The Albany Gazette - NFL legend Mike Ditka dead at 86

Ditka, the fifth overall pick in the 1961 NFL Draft, played as a tight end from 1961-1972 and helped the Bears win the 1963 league crown then caught a touchdown pass for Dallas in the Cowboys' 1972 Super Bowl triumph.

As a coach, Ditka guided the Bears to victory in the 1986 Super Bowl, the 46-10 rout of New England ending a 23-year title drought for the team and the city. He was also an assistant coach for the Cowboys in their 1978 Super Bowl triumph over Denver.

"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. Mike will be missed beyond measure and remembered forever."

Jarrett Payton, son of the late Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton who played under Ditka in Chicago, posted the statement on social media.

"Da Coach. Hall of Famer. The heartbeat of the '85 Bears and a Super Bowl champion," Payton wrote. "Chicago won't be the same."

Ditka's hard-hitting style made him among the NFL's most feared players of his era.

Ditka, who went 121-95 as a head coach for the Bears and New Orleans Saints, became a celebrated NFL television analyst and commentator, his gruff manner attracting fans and earning parody from fans of "Da Bears" on Saturday Night Live.

(O.Robinson--TAG)