Mike Dikita is 84 years old as of 2024 and he is still alive and doing well. NFL fans are surely going to love how he has been doing these days!
Key Takeaways
- Michael Ditka is an American former football player, coach, and television commentator.
- He had a heart attack in 2018.
- Ditka is doing just fine in his eighties in 2024.
Mike Ditka Is Alive In 2024
Many fans have speculated about Ditka’s life. The good news is that he is alive and well to this day.
He is 84 and has not been as active as he was several years ago.
Since he is not active on social media, it has been impossible for his fans from his active days to keep track of what he has been doing nowadays.
The veteran has retired and has not been reported to be doing anything significant as he was a few years prior.
Ditka has always influenced the lives of fans worldwide, either through his commentating style or his skills as a player.
It was mostly in the eighties and the nineties that Mike came into the hype, and fans of all generations remember him for his contribution to the sports industry.
Early Life And Career Of Mike Dikta
Mike was born Michael Dyczko in Carnegie, Pennsylvania.
He was also the oldest child of Charlotte (Keller) and Mike Ditka Sr. among his siblings Ashton, David, and Mary Ann.
Since his Ukranian surname was tough for the people in his neighborhood to pronounce, it was later changed to Dikta.
He attended St. Titkus School and later Aliquippa High School, where he became a three-sport star under head coach Press Maravich.
It was the team doctor, John L. Miller, who encouraged Dikta and his team to play for Pitt after taking them to the Pitt Football game.
Mike never planned to work in a manufacturing job in his hometown after he completed school.
He was always passionate about football and wished to get a football scholarship so that he could escape forced monotony.
Though he eventually planned to become a dentist, Dikta got recruited by three NCAA Division I teams, including Notre Dame, Penn State, and Pitt.
During his time in college, he was also placed in the College Football Hall of Fame.
This had been the beginning of his career as a sportsman.
Ever since, he has been successful in playing for the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, and Dallas Cowboys.
Similarly, he is one of the most loved sports commentators ever.
Dikta earned an honor in the “Pro Football Hall of Fame” for blocking and 427 career receptions for 5,812 yards and 43 touchdowns in 1988.
The football veteran also worked as a coach for the Chicago Bears and the New Orleans Saints.
Mike Dikta’s Health Issues
In 2018, Dikta fell victim to a bad heart condition. He was taken to the Florida Hospital.
ESPN quoted,
“Coach Ditka had a mild heart attack earlier this week. Doctors inserted a pacemaker, and he is doing much better. He appreciates the outpouring of support and expects to be home soon.”
Via ESPN
Walter Payton’s son and WGN contributor Jarrett Payton later informed that he was doing well after he was taken to the hospital.
He tweeted,
“The report that Mike Ditka is in the hospital is true and just got confirmation he is doing well. He’s Iron Mike…what would you expect. #Bears #DaBEARS”
Via X
Dikta was 79 at that time.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Mike Dikta won the NFL Championship and Super Bowl.
- He married Diana Dikta in 1977 after separating from Marge Dikta in 1973.
- Dikta retired as a player in 1972.
