GGOATRANK
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American Football · Tight end · United States

Mike Ditka

1961–1972 · First tight end elected to the Hall of Fame, with 427 career catches.

Retired
Ranking model

100% titles, statistics, dominance, longevity and global competition depth.

Pure sporting data
88.1
Cultural & brand footprint 52/100 · total legacy 76.9
Career receptions
427
Receiving yards
5,812
Pro Bowls
5
NFL titles
1
Rookie of the Year awards
1

Category profile

Dominance
86
Peak
94
Longevity
82
Honours
88
Statistics
92

Career timeline · Touchdowns per season

SeasonTouchdowns per seasonShare of career
196160
196297
196391
196485
196578
196672
196766
196860
196954
197047
197141
197235

Data sources

  • Pro Football Hall of Fame
  • Pro Football Reference
  • NFL official records

Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method

Why Mike Ditka ranks #85 in American Football

Mike Ditka ranks 85th among American Football athletes on GOAT Rank and 1766th of 4013 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 88.1 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 86, Peak 94, Longevity 82, Honours 88, Statistics 92. Those categories are normalised against the full American Football reference universe of 340 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 1961–1972 with 12 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1962, which sets the Peak component at 94. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 94 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes career receptions 427, receiving yards 5812, pro bowls 5, nfl titles 1.

Immediately ahead sits John Randle on 88.1, a gap of 0.0 points. Directly behind is Jim Brown on 87.9. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.

Mike Ditka GOAT Score explained

Dominance86/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Ditka stood above the field while competing. Scored 86/100 against the full American Football cohort.
Peak94/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1962. Scored 94/100.
Longevity82/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 11 years of competition and 12 recorded seasons. Scored 82/100.
Honours88/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 88/100.
Statistics92/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 92/100.

Mike Ditka — frequently asked

Is Mike Ditka the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Mike Ditka ranks 85th in American Football with a GOAT Score of 88.1, behind Tom Brady on 97.2.
What is Mike Ditka's GOAT Score?
88.1 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 86 (25%), Peak 94 (20%), Longevity 82 (20%), Honours 88 (20%), Statistics 92 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Mike Ditka rank all time?
1766th of 4013 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 85th within American Football.
Mike Ditka vs John Randle: who ranks higher?
Mike Ditka, on 88.1 against John Randle's 88.1 — a margin of 0.0 points.
Compare with Brady