Stable History

Lore & Background

McMichael was born on October 17, 1957, in Houston. His parents separated before his second birthday, and his mother later remarried E.V. McMichael, an oil company executive whose surname McMichael adopted; his surname at birth has not been publicly reported. He had four siblings: older brothers John and Richard, and younger sisters Kathy and Sharon. The family moved to Freer, south of San Antonio, and he attended Freer High School. In his senior year, he lettered in six sports: football, basketball, baseball, track, tennis, and golf. Baseball was his preferred sport, and whilst playing as a catcher, he batted .450 in his senior year, garnering attention from the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds. McMichael's accomplishments in football led to him being offered scholarships by 75 colleges and universities. He chose to go to the University of Texas at Austin. He played as a defensive tackle for the Texas Longhorns football team from 1976 to 1979, but his freshman season was marred by the death of his stepfather. In his senior season, he was a consensus first-team All-American, and he was defensive MVP at the 1979 Hula Bowl in Halawa, Hawaii. During his time playing at Texas he was an All-Southwest conference choice in 1978 and 1979, the team MVP in 1979 and the backup place kicker in 1977. In 1979 he was inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor. On July 17, 2010, McMichael was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Selected in the third round (73rd overall) of the 1980 NFL draft by the New England Patriots, McMichael was cut before his second season in 1981, then was signed by the Chicago Bears as a free agent. He became one of their starting defensive tackles and helped them to a Super Bowl win in 1985. He had a streak of 101 games started until 1990, when his playing time was reduced. He led the Bears with 11½ sacks in 1988. He had 108 tackles in 1989. McMichael was named to the NFC's Pro Bowl teams for the 1986 and 1987 seasons. In a 1991 game against the New York Jets, with the Bears down 13–6 with 1:54 remaining, McMichael forced a Blair Thomas fumble and recovered it at the New York 36. Quarterback Jim Harbaugh then threw a game-tying touchdown to Neal Anderson with :18 left in the game. The Bears went on to win in overtime when Harbaugh scored on a one yard TD run. Bears coach Mike Ditka said in 2005 that McMichael was the toughest play

In Their Own Story

The wind blows out from left field on a crisp October afternoon. The scoreboard operator flips the numbers by hand, the clatter echoing against the brick facade. In the bleachers, a father points to the ivy growing thick on the outfield wall, telling his son about the year the drought finally broke. The crowd rises as one, a sea of blue and red, not cheering for a single play, but celebrating a century of waiting that has just ended.

Reader's Guide

McMichael's professional wrestling career began with a ringside appearance for Lawrence Taylor at WrestleMania XI on April 2, 1995. He then joined WCW in 1995 as a color commentator on WCW Monday Nitro. In April 1996, Ric Flair started hitting on McMichael's wife Debra, leading to a match at The Great American Bash where McMichael and Kevin Greene faced Flair and Arn Anderson. During the match, Debra returned with a briefcase full of money and a Four Horsemen T-shirt; McMichael accepted it and hit Greene in the head with the briefcase, joining the Four Horsemen. His first singles match was against Joe Gomez at Bash at the Beach. He feuded with the Dungeon of Doom and with Jeff Jarrett over the affections of Debra. At SuperBrawl VII, McMichael wrestled Jarrett; if Jarrett won, he became an official Horseman. Debra interfered for Jarrett, so he won. McMichael and Jarrett later teamed as a solid tag team. McMichael beat Reggie White at Slamboree 1997 and lost to Kevin Greene at The Great American Bash 1997, where Greene's mother slapped McMichael at ringside. In July 1997, Jarrett was kicked out of the Horsemen, and Debra left McMichael for Jarrett. McMichael defeated Jarrett for the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship on the August 21 episode of Clash of the Champions XXXV. At Fall Brawl, Curt Hennig turned on the Horsemen and joined the nWo during the War Games match, in which McMichael was handcuffed to the steel cage.

Did You Know?

• McMichael was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and a key member of the 1985 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears.