Tight End, Chicago
Bears
Age: 22 (Oct.
18)
College: Pittsburgh
Height: 6’3” Weight: 230
Prelude:
Ditka was a
three-sport athlete in college (baseball and basketball were the others). He
led the team in pass receiving three times and was a consensus first-team
All-American as a senior. Ditka also played linebacker and defensive end with
distinction and punted, setting the tone for his later pro career with his competitive
fury and hard-nosed style as well as being a skillful player. He was
chosen by the Bears with the fifth overall pick in the first round of the 1961
NFL draft (he was chosen by the Houston Oilers of the AFL, also in the first
round) and quickly became a key player on offense at tight end with his ability
as a receiver as well as blocker.
1961 Season Summary
Appeared in all
14 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Pass
Receiving
Receptions – 56
[5, tied with Billy Howton]
Most
receptions, game – 9 (for 190 yds.) vs. Green Bay 11/12
Yards – 1076 [4]
Most yards,
game – 190 (on 9 catches) vs. Green Bay 11/12
Average gain
– 19.2 [4]
TDs – 12 [2,
tied with Buddy Dial]
100-yard
receiving games - 5
Scoring
TDs – 12 [4,
tied with Buddy Dial]
Points – 72 [10,
tied with Buddy Dial & Lou Michaels]
Awards & Honors:
NFL Rookie of
the Year: UPI, Sporting News
1st
team All-NFL: NEA, Sporting News
2nd
team All-NFL: UPI, NY Daily News
Pro Bowl
Bears went 8-6
to finish in a tie for third with the Baltimore Colts in the Western
Conference.
Aftermath:
Ditka was
selected to the Pro Bowl in each of the next four seasons and was a consensus
first-team All-NFL selection in 1963, when the Bears won the NFL Championship,
and ’64, when he caught a career-high 75 passes. He did much to define the
newly-evolved position of tight end with his outstanding combination of skills.
After a contract dispute fouled his relations with Chicago’s owner and head
coach, George Halas, Ditka was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1967, but
accumulated wear-and-tear caused his production to drop off during two
injury-plagued seasons. After catching 316 passes for 4503 yards and 34 TDs in
six years with the Bears, he had just 39 receptions for 385 yards and four TDs
in 20 games for the Eagles. Traded again to Dallas, Ditka split time in his
last four seasons. He had 30 catches in 1971, a year in which he also caught a
touchdown pass in a winning Super Bowl appearance. Ditka retired into coaching
after the ’72 season, having caught a total of 427 passes for 5812 yards and 43
TDs. His greatest years came with the Bears, where he was a consensus
first-team All-NFL selection twice, received at least second-team recognition
after four other seasons, and was named to the Pro Bowl five straight times. He
later became head coach of the Bears, leading them to a NFL title in 1985, and
also was head coach of the Saints. Ditka’s #89 was retired by the Bears and he
was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1988.
--
Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were named Rookie
of the Year in the NFL, AFL (1960-69), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized
organization (Associated Press – Offense or Defense, Newspaper Enterprise
Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, or the league
itself – Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year).
