Hall of Famer, Bears great Steve ‘Mongo’ McMichael dies at 67

Former Bears defensive tackle and Hall of Famer Steve “Mongo” McMichael died Wednesday evening after battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) over the past few years. He was 67.

McMichael first revealed that he was diagnosed with ALS in 2021 and had fought the disease ever since. He was moved into hospice care earlier in the day Wednesday.

“It’s a cruel irony that the Bears’ Ironman succumbed to this dreaded disease,” Bears chairman George McCaskey said. “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.”

McMichael endeared himself to Bears fans during and after his playing career. Originally drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round out of Texas in 1980, the Bears signed McMichael in 1981. He became a dominant force with his play on the defensive line and his gregarious personality made him popular off of it.

An All-Pro tackle during the Bears’ Super Bowl winning season in 1985, McMichael played in a Bears’ record 191 straight games from 1981 to 1993. He played most of his career in Chicago, other than his rookie year with the Patriots and his final season with the Green Bay Packers in 1994.

McMichael totaled 95 sacks over a 15-year career, including 92.5 as a member of the Bears.

McMichael kept busy after his football playing career. He wrestled, did some Bears radio work, coached the Indoor Football League’s Chicago Slaughter, ran for Romeoville mayor and was part of a band with other former Bears players, the Chicago 6.

Despite the strong statistics, it took years for McMichael to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Many of his former teammates were inducted throughout the years but McMichael never got his flowers.

His wife Misty led a push for him to be inducted into the hall after he was diagnosed with ALS. Her effort paid off when he was inducted last summer with former Bears Devin Hester and Julius Peppers.

“If I could do anything for him, at least it’s a little bit of something I could do for him, because he’s done everything for me,” Misty said last year, fighting back tears. “So I feel like it was the least I could do, and I did it with pleasure. It’s an honor and privilege to take care of that man, and to do all I can for him. He’s such an awesome, awesome person.

“That has nothing to do with what he did on the field. He’s just an awesome man.”