Photo via Yahoo Sports

What teams did Mike Ditka play for? Hall of Fame tight end's college, NFL stats

Mike Ditka, the legendary tight end and Hall of Fame coach, began his professional football journey in 1961, where he was selected as a first-round pick in both the NFL and AFL drafts. He signed with the Chicago Bears and quickly established himself as a dominant force, earning five consecutive Pro Bowl appearances in his first five seasons.

Ditka played 12 years total with the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, and Dallas Cowboys as a tight end. His time with the Bears included helping the team win the 1963 NFL title.

After leaving Chicago, he joined the Cowboys, where he played a pivotal role in their Super Bowl VI victory in 1971. In that championship game, Ditka caught a touchdown pass from Roger Staubach in the Cowboys’ 24-3 win over the Miami Dolphins.

Beyond his playing career, Ditka served as the Dallas Cowboys' special teams coach and won a second Super Bowl in that role at the end of the 1977 season.

Coaching Career

Ditka’s coaching career reached its peak as the head coach of the Chicago Bears, where he led the team to six NFC Central division titles from 1982 to 1988. His most notable achievement in this role was guiding the Bears to victory in Super Bowl XX in 1985.

He later coached the New Orleans Saints from 1997 to 1999, where he made headlines for trading an entire draft class for Texas Longhorns running back Ricky Williams.

Beyond his on-field and coaching accomplishments, Ditka’s impact on the game is underscored by his induction into both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame. As the first tight end ever enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Ditka’s influence on the position and the sport as a whole remains unparalleled.

This report also draws on coverage from Awful Announcing, CBS Sports.

Up nextNFL· 23m ago

Falcons-Saints on Monday night draws 11.9 million viewers