Mike Ditka Dies at 86: The NFL Legend Who Took Down Washington at RFK Stadium
The Hall of Fame player and Super Bowl-winning coach Mike Ditka, left his mark on football history—including a memorable playoff victory over Washington in 1984.
Alexandria VA – Mike Ditka, the fiery Hall of Fame tight end who led the Chicago Bears to a Super Bowl championship, died Friday, Oct. 9, at age 86. His family announced his death in a statement shared by Jarrett Payton, the son of Bears running back Walter Payton.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Mike Ditka,” his family said 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.” No cause of death was released.
Known as “Iron Mike” and “Da Coach,” Ditka became one of professional football’s most recognizable figures, first as a groundbreaking tight end and later as the coach of Chicago’s celebrated 1985 Bears.
A memorable night for Washington football fans
Although Ditka never played or coached for Washington’s NFL team, he had plenty of history with the franchise. As head coach of the Bears, he faced Washington in three playoff games during the 1980s. The most memorable for local fans came on Dec. 30, 1984, when Chicago defeated Washington, 23-19, in an NFC divisional playoff game at RFK Stadium. The Bears sacked quarterback Joe Theismann seven times and advanced to the NFC Championship Game. The loss ended Washington’s playoff run that season.
Washington got revenge in the next two postseason meetings, defeating Chicago in 1987 and 1988.
Mike Ditka’s legacy reached the Super Bowl
Chicago selected Ditka fifth overall in the 1961 NFL Draft. He played for the Bears, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, catching a touchdown in Dallas’ victory over Miami in Super Bowl VI. He later joined the Cowboys’ coaching staff and was an assistant when Dallas won Super Bowl XII. His greatest coaching triumph came with Chicago’s 1985 team, which finished the regular season 15-1 before crushing New England, 46-10, in Super Bowl XX in January 1986.
Ditka ultimately won 106 games as head coach, the second-most in the Bears’ coaching history, and brought them to the playoffs multiple times. He was fired in 1993. He finished his Bears coaching career with 106 victories, and the franchise retired his jersey in 2013.
As a player, Ditka helped redefine the tight end position, becoming the first at his position to record a 1,000-yard receiving season. He finished his 12-year playing career with 427 receptions, 5,812 receiving yards and 43 touchdowns, earning five consecutive Pro Bowl selections. After his championship years in Chicago, Ditka returned to coaching with the New Orleans Saints from 1997 through 1999. His career also included broadcasting and other ventures beyond the football field.
On Thursday, March 26, 2015, Ditka received the inaugural Founder’s Award at the DC Touchdown Club’s dinner in Bethesda. The club reported that Ditka, Theismann, and local coach Roy Lester shared stories with a near-capacity crowd. In 1988, he became the first tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Ditka was part of four championship teams: the Bears’ 1963 NFL title team and the Cowboys’ Super Bowl VI winners as a player, the Cowboys’ Super Bowl XII winners as an assistant, and Chicago’s Super Bowl XX winners as head coach. He and Tom Flores are the only two people to win a Super Bowl as a player, an assistant coach, and a head coach. His legacy spans championship teams, a transformed position, and a football personality that generations of fans will remember.
