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. 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.

Reader's Guide

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 11 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 player he had ever coached. He played with the Green Bay Packers in 1994 before retiring. In August 2023, he was named a finalist for the Seniors ballot of the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the class of 2024.

On February 8, 2024, McMichael was officially selected to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He was formally inducted on August 3, 2024, with his sister Kathy delivering a speech on his behalf. Members of the 1985 Bears, including "Samurai" Mike Singletary, Jimbo Covert and Richard Dent, traveled to his home to share the celebration with him. Walter Payton's son Jarrett would be the one who inducted McMichael into the NFL Hall of Fame.

Did You Know?

• He was a two-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro, winning Super Bowl XX with the Bears.
• He was a one-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion.
• From 2007 to 2013, McMichael was the head coach of the Chicago Slaughter of the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL).
• He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2021.