Here’s a look at the life of Hall of Fame football player and coach Mike Ditka.
Personale
Data di nascita: ottobre 18, 1939
Luogo di nascita: Carnegie, Pennsylvania
Nome di nascita: Michael Keller Dyczko Jr.
Padre: Michael Ditka Sr., steel mill worker and railroad union organizer
Madre: Carlotta (Keller) Ditka
Matrimoni: Diana (Trantham) Ditka (luglio 8, 1977-presente); Margery Dougherty (gennaio 28, 1961-settembre 21, 1973, divorziato)
Bambini: with Margery Dougherty: Michael III, marchio, Megan and Matthew
Formazione scolastica: Attended the University of Pittsburgh, 1958-1960
Altri fatti
Surname was changed from Dyczko to Ditka when he was young.
Nicknamed “Iron Mike,” “Da Coach” e “The Hammer.”
Five-time Pro Bowl giocatore (1961-1965 le stagioni).
NFL tight end with the Chicago Bears (1961-1966 le stagioni), the Philadelphia Eagles (1967-1968 le stagioni) and the Dallas Cowboys (1969-1972 le stagioni).
NFL head coach of the Chicago Bears (1982-1992 le stagioni) and the New Orleans Saints (1997-1999 le stagioni).
One of only two coaches to win the Super Bowl as a player (1971 stagione), assistant coach (1977 stagione) and head coach (1985 stagione). Tom Flores is the other.
Was part-owner of the Arena Football team, the Chicago Rush.
Owner of the restaurant chain Ditka’s.
President of the nonprofit Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, which assists retired NFL players medically and financially.
Sequenza temporale
1961 – Selected first round, fifth overall by the Chicago Bears in the NFL Draft; and also selected first round, eighth overall by the Houston Oilers in the AFL Draft. (Al tempo, the AFL and NFL had separate drafts). Ditka signs with the Bears for $ 12,000 plus a $ 6,000 bonus.
dicembre 1961 – Named NFL Rookie of the Year.
dicembre 29, 1963 – Ditka and the Chicago Bears defeat the New York Giants in the NFL championship game, 14-10.
aprile 26, 1967 – Traded to the Philadelphia Eagles.
gennaio 27, 1969 – Traded to the Dallas Cowboys.
gennaio 16, 1972 – Catches a 7-yard touchdown pass in the Dallas Cowboys’ victory over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI, 24-3.
1973 – Retires as a player and becomes an assistant coach with the Dallas Cowboys.
gennaio 15, 1978 – Assistant coach when the Dallas Cowboys defeat the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII, 27-10.
1982-gennaio 5, 1993 – Head coach of the Chicago Bears, until he is fired following a 5-11 stagione.
ottobre 14, 1985 – Arrested near Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. He is later convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol, fined $ 300 and ordered to attend alcohol abuse classes.
gennaio 26, 1986 – Coaches the Chicago Bears to a 46-10 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX.
1986 – Inserito nel College Football Hall of Fame.
luglio 30, 1988 – First tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
novembre 1988 – Suffers a minor heart attack.
1989 – Founds the Mike Ditka Foundation, which raises money for pediatric AIDS research and Misericordia, a Chicago-based organization supporting individuals with developmental disabilities.
1993 – Becomes an NFL studio analyst with NBC.
1997-2000 – Head coach of the New Orleans Saints until he is fired in January 2000.
2000 – Becomes an NFL studio analyst with CBS.
2004-presente – Football analyst with ESPN.
luglio 2004 – After being approached by a group of Illinois Republicans, announces that he has decided not to run for the open US Senate seat in Illinois.
2011 – Invests in the Elite Football League of India, originally comprised of eight teams from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka playing American-style football.
novembre 16, 2012 – Suffers a minor stroke.
Maggio 24, 2013 – The Chicago Bears announce the upcoming retirement of Ditka’s number 89, and that it will be the last number they retire. Il ceremony takes place on December 9, 2013, during halftime at their game against the Dallas Cowboys.
ottobre 9, 2017 – During a radio interview, regarding NFL players kneeling during the National Anthem to protest racial injustice, Ditka says, “There has been no oppression in the last 100 years that I know of. Now maybe I’m not watching it as carefully as other people. I think the opportunity is there for everybody — gara, religione, creed, colore, nationality. If you want to work, if you want to try, if you want to put effort in, I think you can accomplish anything.” He apologizes the next day in a statement, clarifying, “I have absolutely seen oppression in society in the last 100 years and I am completely intolerant of any discrimination. The interview was about the NFL and the related issues.”
novembre 24, 2018 – Ditka’s agent Steve Mandell tells ESPN that Ditka is recovering after suffering a mild heart attack earlier in the week, and that doctors inserted a pacemaker.
luglio 26, 2020 – In an interview with TMZ Sports, when asked about athletes who kneel during the national anthem, Ditka says, “If you can’t respect our national anthem, get the hell out of the country. That’s the way I feel. Ovviamente, I’m old- fashioned. Così, I’m only going to say what I feel.”
