Marge Ditka came to prominence after she married Mike Ditka, a famous American former football player, coach, and television commentator. The former pair were high school sweethearts. Well, it was Mike who had a crush on Marge and later proposed to her.
Furthermore, the ex-couple welcomed four children during their marital life. Unfortunately, even that could not save their marriage. While Marge’s ex-husband remarried, let’s find out if she also found her forever after parting ways.
Apart from being the ex-wife of a superstar, Marge has her own inspiring story. From her school life to her marital life and even beyond that, she faced many difficulties.
Marge Ditka Was A Talented Student
Marge was born on February 12, 1939, as Margery Dougherty Ditka. The old lady attended Aliquippa High School and graduated in 1957. Marge was quite talented and participated actively in various school activities.
Alongside being a member of the Student Council, she was also a part of the Astronomy Club and used to be in the Pep Club.
Mike Ditka And His Ex-Wife, Marge Ditka, Were High school Sweethearts
As stated earlier, Mike and Marge’s relationship began in high school. The ex-partners went to Aliquippa High School and were part of the class of 1957. Mike was popular in those days, being named the most popular student. He was also active in the astronomy and varsity clubs and served as class president.
Moreover, he had a fixation on Margery and gathered the courage to ask her out. Their classmates even called them peanut butter and jelly because they were always together.
Furthermore, the two went on to tie the knot on January 28, 1961. The newlywed couple then moved to Chicago, where Marge felt everything changed. She was not ready as her beau was a media star who, at just 22 years old, won the Rookie of the Year award.
Despite their 12 years of marriage, they eventually divorced on September 21, 1973.
Was Mike Ditka And Marge Ditka’s Marriage Bound To Fail?
Though being married for over a decade, the duo had many differences. One of their friends, Jeannie Morris, believed their marriage was troubled from the beginning. She thought they never really got along.
Jeannie sensed they married too young, only because they felt they should, not because they truly wanted to be together. Mike, in particular, felt pressured into marriage.
The former lovebirds later argued mostly about Mike not being around enough or being too drunk to walk, let alone drive. There was one instance when Marge left her then hammered spouse inside the car since he was too inebriated to walk, and she did not bother to wake him up and lug him inside.
During their marriage, Marge tried to follow the traditional rules. Whereas her former spouse was considered the boss, and everything had to be done his way.
The former Ditka Couple Shared Four Children
During their 12 years of marital life, Marge and Mike welcomed four children together. Their first son, Michael Ditka III, was born in 1961, followed by their second son, Mark Ditka, in 1962.
Furthermore, in 1964, they welcomed their only daughter, Megan Ditka, and in 1996, their third son, Matt Ditka, completed their family.
The divorced pair are also grandparents to Lauren Ashley, the daughter of Michael and his wife Debbie Jo. Additionally, their second son is married to Amy O’Bradovich, whose father, Ed O’Bradovich, used to play for the Bears.
Megan Was Disappointed In Her Father
The beautiful Megan is married to Ronald Alan Hawes, the son of William and Lee Hawes from Brookfield, Wisconsin. She graduated from the University of Texas. Formerly, she worked as a national sales manager for Hilton Hotels Corp in Dallas.
While her father has overachieved in his professional career, the same cannot be said for his personal life. From getting divorced to having his children criticize his fatherhood, one can say Mike had a troubled familial life.
Megan admitted that she has very few memories of her father. She and her siblings were primarily raised by their mother. She further praised her mom for being strong and caring for them. The beautiful lady expressed disappointment in her father’s absence and lack of emotional connection.
She found him intimidating and felt he didn’t know how to express love.
Marge Ditka’s Life After Separation
Since their separation in 1973, Marge has stayed out of the public eye. Unfortunately, there’s little information about her life after the divorce. Furthermore, it is also unclear whether she remarried or not.
Meanwhile, her ex-husband made headlines in 1977 when he married his second wife, Diana Ditka, on July 8th of that year. While enjoying marital bliss for over four decades, the couple doesn’t have any children.