Misty McMichael, wife of 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Steve McMichael, holds up her husband’s gold jacket during a ceremony in Canton, Ohio, on August 2. File Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI | License Photo
Former Chicago Bears defensive lineman and professional wrestler Steve “Mongo” McMichael is entering hospice care after battling Lou Gehrig’s disease since 2021.
McMichael, 67, recently entered an Illinois hospital’s intensive care unit due to the crippling effects of the disorder that affects the nervous system and robbed him of his ability to speak and use his legs and arms.
“As of today, Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox has recommended to the family to transfer Steve into a Joliet hospice facility this afternoon,” wife, Misty McMichael, told WFLD.
“He’s been unresponsive for the last two weeks and in and out of the hospital,” she said. “He’s currently in ICU at Silver Cross.”
The former NFL player and World Championship Wrestling professional wrestler was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS, which commonly is called Lou Gehrig’s disease, in 2021.
The disease that affects brain and spinal cord nerve cells is in its advanced stages and has caused McMichael to lose his muscle control.
“ALS attacks the organs and has attacked all his organs except his heart,” Misty told WFLD. “His heart is perfect.”
McMichael was a starting defensive lineman with the Bears for 13 seasons and a key component of its stifling defense that greatly helped the team win the 1985 Super Bowl and six division championships in the 1980s and early 1990s, the Chicago Tribune reported.
He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1980 NFL draft after completing his college career at the University of Texas.
The Bears signed McMichael as a free agent a year later, and he finished his career with the Green Bay Packers in 1994.
McMichael played 15 seasons in the NFL and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024.
McMichael’s condition caused the Hall of Fame staff to go to his home in Homer Glen, Ill., last summer to present him with the traditional gold jacket and bronze bust upon his induction.
He was surrounded by his family and former teammates while receiving the NFL’s highest honor.,
While a member of the Bears, McMichael played in a team-record 191 consecutive games, amassed 92.5 of his career total of 95 sacks.
He earned All-Pro honors five times, including first-team honors in 1985 and 1987.
After retiring from the NFL, McMichael became a color commentator and wrestled professionally in the WCW as a member of the “Four Horsemen,” along with pro-wrestling legend Ric Flair.
