Steve 'Mongo' McMichael, Chicago Bears legend, receives Hall of Fame Gold Jacket

Steve McMichael's wife reflects on Bears legend's Hall of Fame induction

Chicago Bears icon Steve "Mongo" McMichael was officially inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Saturday at his home in Homer Glen. Misty McMichael shares how the long-awaited moment felt.

CHICAGO - Bears great Steve "Mongo" McMichael received his Pro Football Hall of Fame Gold Jacket Saturday morning as induction activities began in Canton, Ohio.

Former teammates gathered at the McMichael home as his wife Misty delivered the gold jacket.

The president of the Hall of Fame, Jim Porter, traveled to McMichael's home to present the bust to him in person.

Misty attended Saturday night's ceremony where she accepted the jacket on her husband's behalf and unboxed it for the first time.

McMichael is in the advanced stages of ALS and won't be able to make the trip from Homer Glen for the ceremonial activities this weekend.

The 66-year-old McMichael is part of a seven-member class that includes former Bears Devin Hester and Julius Peppers.

An All-Pro defensive tackle in 1985 and 1987, he played in a franchise-record 191 consecutive games from 1981 to 1993 and ranks second to Richard Dent on the Bears’ all-time sacks list with 92 1/2. His final NFL season was with Green Bay in 1994.

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 ended. He also spent five years in professional wrestling in the late 1990s.

In April 2021, McMichael revealed that he was battling Lou Gehrig’s disease, which affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control.

McMichael was born in Houston and starred at Texas from 1976-79, becoming a consensus first-team All-American as a senior. He entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

He played 15 years in the NFL — 13 with Chicago.