Former Bears coach and Hall of Fame tight end Mike Ditka passed away this morning at the age of 86.  Ditka, who spent 17 seasons with the Bears, six as a player and eleven as head coach, is one of only two people to win a Super Bowl as both a player, assistant coach, and head coach and one of only four in the NFL’s modern era to win a championship coaching a team for which they played.

Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Ditka was drafted by the Bears in 1961, winning Rookie of the Year honors after becoming the first tight end in history to surpass 1,000 receiving yards.  He was a member of the franchise’s 1963 NFL Championship team before being traded to the Eagles due to a contract dispute with George Halas.  Inducted to Canton in 1988, he was the first tight end enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

After his playing career, he became an assistant coach with the Cowboys under Tom Landry.  Letting bygones be bygones, he was hired by Halas in 1982 to take the top spot with the Bears.  Ditka led the team to the playoffs seven times during his eleven-season run, reaching the NFC Championship Game on three occasions.  In 1985, the Bears cruised to a 15-1 regular season record before easily defeating the Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX.

He became an icon in Chicago, opening several restaurants and endorsing a long list of products, including wine, cigars and sausages.  He starred in television commercials and appeared, as himself, in several television shows and in Will Ferrell’s 2005 comedy Kicking and Screaming.  He was immortalized on Saturday Night Live in their series of Superfans sketches that paid tribute to Ditka and “Da Bears.”