Category: Athlete Appearances, Coaches, Football, Hall of Famers, Leadership Speakers, Top Football Speakers
Highlights: Hall of Famer Mike Ditka coached the Chicago Bears for 11 seasons from 1982-1992 and led them to a win in Super Bowl XX. He also played for the Bears as a tight end from 1961-1966.
Travels From: Illinois
Fee Range: $30,001 - $50,000
Mike Ditka is a retired NFL head coach and player who gained widespread popularity when he led the Chicago Bears from 1982-1992. During that time, Ditka coached the Bears in 1985 to a Super Bowl XX win over the New England Patriots, 46-10, with a team that featured future Hall of Famers Walter Payton, Richard Dent, Mike Singletary, Jim Covert and Dan Hampton. In his 11 seasons with the Bears, Ditka compiled a 106-62 record and twice was named NFL Coach of the Year in 1985 and 1988. After Chicago, Ditka also coached the New Orleans Saints for three seasons from 1997-1999. He got his start in coaching in 1973 as an assistant with the Dallas Cowboys under Tom Landry. He won Super Bowl XII while on the Cowboys’ staff and remained with the team through 1981.
As a player, Ditka played tight end from 1961-1972 for the Bears (1961-1966), Philadelphia Eagles (1967-1968) and Dallas Cowboys (1969-1972). While in Chicago, Ditka received NFL Rookie of the Year honors in 1961, was four times named a first-team All-Pro and five times named to the Pro Bowl. He won an NFL Championship with the team in 1963 before the NFL-AFL merger as well as Super Bowl XII with the Cowboys. The Bears retired Ditka’s jersey #89 in 2013 and he was named to both the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team and 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988, the first tight end to receive the honor. Ditka joined three others – Gary Kubiak, Doug Pederson and Tom Flores – as the only persons to win an NFL championship for the same team as both a head coach and player.
Ditka was born on October 18, 1939 in Carnegie, Pennsylvania and played college football at Pitt from 1958-1960. He was the Panthers’ leading receiver each season and his senior year was named to the College Football All-America team. The school retired his jersey #89 and Ditka became a member of the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986. After retiring from coaching, Ditka worked as an NFL analyst for NBC Sports, CBS Sports and ESPN. He has also owned a restaurant chain called “Ditka’s” and co-owned the Arena Football League’s Chicago Rush. As a testament to his popularity, Ditka made cameo appearances on such tv shows as Cheers, Saturday Night Live, L.A. Law and 3rd Rock from the Sun.
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Mike Ditka Under Armour All-American Game 2011
