Chicago Bears legend and Super Bowl hero Steve McMichael was another franchise player who was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Add another Chicago Bears name to the list of the immortals. On the same night that the Pro Football Hall of Fame called Devin Hester‘s name, the organization also called legendary defensive tackle Steve McMichael’s.
McMichael, a two-time Pro Bowl player and two-time All-Pro, was the New England Patriots’ third-round pick in 1980. After one year with the Patriots, he went to the Chicago Bears. There, he spent 13 seasons and played at a Hall of Fame level there. He helped the Bears win Super Bowl XX in the 1986 season, playing a big part in one of the greatest defenses ever assembled in NFL history. He also spent one season with the Green Bay Packers, but we will forgive him for that misstep.
McMichael recorded 847 tackles and 95 sacks. He also had 13 forced fumbles and 17 fumble recoveries, as well as 2 interceptions.
McMichael’s Hall of Fame honor was the culmination of a petition and letter-writing campaign to get him in. In 2022, many people felt that it was criminal that he had not made it 28 years after he retired. It took two more years, but he finally made it.
In 2021, McMichael doctors diagnosed him with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Since then, his condition has deteriorated to the point of him not being able to walk or talk. His wife, Misty, said he is still aware and is grateful for the honor.
He knows he’s getting in the Hall of Fame, and he has the biggest smile on his face. He already started his induction speech and has said, ‘Hello, Chicago; thank you, Chicago.’
Misty said a year earlier that she knew that despite his worsening condition, her husband would stay alive so he could be there to get the feeling of officially being considered among the best. For years he expressed his desire to get into the Hall.
It is ironic that McMichael is suffering through a debilitating disease. When he played he was one of the most durable players in the league. He played all 16 games of a season 11 out of his 15 seasons. He did not ever want to take time off from the field.
McMichael is the fourth defensive player to make it to the Hall of Fame from the Chicago Bears vaulted defense that led the franchise to its first and only Super Bowl win. Walter Payton was the lone offensive player in the Hall. That team went 15-1 and just obliterated the competition.
The Chicago Bears now have 40 players in the Hall of Fame who spent some time with the franchise. That is the most of any team in the league. For McMichael, he is finally at home, football-wise.
More must-reads: