Ditka was an instant star in the NFL, catching 56 passes for 1,072 yards and 12 touchdowns as a rookie with the Bears\u2014the latter two numbers would prove to be career highs. The young pass catcher turned the position on its head under the tutelage of coach and owner George Halas and offensive coordinator Luke Johnsos, whom he credited with making him a true weapon as both a blocker and receiver.<\/p>\n
But the evidence was there, from Ditka\u2019s days at Pitt. <\/p>\n
The Panthers were hardly a forward-looking pass-first offense under coach John Michelosen. During Ditka\u2019s college career from 1958 to \u201960, the program passed the ball just over 25% of the time, but when they went to the air, Ditka was the clear No. 1 option, leading the team in receptions and yards in each of his three seasons. Ditka would finish with 45 receptions for 730 yards and seven touchdowns for his career. He was also a standout defensive end, which some thought was his better position in college, and served as the team\u2019s punter.<\/p>\n
The numbers are pedestrian by today\u2019s standards, but far more impressive in the run-first era in which Ditka played, as evidenced by the accolades he racked up with the Panthers: team captaincy as a senior in 1960, unanimous All-American honors and his second All-Eastern team selection that year, as well as a sixth-place finish for the Heisman Trophy, which ultimately went to Navy back Joe Bellino.<\/p>\n
It was the combination of explosive talents as a receiver and Ditka\u2019s embrace of the game\u2019s inherent violence that made him such a unique presence at Pitt. Teammate Foge Fazio, who later became the Panthers\u2019 head coach, likened him to a prize fighter who \u201ccouldn\u2019t wait for that bell to ring and get back out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former Panthers assistant Ernie Hefferle added to that reputation<\/a>, saying, \u201cHe used to complain that our practices weren\u2019t tough enough. He wanted more hitting. All he wanted to do was hit, hit, hit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI like contact. I just like to hit. And I don\u2019t mind getting hit myself. You can get hit and knocked down and go back and hit the other guy harder,\u201d Ditka himself told the Pittsburgh Press<\/a> during his college career, before alluding to the skills that would turn him into one of the sport\u2019s defining players.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe you think that sounds dumb, but it\u2019s not just running into people. You have to outmaneuver and outsmart them, too. It\u2019s an outlet.\u201d<\/p>\n NEXT: Ranking the 50 Best College Football Players of All Time<\/a><\/p>\n In his statement after Ditka\u2019s death Friday, current Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said that the football legend was the perfect representative of what he wants from his players<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen our players see Mike Ditka\u2019s name, I want them to understand how he competed. He gave everything he had and expected the same from the guys beside him. That’s Pitt,\u201d he said. \u201cHe showed us that tough people find a way through tough times and taught us to fight for the names on the front and back of our jerseys. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and everyone he impacted throughout his tremendous life. His toughness will forever be a part of this program.\u201d<\/p>\n Ditka\u2019s No. 89 is one of just 11 numbers retired by the Pitt program, which has turned out an impressive number of football\u2019s all-time greats, like Dan Marino, Larry Fitzgerald, Tony Dorsett and Aaron Donald. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986, two years before he would earn his gold jacket and enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n Today, most fans may know him more for his outsized personality as coach of the Bears and Saints, and as an analyst with ESPN into the 2010s. Non-football fans may even recognize the name, uttered in the most over-the-top Chicagoan accent possible, from the run of Saturday Night Live \u201cBill Swerski\u2019s Super Fans\u201d sketches, in which his name thoroughly deified. (He\u2019d appear on the show himself twice.)<\/p>\n His coaching career and his brushes with fame beyond football may put his impressive playing career on the backburner for some, but his impact on the field can\u2019t be overstated. Ditka was the early prototype for what a tight end could be, and that development began during his impressive college career.<\/p>\n PODCAST: Listen to Sports Illustrated\u2019s college sports podcast, Others Receiving Votes, hosted by Pat Forde, on Apple<\/a> and Spotify<\/a>. Watch the show on SI\u2019s college YouTube channel<\/a> or on SI TV<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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