Best NFL Players of All Time: Mike Ditka. Ranking the Top Players in History. Place a bet on an NFL football game now.

Best NFL Players of All Time: Mike Ditka

Mike Dikta was the head coach of the Chicago Bears in 1985, which is considered to be one of the most iconic teams in the National Football League. That Bears squad dominated the National Football League with a regular-season record of 15-1, and then went on to win the Super Bowl, which was the only championship the franchise has ever won. Many people consider the Bears of 1985 to be the biggest one-season champion in the history of the National Football League.

On the other hand, Mike Ditka was one of the most significant players in the history of the National Football League before he became a coach and a celebrity. In essence, he was the one who came up with the modern tight-end position.

When asked to block, Ditka was a powerful player who has the ability to muscle and punish his opponents. He was a much-celebrated tight end who came to the Bears in 1961 as the fifth overall pick in the draft. Head coach George Halas recognized that Ditka was a significantly more potent receiving weapon than the National Football League had ever seen at the tight end position. Ditka was a tough player who, in addition to his toughness, possessed the speed to get downfield, was aware of how to get open, and never let go of the ball once he did receive possession of it.

He began a run of four consecutive seasons as the top tight end in the game by catching 56 catches for 1,076 yards and 12 touchdowns in his debut season. He went on to become the finest tight end in the game. He caught 59 receptions for 794 yards and eight touchdowns during the course of the squad’s championship season in 1963, making him the most effective offensive weapon for the team.

It was Halas who, according to Ditka, was instrumental in making him the team’s primary receiver. Considering Ditka’s size and strength, many people anticipated that he would play linebacker. However, Halas made the decision to break the mold and transform tight end into a position that has the potential to produce significant offensive numbers.

Halas, who was one of the original fathers of the game, was never known for his ideas that were considered to be visionary. In this particular instance, however, he observed a guy who possessed the speed, hand-eye coordination, and talent necessary to make significant plays from a position that had been utilized for nothing but blocking on a very infrequent basis.

Throughout the subsequent four seasons, Ditka would continue to be one of the most important offensive powers for the club, and during the 1963 season, he was now at the pinnacle of his game. Ditka was able to provide the Bears with a spark that season by catching 59 passes for 794 yards and eight touchdowns. The Bears were primarily a defensive juggernaut throughout that season.

It was during that season that he made the play that became his most renowned. On November 24, two days after President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration, the Chicago Bears were facing the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The murder of John F. Kennedy occurred. Ditka would make the best of the situation, despite the fact that NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle would be subjected to severe criticism for permitting games to be played on that particular day.

After taking a short pass on a third-and-33 play, Ditka began chugging up field with the Bears behind the Pittsburgh Steelers 17-14 late in the fourth quarter. The Bears were losing the Steelers by a score of 17-14. There were a total of four different Steelers defenders that struck Ditka with full power, yet he did not fall until he had gained 63 yards. The Bears were able to keep their advantage over the Green Bay Packers in the Western Conference of the National Football League (NFL) thanks to a field goal that knotted the game. This was a significant event because it allowed them to keep their lead.

Throughout the 1972 season, Ditka would continue to play. After the conclusion of the 1966 season, Halas dealt him to the Philadelphia Eagles. Subsequently, he had two years of a wretched existence in Philadelphia until reviving his career with Tom Landry and the Dallas Cowboys. Despite the fact that Halas would undoubtedly have the most significant impact on Ditka’s football career, Landry was a close second. During the game, he amassed 30 receptions for 371 yards.

1971 was the year that the Cowboys won the Super Bowl, and he was the receiver of a touchdown throw from Roger Staubach in Super Bowl VI. It’s possible that Ditka’s desire to become a coach began when he was a player under Halas, but it was Landry who brought him up to speed on the complexities of the coaching business.

The first few years that Ditka spent with the Bears are grossly underappreciated. In addition to being extremely effective at his position, he was able to accomplish this feat despite the fact that the quarterbacks who threw the ball to him were among the least impressive. Although both Billy Wade and Rudy Bukich possessed a great deal of compassion and tenacity, neither of them was able to throw the ball for more than twenty yards without experiencing some form of wobble. It is a testament to Ditka’s resiliency, ability to get open, and competitive spirit that he has averaged 62 receptions while playing quarterback alongside those two players.

