Former Bears great and NFL Hall of Famer Steve McMichael died today aged 67. He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, in January of 2021 and was removed from his ventilator and moved to hospice care earlier today.
McMichael spent thirteen seasons as a defensive tackle with the Bears, earning All-Pro honors twice. He’s currently second in franchise history with 92½ sacks and third with 814 tackles. He made a franchise record 191 consecutive starts, starting in week 7 of 1981 and lasting through the end of the 1993 season and was a key part of the fabled “46” defense that led the Bears to the Super Bowl XX title. He was elected to the Hall of Fame last year.
Following his football career, McMichael turned to professional wrestling, where we worked with both the then-WWF and WCW. In August of 2001, he appeared at Wrigley Field as the guest conductor of the seventh inning stretch. Prior to belting out Take Me Out to the Ballgame, McMichael had a few words for home plate umpire Angel Hernandez, who was involved in a questionable call the previous inning. Hernandez stared down McMichael from the field and, eventually, McMichael left the booth, having been ejected from the stadium.