An entire generation of fans knows Mike Ditka more for his work as a coach than as a legendary player. On the nine-year anniversary of Ditka's No. 89 being retired by Chicago Bears, we look back at that storied playing career. | Pro Football Hall of Fame

The Hall of Fame would like to wish the happiest of birthdays to Mike Ditka! The legendary Chicago Bears player and coach turns 83 today. #HBD | Pro Football Hall of Fame

First a star tight end with the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys and then a legendary head coach, Mike Ditka was enshrined in 1988. On the 35th anniversary of Ditka entering football's most exclusive club, Ditka will again be honored in Canton this summer. | Pro Football Hall of Fame

🏈🎂On October 18, 1939 Mike Ditka was born in Carnegie, Pennsylvania. Ditka played for the University of Pittsburgh from 1958 until 1960 and was a Unanimous All-American his senior year. Ditka was selected by the Chicago Bears fifth overall in the 1961 NFL Draft, while the Houston Oilers drafted him eighth overall in the first round of the 1961 AFL Draft. He signed with the Bears as a tight end. A member of both the College (1986) and the Pro (1988) Football Halls of Fame, he was UPI NFL Rookie