In what was perhaps the most poignant Hall of Fame induction in recent memory, former Chicago Bears great Steve McMichael – bedridden while deep in the throes of a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as ‘Lou Gehrig’s disease’ – was enshrined from his Chicago home, unable to easily communicate or travel to Canton, Ohio, for Saturday’s ceremony.
McMichael, 66, looking gaunt and pale but wearing his gold Hall of Fame jacket, was surrounded by, among others, his wife Misty, Pro Football Hall of Fame president Jim Porter and several teammates from the legendary ’85 Bears, including ex-linebacker and NFL head coach Ron Rivera and fellow Hall of Famers Richard Dent, Mike Singletary and Jimbo Covert.
Misty McMichael gently turned her husband’s head as she unveiled his bronze bust to him.
‘Steve, you’re here with all of your world champion brothers,’ said Dent, MVP of Super Bowl 20.
‘Back in Canton, we have 378 brothers that’s looking for you. You’re on a team that you can never be cut from, you never can be released from. When you die on this team, you will still be honored. Welcome home, Steve, you’re in football heaven.’
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McMichael was as big a character as any for the ’85 Bears, a team loaded with personalities. A WCW wrester following his football playing days who unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Romeoville, Illinois, in 2012, ‘Mongo’ was truly a monster for coordinator Buddy Ryan’s famed ’46 defense.’
A third-round pick of the New England Patriots out of the University of Texas in 1980 who finished his career with the Green Bay Packers in 1994, McMichael spent his 13 other NFL seasons in Chicago. The two-time All-Pro finished his career with 95 sacks, among the most ever for an interior linemen, and 847 tackles.
McMichael was introduced Saturday by Jarrett Payton, son of Bears Hall of Famer Walter Payton, whom McMichael called his ‘pseudo son’ in a brief acceptance speech read by his sister Kathy.
‘I do not want ALS to be my legacy,’ McMichael said via master of ceremonies Chris Berman.
‘What I did on the field, that’s my legacy – pushing myself to the limit, yessir … farther than anyone else could.’
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