As a wild man on an otherworldly defense, Steve McMichael demanded attention with his personality and his play.
A 6-foot-2, 270-pound barbarian of the autumn who terrorized opposing offenses, the man known as "Mongo" was a Texas native who became a beloved Chicago sports figure, playing a pivotal role in the iconic 1985 Bears' Super Bowl run.
But today is a sad day in the Windy City.
After announcing in April of 2021 that he had been diagnosed with ALS, the Pro Football Hall of Famer died on Wednesday at the age of 67.
McMichael's death was announced by Jarrett Payton, the son of McMichael's former teammate and fellow Hall of Famer, Walter Payton. Jarrett has been the McMichael family spokesman throughout his ALS battle.
"With deep sorrow, I share that Steve McMichael passed at 5:28 PM after a brave fight with #ALS, surrounded by loved ones," Payton wrote. "I’m grateful to have been with him in his final moments. Please keep Steve and his family [in] your prayers."
Over his entire NFL tenure from 1980 through 1994, McMichael logged 213 games, 171 starts, 847 tackles and 95 sacks, earning two Pro Bowl nods along the way. Those 95 sacks are fourth all time among defensive tackles and his 92.5 with the Bears are second in franchise history behind teammate Richard Dent (124.5).
"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," 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."
Gone too soon, McMichael certainly packed plenty of punch into his life.
Born in Houston on Oct. 17, 1957, McMichael played as big as his Texas-sized personality, becoming a consensus All-American as a defensive tackle at UT Austin.
Though his legacy was born in Chicago, his 15-year NFL career was not. McMichael was taken in the 1980 NFL Draft's third round by the Patriots, but was in New England for just one season before getting released. Signed as a free agent by Chicago in 1981, McMichael didn't become a starter with the Bears until 1983. Mongo proved to be a perfect fit for a legendary defense overflowing with ferocity and flamboyance, serving as a focal point in coordinator Buddy Ryan's 46 scheme.
Truly a Monster of the Midway, McMichael, marked by his long hair and nonstop motor, played in a franchise-record 191 consecutive games for the Bears from 1981 through 1993. He thrived as an interior pass rusher, racking up at least seven sacks in seven straight seasons from 1983 through 1989, including a team/career-high 11.5 in '88.
"It's a cruel irony that the Bears' Ironman succumbed to this dreaded disease," Bears chairman George H. McCaskey said in a statement. "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, the rest of Steve's family, his teammates, and countless friends and fans of a great Bear."
During Chicago's illustrious 15-1 campaign in 1985, McMichael produced 44 tackles and eight sacks, earning the first of his two first-team All-Pro honors. Starting on the Bears' defensive line alongside Richard Dent, Dan Hampton and William "Refrigerator" Perry in Super Bowl XX, McMichael had one of the team's seven sacks in the 46-10 beatdown of the New England team that originally drafted him. The Patriots managed just 123 total yards in the game, turning the ball over a whopping six times. McMichael and Perry teamed up to carry head coach Mike Ditka off the Superdome field in New Orleans on Jan. 26, 1986, concluding the Bears' first and only Super Bowl-winning season.
McMichael's 13 seasons with the Bears concluded after the 1993 campaign. He played one more year in the NFL, joining the archrival Green Bay Packers. He started 14 games and posted one more playoff win in a career that saw eight postseason appearances.
Not lost from the limelight for long after leaving the gridiron, McMichael made his way into the world of professional wrestling. He appeared as part of New York Giants legend Lawrence Taylor's crew in the then-World Wrestling Federation's Wrestlemania XI main event in April of 1995. Not long after, McMichael joined World Championship Wrestling as a color commentator. In 1996, he began his days performing in the ring, initially serving as a tag team partner with another NFL star, Kevin Greene, who abruptly became his rival. McMichael joined the famed Four Horsemen stable that included Ric Flair. He would go on to wrestle another pass-rushing great in Reggie White.
McMichael also did radio work in his post-playing career. And from 2007 through 2013, he served as head coach of the Chicago Slaughter, an indoor football team.
McMichael told the Chicago Tribune in April of 2021 that he was battling ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease), which affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing the loss of muscle control. The initial diagnosis came in January of 2021. In September of 2021, McMichael became the first recipient of the ALS Courage Award. He was enshrined in Pro Football Hall of Fame in August of 2024. Unable to make the ceremony in Canton, Ohio, due to his ongoing battle with ALS, McMichael received his Hall of Fame bust and gold jacket at his home in Homer Glen, Illinois, surrounded by former teammates, as well as his wife, Misty, and their daughter, Macy.
With his booming voice, giant personality and hair-on-fire playing style, McMichael commanded the spotlight in Chicago, even amid a cavalcade of characters on the '85 Bears.
The world is left a little less wild, and a little less fun, without Mongo.