After his playing career ended, Ditka served as a Cowboys assistant coach from 1973-81 and was part of their staff when they won Super Bowl XII.
Ditka was hired as Bears head coach in 1982 by George Halas a few years after sending Halas a letter expressing his interest in the job. In 11 seasons, Ditka compiled a 112-68 record while leading the Bears to six NFC Central titles, three NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl XX victory. He was named NFL Coach of the Year in 1985 and 1988.
“There was no one bigger in terms of persona and what it meant to be a Bear and to be part of a process of taking an average football team to a Super Bowl,” said former Bears safety Gary Fencik, who played for Ditka from 1982-87. “Mike’s contribution was unbelievable.”
Fencik recalls the first time the Bears gathered in 1985 after winning the NFC Central title and losing to the 49ers in the 1984 NFC Championship Game.
“The first meeting that we had in the spring,” Fencik said, “he basically said, ‘we had a good year last year, but second best is not good enough,’ and that set the tone for the entire year.”
