The China Mail - Mike Ditka: Chicago Bears icon as player and coach

With Ditka's death on Friday at age 86, his legendary role on one of the most overwhelming teams in NFL history was recalled fondly by American football fans.

Coached by Ditka, led by quarterback Jim McMahon and featuring legendary running back Walter Payton and unlikely superstar William "Refrigerator" Perry," the 1985 Bears also boasted one of the best defenses in NFL history. They lost just one game before pounding the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl 20.

Their on-field dominance was matched by an off-field swagger that earned them pop-culture fame reaching far beyond traditional NFL supporters.

"They changed the laws of football," former US President Barack Obama -- who calls Chicago home -- said of the team. "They were gritty. They were gutsy. They were hard-working. They were fun-loving."

For Ditka, born Michael Dyczko in the Pittsburgh-area town of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, on October 18, 1939, grit, guts and hard work had long been the keys to gridiron success.

"There's more to winning than just wanting to," Ditka once said. "You have to prove yourself every Sunday. "Just throwing your helmet on the field doesn't scare anyone.

"There's no more empty feeling in the world than losing."

Drafted fifth overall by the Bears in 1961, Ditka introduced a new dimension to the tight end position long the preserve of talented blockers.

He was among the first tight ends to emerge as a significant pass receiving threat, punishing opposing defenses with 56 catches for 1,076 yards and 12 touchdowns in his Rookie of the Year '61 season.

In 1964, he caught 75 passes -- a season record for tight ends that lasted until 1980.

He earned All-NFL honors four straight seasons from 1961 through 1964 and was a Pro Bowl choice after each of his first five seasons.

Ditka finished his 12-year playing career with 427 receptions for 5,812 yards and 43 touchdowns and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1988.

By then, he had left Chicago and returned in triumph.

After a falling out with Chicago owner-coach George Halas, Ditka was traded to the Eagles in 1967, and finished his playing career with Dallas.

His best campaign with the Cowboys came in 1971, when they won their first Super Bowl title.

Ditka had 30 receptions that year and he scored the final touchdown in the Cowboys' 24-3 win over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl Six.

Ditka was an assistant coach for the Cowboys when they won the Super Bowl in 1978.

- Folk hero -

In 1982, Halas brought Ditka back to Chicago. His tenure as coach included 127 victories and spawned a legendary "Saturday Night Live" comedy sketch in which "Bill Swerski's Superfans" laud all things to do with "Da Bears" and Ditka.

He parlayed his popularity into a wealth of ventures: restaurant owner, TV personality, co-owner of an Arena Football League team.

He once promoted his own brand of sausages and a line of wine and cigars.

Ditka's folk-hero status belied a ruthless streak. Tough as nails, he was back on the sidelines a week after suffering a heart attack in 1988 -- and he expected the same resolve from players.

Dave Duerson, a standout safety on the '85 Bears team who was found to have the concussion-related brain disease CTE after he committed suicide in 2011, once said that Ditka "was not one who gave a damn about the players or their injuries when he was coaching."

Ditka sparked controversy in 2017 when he weighed in against the national anthem protests led by quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

He never shied away from the spotlight, continuing to follow -- and comment on -- the Bears after a stroke in 2012 and another heart attack in 2018.

"I'm a Bears fan," he said in December 2018. "Always will be."

R.Lin--ThChM