Steve McMichael enshrined in Pro Football Hall of Fame (2024)

HOMER GLEN, Ill. – Unable to travel to the Pro Football Hall of Fame due to his battle with ALS, former Bears star defensive tackle Steve McMichael was presented with his gold jacket and bust during an emotional celebration Saturday at his Chicago area home.

The Hall of Fame ensured that McMichael would be part of the Class of 2024's induction ceremony taking place simultaneously in Canton, Ohio, by sending a delegation to his home in Homer Glen, Ill. Those who made the round-trip flight included Hall of Fame former Bears teammates Jimbo Covert, Richard Dent and Mike Singletary, as well as McMichael's wife, Misty, and their daughter, Macy.

"I'm really excited for him," said Singletary, McMichael's teammate from 1981-92. "It's been a long haul. It's been tough. He's been through a lot: blood, sweat and tears on the field, and then from the inside out, all the things that his body has gone through and his mind, all the exasperation, I'm just very thankful that this is coming to him."

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The Hall of Fame was represented on the trip by director of Hall of Famer relations Michelle Norris and Hall of Fame curator of collections Jason Aikens.

McMichael's teammates from the Super Bowl XX champion Bears at his home for Saturday's emotional celebration were Gary Fencik, Mike Hartenstine, Tyrone Keys, Emery Moorehead, Jim Morrissey, Ron Rivera and Tom Thayer. Other former teammates on hand were Trace Armstrong, Bruce Herron and Jim Osborne.

Those who were able to fly in from Canton to share the experience with McMichael were grateful to the Hall of Fame for coordinating the trip.

"It's just really cool for the Hall of Fame to be able to accommodate Steve like that and be able to come here and bring it to 'Mongo' in Chicago," Singletary said. "We were talking on the way here and excited to be a part of this and just really thankful to see all the other players come out. It's a wonderful thing."

"When they asked me to [make the trip], I said, 'Absolutely, I'll be here,'" Covert said. "So, we did it and got to see a lot of our old teammates. I wasn't expecting to see that many guys here, which was great. What an emotional experience for everybody here, especially Steve. It was pretty special."

The most moving moment came when McMichael's former teammates gathered around his bed in the living room of his home as his Hall of Fame bust was unveiled by Misty and Macy.

"You have these conflicting emotions," Fencik said. "Having a former teammate get into the Hall of Fame is just a wonderful experience, and I'm really happy for Steve and his family and I think it's well deserved. But given the circ*mstances of where he is with ALS, it's also emotionally very difficult to accept that one of your teammates is in the stage of ALS that he is. It makes you very reflective."

"It was just amazing," Covert said. "That's the special part of it, for him to be here to see this. It's been a struggle for him, but he's handled this whole thing with such courage, class and strength. He's a pretty amazing person."

Dent welcomed McMichael to the Hall of Fame, saying to him at his bedside: "Steve, you're here with all your world champion brothers. Back in Canton, we have 378 brothers that are looking for you. You're on a team that you can never be cut from, you can never be released from … Welcome home, Steve … Much love, brother."

Jarrett Payton, the son of late Bears legend Walter Payton, served as McMichael's official presenter in Canton. Jarrett also presented his father for induction in 1993.

"[In] 1985, the Bears were prepped to go on a Super Bowl run, but Steve really was the special sauce on that '46' defense," Jarrett said as part of his introduction. "His ability to use his strength, his speed, his quickness really set the tone for what the Bears did in '85 and the success that they had as a defense … Steve McMichael was a force of nature, but the only thing bigger than his personality was his heart."

Though McMichael is no longer able to speak due to ALS, his sister, Kathy, relayed the speech that she worked on with her brother that he would have given if able to. Here it is in its entirety:

"Hey Chicago, Bears fans and Mongo fans, woohoo I'm in the Hall of Fame, baby! I want to thank the Hall of Fame, the senior selection committee, the Chicago Bears and all the fans. The best fans in the world and the best city to play football in. I played 15 years in the NFL and loved every minute of every down. I played with the greatest players in the NFL and the greatest defense to this day, baby. I want to thank all of my teammates. It's an honor to join my teammates Walter Payton, Richard Dent, Mike Singletary, Dan Hampton, Jimbo Covert, coach [Mike] Ditka, coach [Buddy] Ryan, and all the Bears before us. I'd like to say a special thank you to my pseudo son, Jarrett Payton, for introducing me. I want to thank my family, my father Mac, my brother Richard, my sisters Sharon and Kathryn Denise. To my wife, Misty, thank you for giving me my beautiful daughter Macy, and to Macy, you'll always be my little girl. Daddy loves you. And finally, to my mother: We made it momma; your baby made it! Bear down and hook 'em."

McMichael played 13 seasons with the Bears from 1981-93, appearing in a franchise-record 191 straight games. The Texas native ranks second in team history with 92.5 sacks, helped the Bears win six NFC Central Division titles and was an instrumental part of the 1985 Super Bowl XX championship defense that many consider to be the best in NFL history.

McMichael was a two-time first-team All-Pro, a three-time second-team All-Pro and a two-time Pro Bowler. He was named the 19th best player in Bears history in 2019 by writers Don Pierson and Dan Pompei in the Chicago Bears Centennial Scrapbook.

McMichael was selected by the Patriots in the third round of the 1980 draft. Released by New England before his second season, he signed with the Bears as a free agent in 1981. He soon became a key contributor Ryan's revolutionary "46" defense, teaming with future Hall of Famers Dent, Hampton and Singletary.

McMichael's 95.0 career sacks rank fourth in NFL history by a defensive tackle.

During his Hall of Fame career with the Bears, McMichael displayed the charisma of a rockstar and the savagery of a wild animal. A true Monster of the Midway, the native Texan hunted rattlesnakes in the offseason and quarterbacks on gameday.

McMichael's persona earned him two fitting nicknames during his playing days in Chicago: "Mongo," after the character played by Alex Karras in the classic movie "Blazing Saddles," and "Ming the Merciless," a ruthless tyrant who rules the planet Mongo in Flash Gordon comic books.

McMichael embraced being Mongo—a beer-swilling, hell-raising, intimidating force of nature on and off the field. He continued to lean into that personality after retiring from football and becoming a professional wrestler. But the former All-Pro defensive tackle had another side to him: an intelligent, generous, thoughtful God-fearing man who frequently quoted Bible verses and ran for Mayor of Romeoville, Ill.

Sadly, McMichael revealed in April 2021 that he is suffering from ALS—also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease—a neurodegenerative neuromuscular disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles.

That McMichael could be present for his induction into the Hall of Fame Saturday more than three years later was a blessing for him, his family and his friends.

"Absolutely amazing," Singletary said. "First of all, I know what All-Pro meant to him. I know that he's tremendously grateful for any accolades he gets. And I'm just very thankful that this is something that he can experience in his lifetime."