Mike Ditka Bio | Wiki
Mike Ditka ( Full name: Michael Keller Ditka ) is an American former football player, coach, and current tv-commentator. In 1961, he was UPI NFL Rookie of Year, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, and also a six-time All-Pro tight end with the National Football League’s Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, and Philadelphia Eagles.
Mike Ditka Age
He was born on October 18, 1939, in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, United States of America. Mike is 82 years old.
Mike Ditka Height
He is a man of above-average stature. Mike stands at a height of 6 ft 3 in ( Approx 1.91 m).
Mike Ditka Family
He was born to his father and mother in the Pittsburgh-area town of Carnegie, Pennsylvania. He is the oldest child of Charlotte (Keller) and Mike Ditka Sr. Mike grew up in nearby Aliquippa alongside his siblings Ashton, David, and Mary Ann. His dad was a welder and one of three brothers of a Polish and Ukrainian family in the coal-mining and steel-manufacturing area located in Western Pennsylvania. Mike’s ancestry on his mother’s side is Irish and German. His family name was changed to “Ditka” since the Ukrainian surname “Dyczko” was difficult to pronounce in his hometown.
Mike Ditka Education
He attended and graduated from St. Titus School. Mike was a three-sport star at Aliquippa High School Under head coach Press Maravich. The team doctor, Dr. John L Miller, took him and other players to Pitt games and encouraged them to play for Pitt. Mike has been quoted as saying, “Doc Miller patched me up many times”. He hoped to escape his hometown’s manufacturing jobs by attending college with a football scholarship. Initially, he wanted to become a dentist. Mike was recruited by Notre Dame,the University of Pittsburgh, and Penn State.
Mike Ditka Wife
He married his first wife called Marge from 1961 to 1973. The couple had four children namely Mark, Matt, Mike, and Megan. He then married his current wife called Diane (née Trantham) Ditka in 1977. Mike was arrested on Interstate 294 near O’Hare International Airport during the 1985 season.
He was later convicted of DUI after returning from a game against the San Francisco 49ers. Mike lived in Bannockburn, Illinois from 1989 until 1997. He then lived in an area of New Orleans known as English Turn from 1997 until 2001. Mike is a practicing Roman Catholic and an active member of the Knights of Columbus.
Mike Ditka Coaching | Coaching Record
He coached the Bears to victory in Super Bowl XX. Mike was named to the NFL’s 75th- and 100th-Anniversary All-Time Teams. He won the AP and UPI NFL Coach of Year Award in 1985 and 1988 serving as the head coach for the Bears from 1982 to 1992. Also, from 1997 to 1999, Mike was the head coach of the New Orleans Saints. Mike and Tom Flores are the only people who won an NFL title as a player, an assistant coach, as well as a head coach.
In modern NFL history, Mike, Gary Kubiak, Flores, and Doug Pederson are the only people to win a championship as head coach of a team for which Mike played previously. Also, Mike is the only person who participate in both of the last two Chicago Bears’ league championships, in 1963 as a player and in 1985 as head coach. Mike was nicknamed “Iron Mike”. He said that the nickname comes from his being born and raised in a steel town in Pennsylvania.
Mike Ditka Cowboys
Mike is a member of both the College (1986) and the Pro (1988) Football Halls of Fame. A three-time Super Bowl champion who played on the Cowboys’ Super Bowl VI team, winning as an assistant coach for the Cowboys in Super Bowl XII. Mike was an NFL champion with the 1963 Bears.
Mike Ditka Bears
The Chicago Bears selected Mike a fifth overall of the 1961 NFL Draft. In the first round of the 1961 AFL Draft, the Houston Oilers drafted him eighth overall. Mike signed with the Bears and his presence was immediately felt. He had 58 receptions in his first season, introducing a new dimension to a tight end position that had been dedicated to blocking before. Also, Mike scored 12 receiving touchdowns which became the most by a Bears rookie. Mike’s success earned him Rookie of the Year honors.
Mike continued to play for the Bears for the next five years where he earned a Pro Bowl trip each season. Also, he played on the 1963 NFL championship team. Mike and many of the players from that team were drafted by an assistant coach and a future Hall of Famer called George Allen who was then in charge of the Bears’ drafts. Mike tied Harlon Hill’s franchise record for the most receiving touchdowns in a game with four during the season, against the Los Angeles Rams.
He ranks first among tight ends and 4th in Bears history with 4,503 yards, 5th in both receptions (316) and also touchdown catches (34). Mike started all 14 games in 1962 making 58 receptions (tied for the team lead) for 904 yards (led the team) as well as five receiving touchdowns (led the team). He led the team in the following year ( 1963) with 59 catches for 794 yards and eight touchdowns. Mike was second on the team in 1964 with 75 receptions for 897 yards and five touchdowns.
In 1965, he posted 36 receptions (second on the team), two receiving touchdowns (tied for fourth on the team), and 454 receiving yards (third on the team). Mike registered 32 receptions (second on the team), two touchdowns (tied for second on the team), and 378 yards (third on the team) in 1966. He was noted for decking football fan Felix Carbajal. Felix had run onto the playing field late in a Week 2 31–17 but he lost to the Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 16.
That season, he had played out his option after failing to reach a contract agreement with Bears’ owner/head coach George Halas. The New York Times reported on February 8, 1967, that Mike had signed a $300,000 contract with a $50,000 signing bonus with the Houston Oilers prior to the AFL–NFL merger. This was the team that owned his AFL draft rights.
Mike Ditka Health
He suffered a heart attack in the midst of a successful 1988 season. However, he bounced back quickly. Mike suffered a minor stroke at a suburban country club in Chicago in November 2012. Later in the day, he reported he was feeling “good right now and it’s not a big deal.”Mike was hospitalized in Naples, Florida on November 23, 2018, after suffering a heart attack while playing golf.
Mike Ditka Quotes
– ou’re never a loser until you quit trying.”
– “Before you can win, you have to believe you are worthy.”
– “Success is not permanent & failure is not fatal.”
– “If things came easy, then everybody would be great at what they did.”
– “Success isnt permanent & failure isnt fatal.”
– “Coffee, It’s the life blood that fuels the dreams of champions!”
Mike Ditka Net Worth
He is an American former football player, coach, and current tv-commentator. Mike has accumulated an estimated net worth of $5,395,195.
Is Mike Ditka Still Alive
Yes. The 82-year-old current tv-commentator is a former football player and coach.
Where Does Mike Ditka Live
Mike lived in Bannockburn, Illinois from 1989 until 1997. He then lived in an area of New Orleans known as English Turn from 1997 until 2001. He now live in Pennsylvania.