Hall of Famer Steve “Mongo” McMichael, a stalwart member of the dominant Chicago Bears famed “46 defense” of the 1980s who ranks second in franchise history with 92.5 sacks, died at age 67, the NFL announced Wednesday.
McMichael was diagnosed with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, in 2021.
He played one season for the New England Patriots and one with the Green Bay Packers, but it was the 13 seasons in between with the Bears when he made his mark, including playing in a team-record 191 consecutive games. In total, McMichael played in 207 games from 1981 to 1994.
A one-of-a-kind personality and Hall of Fame player. Mongo will never be forgotten. 💙 pic.twitter.com/PwVpER1cmH
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) April 24, 2025
The defensive tackle won a Super Bowl (1985) and was twice selected first-team All-Pro and to the Pro Bowl. He had at least seven sacks in seven straight seasons (1983 to 1989), second among Bears players to Richard Dent’s 10-year streak.
“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.”
On Aug. 3, 2024, some 344 miles west of Tom Benson Stadium in Canton, Ohio, McMichael was officially enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Surrounded by his wife, daughter and members of the Bears’ famed 1985 defense, McMichael’s Hall of Fame bust was unveiled inside of his home in Homer Glen, Illinois. McMichael laid in his bed in his gold jacket while his sister, Kathy, delivered the defensive tackle’s enshrinement speech in a prerecorded video.
On hand to celebrate McMichael’s enshrinement were former teammates Richard Dent, Ron Rivera, Mike Singletary, Jimbo Covert, Gary Fencik, Jim Osborne and Marcus Keyes.
“Steve, we’re here with all your world champion brothers,” Dent said. “Back in Canton, we have 378 brothers that are 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 on it.”
The NFL is heartbroken to hear of the passing of Super Bowl champion and Hall of Famer Steve McMichael after a brave battle with ALS.
Our thoughts and condolences are with his family and loved ones. pic.twitter.com/ENXTqfoqQk
— NFL (@NFL) April 23, 2025
Live video from McMichael’s bedside was streamed to the crowd in Canton while ESPN’s Chris Berman, who served as the Hall of Fame’s master of ceremonies, relayed the message he received from the defensive tackle about his career impact.
“I do not want ALS to be my legacy,” the message said. “What I did on the field, that’s my legacy. Pushing myself to the limit … farther than anybody else could.”
Ultimately picked by the Hall of Fame’s senior committee, McMichael had previously been nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014 and 2015 and made it past the first cut of candidates twice before coming up short of a selection.
McMichael’s wife, Misty, actively campaigned for her husband’s enshrinement as ALS took away his ability to move or speak, leaving him bedridden during the last years of his life.
McMichael had signed a “do not resuscitate” form in 2023 before his condition began to worsen. Upon learning he was one of the senior semifinalists last August, McMichael informed his wife that he wanted to rip up the DNR as he awaited word on his selection.
“There will never be a stronger fighter we will ever know. He was also the sweetest guy I have ever known,” McMichael’s longtime publicist, Betsy Shepherd, told ESPN. “I am proud of all we accomplished together, especially the National Pro Football Hall of Fame. It was the last thing he could say to me before he lost his ability to speak. I asked him what else I could do for him and he whispered, ‘Hall of Fame.’ Thanks to the fans, we did it. He loved you endlessly.”
Hall of Famer Steve McMichael ranks second in Chicago Bears franchise history with 92.5 sacks — amassing at least seven sacks in seven straight seasons — and played in a team-record 191 consecutive games. He won a Super Bowl with the ’85 Bears. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
McMichael had eight sacks during the 1985 regular season — and added another in the Super Bowl XX win over the Patriots — and was a first-team All-Pro selection as he started every game that season. He controlled the interior of the line for a defense that ranked No. 1 that season in fewest points allowed, fewest yards allowed and takeaways — in addition to giving up only 10 points in three playoff wins — and is considered by many to be the best ever after leading Chicago to an 18-1 record.
McMichael, who finished with 95 career sacks, also had 847 career tackles, 13 forced fumbles, 17 fumble recoveries, 2 interceptions and 3 recorded safeties in 213 career games. His 92.5 sacks with the Bears ranks behind only Dent in team history.
Though McMichael was often overshadowed by Hall of Famers Singletary and Dent, he was instrumental to the Bears’ success. Coach Mike Ditka said McMichael was the toughest player he ever coached.
McMichael finished his career with the rival Packers in 1994, but he liked to tell people in retirement that the only reason he signed with the Bears’ bitter rival was to “steal their money and whup their ass again!”
McMichael was selected by the Patriots in the third round of the 1980 NFL draft but didn’t last long in New England, appearing in six games as a rookie before getting released prior to his second season. He starred in college at Texas, where the Houston native was a unanimous first-team All-America selection for a notoriously stingy defense and left as the Longhorns’ all-time leader in career tackles (369) and sacks (30).
He received recruiting letters for football from about 75 schools. Bear Bryant wanted to use him as a tight end at Alabama, and Darrell Royal recruited him to Texas as a defensive end.
He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
The World Just Lost The Incredible Steve “Mongo” McMichael! He Was My Best Friend Through It All! An Amazing Athlete And Human Being! I Have The Fondest Memories Working With Him, And This Is An Extremely Heartbreaking Loss For Me! I Love You Mongo! You Fought One Hell Of A… pic.twitter.com/yq2YHfWKmf
— Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) April 23, 2025
After football, “Mongo” had a career resurgence as a professional wrestler with World Championship Wrestling (WCW), where he won the United States heavyweight championship as a member of the famed “Four Horsemen” group led by Ric Flair.
In April 1995, he was in Lawrence Taylor’s corner at WrestleMania. Later that year, he started with WCW as a commentator. He began his in-ring career in 1996, feuding with Flair over then-wife Debra McMichael, who was a wrestling valet. He remained with the company through 1999.
Whether he was terrorizing opponents or discussing the Bears on sports talk radio, the man known as “Ming The Merciless” and “Mongo” — after the character in “Blazing Saddles” who knocked out a horse — remained a prominent presence in Chicago long after his playing days.
Born in Houston, McMichael’s parents separated when he was about 2. His mom, Betty, married an oil company executive named E.V. McMichael, and the younger McMichael considered him his dad and took on his surname.
The family moved to Freer, Texas, and McMichael went on to letter in football, basketball, baseball, track, tennis and golf as a senior. A high school catcher, he preferred baseball. The Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals showed interest, but his parents wanted him to go to college.
McMichael and Debra divorced in 1998. He married the former Misty Davenport in 2001, and their daughter, Macy, was born in 2008.
“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 and CEO 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. … And the love his teammates showed him throughout this difficult journey says everything about Steve the man.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
