A tale of two cities: Mike Ditka.

When most people think of Mike Ditka, they think of the Chicago Bears. Ditka was the coach of the vaunted 1985 Bears team that went 15-1 and ran over New England in the Super Bowl, and he had a 106-62 record in 11 seasons as the Bears’ head man, leading them back to prominence after the end of the George Halas era brought only two winning seasons between 1968 and 1981, before Ditka came in to turn things around. From 1984 to 1991, the Bears won 10 or more games seven times.

There was all of the issues that he had, and his time in Chicago didn’t end on a good note, as he was fired following the 1992 season, despite six division titles, three trips to the NFC title game, and the Super Bowl title. There was also the three-year stint in New Orleans that didn’t go well in the least, as his Saints teams went 15-33 in those three seasons from 1997-99.

Still, Ditka is one of the most beloved figures in the city of Chicago, and one of the most recognizable people in the NFL. And, he’s also got his place in Dallas Cowboys history as well.

There are some people that may not think to remember it, but Ditka is in the Hall of Fame, not for what he did as a coach, but for being one of the best tight ends in NFL history.

That’s where his link with the Cowboys begins.

Ditka started his career with the Bears, where he played his first six NFL seasons. In his rookie year, he had one of the best years by any tight end in NFL history, catching 56 passes for 1076 yards and 12 touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl in his first five seasons in the league, and in his six years as a Bear, he caught 316 passes for 4,503 yards and 34 touchdowns, totals that might seem modest by today’s standards, but excellent then, when passing was less of an emphasis in the NFC. He set the mold for tight ends to be looked at as primary receiving threats for their teams, and set the table for guys like Kellen Winslow, Shannon Sharpe, Tony Gonzalez and others today, including Dallas’ own Jason Witten, who is one of the top pass-catching tight ends in the league.

In 1967, he was traded to Philadelphia, where he made 39 catches for 385 yards and four touchdowns in two seasons. Then, in 1969, the Cowboys acquired him, and he would spend his final four seasons in Dallas, making 72 catches for 824 yards and five touchdowns. The highlight of the end of his career was being a member of the Cowboys’ first championship team, when Dallas beat Miami in Super Bowl VI, in which he caught a touchdown pass in the 24-3 title-clinching win.

Dallas would be where Ditka got his start in coaching. Immediately following the end of his playing career, Tom Landry brought him on as an assistant coach. He was an assistant coach in Dallas for nine seasons before he took the Bears job, and was a part of six division title-winning teams, eight playoff teams, three NFC champions, and one Super Bowl winner (Super Bowl XII).

He would, however, go back to his roots, as George Halas brought him back to the Windy City in 1982. Unfortunately for Halas, he wouldn’t get to see the fruits of the hire, as he passed away from cancer in October 1983, during Ditka’s second season as coach. Ditka compiled an 11-17 record in those first two seasons, before getting the ship righted the next season, and leading one of the NFL’s most storied franchises back to the promised land.

So, while Ditka is, without a doubt, a legend for what he did in Chicago, both as a player and as a coach, there is certainly a place for him in Cowboys history as well.