Ditka Agrees to 3-Year Contract

The Chicago Bears ended weeks of speculation about the future of Coach Mike Ditka Wednesday by offering him a new three-year contract, which he has accepted.

Team President Mike McCaskey and Ditka announced the new contract at the training facility in Santa Rosa, Calif., where the Bears are preparing for Sunday’s NFC championship game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Ditka is in the last year of a three-year contract and he said publicly earlier in the season that he might not be back as coach next year. McCaskey indicated Ditka would be rehired but stopped short of saying it was definite until Wednesday.

“I’m excited for myself and for the team,” Ditka said after the new pact was announced. McCaskey said the contract has not yet been signed but that Ditka had agreed to terms.

McCaskey said he had waited until now to sign Ditka to a new contract because “I wanted to be sure that I could confidently say that I wanted Mike Ditka to be the head coach of the Chicago Bears for the next period of time. I’m excited about the challenge. I hope this helps put the issue to the side.

“I’m jut trying to get all the organization to focus on the 49ers and put this to rest.”

Ditka was a player with the Bears on their last NFL championship club in 1963.

After serving eight years as an assistant with the Dallas Cowboys, the former Bears’ tight end was brought in to replace Neill Armstrong by the late Bears’ owner, George (Papa Bear) Halas.

Ditka has compiled a 22-20 record entering the game with the 49ers, including a 10-6 regular-season record this year that won the NFC Central Division title.

Terms of Ditka’s contract were not revealed.