NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
Steve McMichael played 13 of his 15 NFL seasons with the Chicago Bears. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Steve McMichael wasn’t the best or even close to the most famous member of the 1985 Chicago Bears. It’s possible nobody embodied that team better, though.
McMichael was a fantastic defensive tackle for 15 NFL seasons, and that’s why he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But McMichael’s huge personality might be as big of a part of his story as his playing career. Even on that famous ’85 Bears team full of characters, McMichael stood out.
McMichael’s adventures include some time as a professional wrestler after his playing days. The man nicknamed “Mongo” teamed with Ric Flair on the famous “Four Horsemen” for a bit.
This embedded content is not available in your region.
“He’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met in my life, and wilder than me — and that’s saying a lot,” Flair told the Bears’ official site. “Steve used to say to me, ‘I’ve got more money than I’ve got time. What do you want to do tonight?’ I never slept, but he slept less.”
McMichael’s battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, was discussed often before and after he got his call to the Hall of Fame. Before that disease took over, McMichael had a well-earned reputation as the life of the party.
Steve McMichael’s outsized persona
McMichael’s most memorable moment in Chicago might not have been in a Bears uniform. It happened from the TV booth at a Cubs game.
McMichael got a chance to sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh inning stretch, a tradition that honors longtime broadcaster Harry Caray. McMichael wasn’t happy with a call against the Cubs from home plate umpire Ángel Hernández, so he called out Hernández before singing and booed him from the booth. Hernández glared back and even though the urban legend that Hernández ejected McMichael from the stadium might not have been true, it was an indelible…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/2024-hall-of-fame-steve-mcmichael-will-forever-be-a-chicago-bears-fan-favorite-130037884.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-07-29 13:00:37
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
