this game is so prominent," current Saints coach Kellen Moore said. "My parents are from the Chicago area, so I grew up with a lot of awareness of the Bears. Special person that means a lot to the NFL community."