With his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Ditka made history by being the first tight end to win the honor. It is because of Ditka’s ability to carve out a niche for himself at a position that was largely overlooked before he got there that he is considered to be one of the most influential players in the history of the game. Fans have known him for generations as a coach, an analyst, and a pitchman.

Best NFL Players of All Time: Mike Ditka Stats

Regular Season

Year	Age	Tm	Pos	No.	G	GS	Rec	Yds	Y/R	TD	Lng	R/G	Y/G	Att	Yds	Lng	Y/A	Y/G	A/G	Touch	Y/Tch	YScm	RRTD	Fmb	AV
1961*	22	CHI	TE	89	14	14	56	1076	19.2	12	76	4	76.9							56	19.2	1076	12	2	13
1962	23	CHI	TE	89	14	14	58	904	15.6	5	69	4.1	64.6							58	15.6	904	5	4	9
1963	24	CHI	TE	89	14	14	59	794	13.5	8	63	4.2	56.7							59	13.5	794	8	0	10
1964	25	CHI	TE	89	14	14	75	897	12	5	34	5.4	64.1							75	12	897	5	2	10
1965	26	CHI	TE	89	14	14	36	454	12.6	2	44	2.6	32.4							36	12.6	454	2	1	6
1966	27	CHI	TE	89	14	14	32	378	11.8	2	30	2.3	27							32	11.8	378	2	0	4
1967	28	PHI	TE	98	9	6	26	274	10.5	2	25	2.9	30.4							26	10.5	274	2	0	3
1968	29	PHI	TE	89	11	6	13	111	8.5	2	18	1.2	10.1							13	8.5	111	2	0	1
1969	30	DAL	TE	89	12	4	17	268	15.8	3	51	1.4	22.3							17	15.8	268	3	0	3
1970	31	DAL	TE	89	14	0	8	98	12.3	0	26	0.6	7							8	12.3	98	0	0	1
1971	32	DAL	TE	89	14	4	30	360	12	1	29	2.1	25.7	2	2	11	1	0.1	0.1	32	11.3	362	1	0	5
1972	33	DAL	TE	89	14	14	17	198	11.6	1	26	1.2	14.1							17	11.6	198	1	0	2
Career					158	118	427	5812	13.6	43	76	2.7	36.8	2	2	11	1	0	0	429	13.6	5814	43	9	67
6 yrs		CHI			84	84	316	4503	14.3	34	76	3.8	53.6							316	14.3	4503	34	9	52
4 yrs		DAL			54	22	72	924	12.8	5	51	1.3	17.1	2	2	11	1	0	0	74	12.5	926	5		11
2 yrs		PHI			20	12	39	385	9.9	4	25	2	19.3							39	9.9	385	4		4

Playoffs

Year	Age	Tm	Pos	G	GS	Rec	Yds	Y/R	TD	Lng	R/G	Y/G	Att	Yds	TD	Lng	Y/A	Y/G	A/G	Touch	Y/Tch	YScm	RRTD	Fmb
1963	24	CHI	TE	1	1	3	38	12.7	0	15	3	38			0					3	12.7	38	0	0
1969	30	DAL	TE	1	0
1970	31	DAL	TE	3	0	1	5	5	0	5	0.3	1.7			0					1	5	5	0	0
1971	32	DAL	TE	3	3	5	51	10.2	1	21	1.7	17	1	17	0	17	17	5.7	0.3	6	11.3	68	1	0
1972	33	DAL	TE	2	2	2	13	6.5	0	9	1	6.5			0					2	6.5	13	0	0
Career				10	6	11	107	9.7	1	21	1.1	10.7	1	17	0	17	17	1.7	0.1	12	10.3	124	1
4 yrs		DAL		9	5	8	69	8.6	1	21	0.9	7.7	1	17	0	17	17	1.9	0.1	9	9.6	86	1
1 yr		CHI		1	1	3	38	12.7	0	15	3	38			0					3	12.7	38	0

 

 

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