Former Texas Longhorn and Chicago Bears legend, Steve McMichael, was welcomed into the Pro Football Hall of Fame surrounded by his family and former Bears teammates in his home in Chicago this past Saturday.
Due to complications with ALS, his Bears teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Richard Dent delivered his welcome speech by McMichael’s bedside.
“You’re on a team that you can never be cut from (and) you can never be released from. When you die, you will still be on this team,” Dent said. “Welcome home Steve, you’re in football heaven.”
McMichael became the seventh member of the famed 1985 Chicago Bears team to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The team, which had one of the greatest statistical seasons by any team in NFL history, finished with a record of 15–1 and capped off their season in a 46–10 thrashing of the New England Patriots in the 1986 Super Bowl.
McMichael also became the sixth Longhorn elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He joins fellow Longhorns Tex Schramm, Tom Landry, Bobby Layne, Bobby Dillon and his college teammate, Earl Campbell.
Before losing his ability to speak, McMichael and his sister Kathy McMichael began writing his Hall of Fame speech almost a year and a half ago.
“I played 15 years in the NFL and loved every minute and every down,” Kathy said on behalf of her brother. “We made it momma, your baby made it! Bear Down and Hook ‘Em.”
McMichael was a force during his time on the Forty Acres. By his graduation in 1979, he led the program in all-time sacks and tackles. McMichael was an All-American and All-Southwest Conference selection in 1978 and 1979 and was the team’s MVP his senior year.
The Freer native was inducted into the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor in 1999. A decade later, he was selected into the College Football Hall of Fame class of 2009.
After being cut following his rookie year by the New England Patriots, McMichael joined the Chicago Bears, becoming an instant impact player on Buddy Ryan’s “46 Defense.” While in the Windy City, McMichael played in a Bears’ record 191 consecutive games and ranked second on the team’s all-time sack list with 92.5.
In his post-NFL career, McMichael entered the ranks of professional wrestling and was notably a part of Ric Flair’s wrestling group “The Four Horsemen” in their late 1990s iteration. He became the WCW World Heavyweight Champion from September to August 1997.
A natural entertainer, McMichael stayed in the Chicago area after his wrestling career and became a mainstay on Chicago sports radio, co-hosting a Bears pre-game show on ESPN 1000.
McMichael was a champion for player well-being during his retirement. He was an ambassador for the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, a non-profit helping former players and their families with medical and financial needs.
McMichael will be interred forever within the halls of Canton, Ohio. Some have said when the Hall of Fame closes at night, the bronze busts of the players begin to talk amongst each other. The busts of the ‘85 Bears will surely terrorize the rest of the hall for all of eternity.
