AUSTIN, Texas — A legend on the Forty Acres who became a legend in the NFL will be given his well-deserved tribute this fall.
On Thursday night at the NFL Honors, it was announced that 15-year NFL great and former Longhorn Steve McMichael will be one of the seven men inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August.
The news comes as the 66-year-old currently battles amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, which prevented him from attending Thursday night's ceremony. His wife, Misty, accepted on his behalf.
McMichael played at Texas for four seasons from 1976 to 1979, serving as a team captain and earning First Team All-American honors in 1979. The Houston native was then drafted in the third round of the 1980 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots but spent only one season with the team.
McMichael is most remembered for his 13-year tenure with the Chicago Bears, where he was a star defensive tackle for a number of dominant defenses during that era – including the celebrated 1985 Bears squad that went 15-1 and won Super Bowl 20, considered to be one of the best football teams of all time.
During his NFL career, he was a two-time First-team All-Pro selection in 1985 and 1987, and earned Second-team All-Pro honors in 1986, 1988 and 1991.
After closing out his career with the Green Bay Packers in 1994, he embarked on a professional wrestling career that included a stint as one of "The Four Horsemen" in 1995 while competing in World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
McMichael has previously been inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame in 1992, the University of Texas Athletics Hall of Honor in 1999 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010. His induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame will take place on Aug. 3 in Canton, Ohio.
