Ditka: An Autobiography

by Mike Ditka, Don Pierson

The coach of the Chicago Bears describes their championship season, recounts his career as a player, and explains his philosophy of coaching

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Football, Biography

Hardcover

First published May 31, 1982

About the author

Mike Ditka is a former American football NFL player, television commentator, and coach. Ditka coached the Chicago Bears for 11 years and New Orleans Saints for 3 years. Ditka and Tom Flores are the only two people to win Super Bowls as a player, an assistant coach and a head coach.

Reviews

[Robert Lester · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to give it 5 stars, because I love da coach, but it wasn't anything new. I have listened to alot of his interviews, and it was a repeat. Reading the book was like listening to Ditka. It seemed like a transcription of a conversation. Glad I read it, but would only recommend for die hard Bears fans.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the surface, the football career of Mike Ditka is very interesting. His first year with the Chicago Bears he caught 58 passes, an unheard of total for a tight end. Before Ditka, tight ends were almost totally blockers, so he revolutionized the position. He played on the 1963 Bears championship team and in two Super Bowls as a player for the Dallas Cowboys. Ditka’s next gig was as a coach for the Dallas Cowboys. During that time the team reached the playoffs eight times, won six division titles, three NFC championships and a Super Bowl. He was the head coach of the 1985 Chicago Bears, considered by many to be the best team of all time. Ditka also played under Papa Bear George Halas and played two seasons with Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus.
With all of these professional achievements, the expectation is that this book would be full of insights into the machinations of all of that success. Yet, the book is more about the relatively minor things in Ditka’s life. While those things are obviously important to Ditka because it is his life, they pale in interest compared to all of the other major professional accomplishments and experiences.
For this reason, the knowledgeable football fan will likely find this book rather dull compared to what it could have been.

[Samito · Rating 1 out of 5]

All around a terrible book. Ditka's story is incoherent and poorly structured. He just wrote this book at the wrong time. I understood that he wrote this book just after winning the Super Bowl, but it is not a time that makes sense to write a book. It would have been more appropriate for him to write this reflecting back on a career, not in the middle of it. Ditka spends most of the book rambling on about nonsense rather than describing any particular event in detail. Matters are made worse because his writing style does not flow. It is very choppy which makes it difficult to follow what he is saying. Finally, he mentions all sorts of players who, at the time, may have been household names, but now 30 years later, most of them have been lost to history.

[Hannnah S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I don’t care for football but I respect Mike Ditka. And while the bill was more about his coaching life I like how within the book it’s clear it’s clear he matures and grows as a coach

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Because he’s Da Coach, and I’m a Bears fan, I’ll give this book a ranking of “Of Some Definable Merit.” Of the positives – this book really does give a glimpse into the motivations of Ditka. He talks extensively about the legendary 1985 Bears and many of its personalities. I was surprised to learn that he actually respected Jim McMahon, who he publicly feuded with many times, as a winner. I was not surprised by how much he had to say about Buddy Ryan. There are also glimpses into his greatest asset, that thing that matched him so perfectly to Chicago, his attitude. “I really believe this: if you accept defeat, then you’re going to be defeated a hell of a lot more than you’re going to win. You can be gracious in defeat, but boy I’ll tell you what, you can be gracious on the outside, but you better be doing flipflops inside. If you’re not churning and turning, you’re going to go out and get your ass whipped next time out, that’s all there is to it.” (38)

Unfortunately for the rest of the book, it is written exactly as Ditka speaks. I had naturally assumed that a man who has achieved had thoughts that he could put on paper that sounded less like stream-of-consciousness, chopped up motivational speak. He writes like he talks. Apparently he talks like he thinks. I suppose this shouldn’t be surprising, as one of Ditka’s most endearing qualities is his brutal honesty, and the sleeves upon which you can see his emotions. To the detriment of this book, it doesn’t make a great autobiography. Watch the interviews on TV as they will be more entertaining.

[Justin]

Best book ever man.

[bluetyson]

isbn,original

[Joe Kozenski · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read written like Ditka talks. Not only a good read regarding football, but also a interesting take on success, leadership and the drive it takes to do what you love.

[Blake Knudsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good read. Really enjoyed the way the book was written and how the words came off the page. From his beef with the media and Buddy Ryan to his family life and life lessons, this is a great read. Can get boring in some spots but that’s okay.