Chicago Bears great and Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve McMichael is entering hospice care amid a yearslong battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the Chicago Tribune reports.
Per the report, McMichael was placed in the intensive care unit during a recent hospitalization, and steps are being taken to transfer him to hospice care.
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McMichael, affectionally known as Mongo, is a five-time All-Pro who played 13 of his 15 NFL seasons for the Bears as a defensive tackle. He was a key member as a first-team All-Pro for the famed 1985 Bears defense that anchored the franchise’s only run to a Super Bowl championship.
McMichael, 67, was diagnosed with ALS in 2021. Known as Lou Gehrig’s disease after the New York Yankees great who was diagnosed with it, ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
It causes the loss of muscle control and eventually impacts the muscles needed to move, speak, eat and breathe, per the Mayo Clinic. It is a progressive disease with no known cure that ultimately proves fatal.
Per the Chicago Tribune, McMichael lost control of his arms and legs during the early onset of the disease. He eventually lost control of his speech and has been bedridden for years.
McMichael’s emotional Hall of Fame induction
McMichael was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and inducted remotely during the 2024 ceremony in Canton, Ohio. McMichael’s family and members of the 1985 Bears including Mike Singletary and Richard Dent surrounded him in his suburban Chicago home as his bronze Hall of Fame bust featuring his signature flowing locks was unveiled bedside.
McMichael’s impact on Chicago
McMichael is a beloved figure in Chicago whose outside personality stood out from a 1985 Bears roster filled with giant personalities.
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McMichael played for the Bears from 1980-93 and was named All-Pro after each season from 1984-88 and again in 1991. He was an anchor for a Bears team that won six NFC Central titles in seven seasons from 1984-90. He finished his NFL career with 95 sacks, 847 tackles and 13 forced fumbles in 213 games.
McMichael remained an active member of the Chicago community after his retirement from football in 1994. He owned a restaurant called Mongo McMichaels in the Chicago suburb of Romeoville.
He was a regular at Chicago fundraisers and events and a frequent collaborator with Chicago Police Department’s bagpiper group, the Emerald Society. Per the Tribune, these collaborations involved McMichael donning kilts for charitable pub crawls across the city to help raise money for first responders.
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