Mike Ditka

Hall of Fame tight end who later coached the Chicago Bears to victory in Super Bowl XX.

Michael Keller Ditka, born Michael Dyczko, was born on 18 October 1939 in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, and starred at Aliquippa High School before playing college football at the University of Pittsburgh, earning unanimous All-American honours as a senior. The Chicago Bears selected Ditka in the first round, fifth overall, of the 1961 NFL Draft, and he won Rookie of the Year honours before developing into one of the finest tight ends of his era, credited with helping redefine the position as a genuine receiving threat. Ditka won an NFL championship with the Bears in 1963 and a Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys as a player in 1972, before returning to Chicago as head coach in 1982, guiding the Bears to victory in Super Bowl XX in 1986 with one of the most dominant defences in NFL history. Ditka, nicknamed "Iron Mike," was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988, and later coached the New Orleans Saints, finishing his coaching career with 121 regular-season wins, remaining one of the most iconic and gruff personalities in the sport's history, one of only two men to win an NFL championship as both a player and a head coach with the same team.

Physical, aggressive tight end who combined blocking prowess with excellent receiving skills

Transformed tight end from blocker to receiver, iconic Bears figure, successful player and coach

• Pro Football Hall of Fame 1988 (player)
• Super Bowl XX champion head coach
• NFL champion 1963 (player)
• 1988 NFL Coach of the Year