Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve McMichael, who helped anchor the Chicago Bears‘ dominant 46 Defense in the 1980s and finished his career with the Green Bay Packers, died April 23 due to complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease). He was 67.
Jarrett Payton, the son of McMichael’s former Bears teammate, Walter Payton, announced McMichael’s death on social media.
“With deep sorrow, I share that Steve McMichael passed at 5:28 PM after a brave fight with #ALS, surrounded by loved ones,” Payton wrote. “I’m grateful to have been with him in his final moments. Please keep Steve and his family your prayers.”
Known for his giant-sized gregarious personality and bone-crushing style of play, McMichael played 13 of his 15 seasons with the Bears. He finished his career in 1994 with the Packers, a team he often terrorized while wearing a Chicago uniform.
While McMichael lacked the relentless perpetual motor during his prime seasons, he played in 14 games with the Packers and finished with 28 tackles, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble as Green Bay made the playoffs.
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In Chicago, where he was often overshadowed by teammates Mike Singletary and Richard Dent, McMichael played in 191 consecutive games with the Bears. He had at least seven sacks for seven straight seasons, including eight in 1985 when the Bears won the Super Bowl and finished 15-1 in the regular season. His career 92.5 sacks with the Bears are second only to Dent.
In his book “One Knee Equals Two Feet,” the late Oakland Raiders coach and NFL television analyst John Madden wrote that McMichael was his favorite defensive tackle:
“Steve told me something I’ve never heard another player say. ‘I want to play the best I can in every game. You never know what game is going to be your last. And you have to live the rest of your life with your last game.’ … But the way Steve McMichael plays, he’ll always be proud of his last game, whenever that is.”
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The boisterous McMichael was often the center of attention off the field as well. He was the lead character in a cast of characters known as the Monsters of the Midway. After his playing career ended, he sometimes wrestled professionally. McMichael entered the ring with WCW’s famous “Four Horsemen” team that included Ric Flair and, in 1997, wrestled former Packers star Reggie White.
After announcing he had ALS in 2021, McMichael said he raised more money for disease than he earned while playing football. His last wish was to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Though he couldn’t attend the ceremony, he was inducted by the Seniors Committee in 2024.
Born in Houston in 1957, McMichael lost just one game while playing defensive tackle at the University of Texas. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round in 1980, but was released after his rookie year and signed with the Bears in 1981.
“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.”
McMichael is survived by his wife, Misty, and daughter, Macy.
