Chicago Bears icon and Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve “Mongo” McMichael has died.
McMichael died Wednesday after a years-long battle with ALS, a longtime family spokesperson confirmed Wednesday evening. He was 67.
Before he was the larger-than-life Steve “Mongo” McMichael — known for his dominance on the football field for the Bears and his many endeavors off it — McMichael was a six-sport standout in high school in Texas, where he would also play his college ball.
The New England Patriots picked McMichael in the third round, at No. 73 overall, in the 1980 NFL Draft. He was the consensus All-America selection at the University of Texas.
The Patriots released McMichael after just six regular-season games in one season, and he joined the Bears in 1981. He would become a key part of what is widely regarded as one of the best defenses in NFL history.
The 6-foot 2-inch, 270-pound McMichael played a franchise-record 191 games for the Bears, and b became a starter at defensive tackle in 1983, the Pro Football Hall of Fame remembered.
In 1985, the first of three straight All-Pro seasons at defensive tackle, McMichael helped lead the Bears to their only Super Bowl title to date — starting at left defensive tackle and recording a sack against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX.
McMichael would play 13 seasons with the Bears from 1981 to 1993, and ranks second only to Richard Dent in team history with 92.5 sacks. A part of six division championship teams, McMichael was a two-time first-team All-Pro, and he made the NFL Pro Bowl twice, in 1986 and 1987.
McMichael went to the Green Bay Packers for one reason to finish his football career and retired after the 1994 season. But he was far from done being in the spotlight.
McMichael appeared briefly with WWF before going on to wrestle and commentate for World Championship Wrestling for five years.
McMichael’s post-career pursuits also included a run for mayor in southwest suburban Romeoville, and coaching the Indoor Football League team — the Chicago Slaughter. He was also famously ejected from a Cubs game in 2001 by home plate umpire Angel Hernandez, who didn’t care for Mongo calling him out before singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”
In 2021, McMichael revealed he was battling ALS. Three years later, McMichael, along with family and friends who had for years pushed for it, celebrated Mongo getting elected to the
Pro Football Hall of Fame
.
That honor came last summer at McMichael’s home in southwest suburban Homer Glen, where he lived with his wife, Misty.
McMichael has
struggled with infections
and had been
admitted to intensive care units
more frequently in recent years as his disease, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, has progressed.
McMichael’s death came just hours after his family announced he was
moving to hospice care in Joliet
and being taken off his ventilator.
McMichael is also survived by a daughter, Macy Dale.
Bears Chairman George H. McCaskey said in a statement: “It’s a cruel irony that the Bears’ Ironman succumbed to this dreaded disease. Yet Steve showed us throughout his struggle that his real strength was internal, and he demonstrated on a daily basis his class, his dignity and his humanity. He is at peace now. We offer our condolences to Misty, Macy, and the rest of Steve’s family, his teammates, and countess friends and fans of a great Bear.”
“Steve McMichael told everyone he would fight ALS with the same tenacity he showed for 15 seasons in the National Football League. And he did just that,” Pro Football Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said in a statement. “Everyone who played with or against Steve shares the same opinion: No one battled longer or harder from the snap until the whistle than Steve the player. That legendary will to fight allowed him to experience his enshrinement as a member of the Hall’s Class of 2024. And the love his teammates showed him throughout this difficult journey says everything about Steve the man.”
CBS News Chicago Sports Director Ryan Baker got to know McMichael after his playing days, when Baker himself came back home to work in Chicago. They spent time together at various charity and golf outings.
Baker said the colorful character could be the life of the party, but was also a gentle giant who fiercely loved his family, close friends, and Bears fans.
“Beloved is not a strong enough word when you talk about Mongo — just a huge presence both on and off the field,” said CBS News Chicago Sports Director Ryan Baker. “I had a lot of time I spent with him in the post-playing career, and just one of the true characters — not only in the NFL, but of life; truly one-of-a-kind.”
Baker added that McMichael was “a tough piece of Texas leather.”
Dent, also known as “The Colonel,” spoke Wednesday night about the loss of his friend, to whom he delivered the Canton gold jacket for the Hall of Fame induction.
“More than anything, I was happy that he was around to receive the honor of being in the Hall of Fame. I mean, it was an honor to be a part of his life, and to bring on the Hall of Fame jacket,” Dent said.
Dent channeled McMichael’s sense of humor.
“Knowing Steve, you know, knowing that the pope had passed, today, I’m sure he’d say, ‘Hey, let me get in line right away. The door is open. I’m coming in.'”
Dent also took note of how Michael fought ALS valiantly for four years.
“He was in for a fight, and it was in for a fight,” Dent said. “He had a great mind and great spirit, and a big heart.”
