Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Ditka is one of the most iconic figures in football.
His name and visage are legendary pieces of of the Chicago Bears' franchise. Every Bears fan can recognize him by his silhouette alone and with good reason.
Ditka, a first-round pick by Chicago back in the 1961 NFL draft, was an incredible tight end and important asset to the Bears in the early 1960s. He earned his five of his career Pro Bowl nods between 1961 and 1965 – all with the Bears – and won an NFL championship with the team in 1963 before he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1967.
In 1982, the star tight end made his return to Chicago – not as a player, but as a coach. What ensued was the greatest stretch of success in the franchise's history.
Here's
everything to know about Ditka's historic career:
Mike Ditka coaching record
Ditka took over as Bears head coach in 1982 after previous head coach Neill Armstrong (not to be confused with the astronaut, Neil Armstrong) failed to get the team more than one winning season in four years. Within two years, Ditka pulled the Bears to a .500 record. He followed that up in 1984 with the Bears' first winning season since 1979.
From 1984 to 1988, Ditka led the Bears to five straight 10-win seasons, a feat no Chicago coach before or since has been able to match.
By the time the Bears fired the iconic head coach after the 1992 season, he had compiled 106 wins – second in franchise history to only George Halas, the former player-coach/owner who moved the Bears to Chicago.
Ditka went 106-62 (.631 win percentage) as the Bears' head coach. He briefly coached the New Orleans Saints as well at the end of the '90s, going 15-33 (.313) in three years as their head coach.
In total, Ditka's career coaching record is 121-95 (.560).
Mike Ditka playoff wins
Ditka first led the Bears to the playoffs in 1984. He brought Chicago back to the postseason six more times over the next eight years.
In total, he won six playoff games in his coaching career. The most iconic of those wins was the 1985 Super Bowl, which remains the Bears' only Super Bowl win in franchise history. Ditka's 1985 Bears team is synonymous with defense.
Ditka's other Bears teams were not as successful in the postseason, and he finished his coaching career with a 6-6 playoff record.
How many Super Bowl rings does Mike Ditka have?
Ditka has a total of three Super Bowl rings.
He won one as a player in Super Bowl VI with the 1971 Dallas Cowboys. He won another – Super Bowl XII – as an assistant coach with the 1977 Cowboys.
Ditka's third ring is the one he's most known for: His Super Bowl XX win as the head coach of the Bears.
He is one of only two people to win a Super Bowl as a player, assistant coach and head coach. (Raiders legend Tom Flores is the other.)
Mike Ditka Hall of Fame induction year
Ditka was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1988, which was 16 years after his playing career ended and during his stint as Bears head coach.
Ditka is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame as part of its Class of 1986.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How many Super Bowl rings does Mike Ditka have? Coaching record, playoff wins and more
