As Steve “Mongo” McMichael’s Hall of Fame induction approaches, his wife speaks on the event’s meaning to their family. NBC Chicago’s Mike Berman reports.
For 15 seasons in the NFL, from his position on the interior of the defensive line, Steve McMichael made life miserable for opposing offenses. Twice, his play earned him a spot on the NFL’s All-Pro First Team. He was also chosen to play in two Pro Bowls. He racked-up 95 sacks, including 92.5 with the Bears, and he helped Chicago’s venerable 1985 team capture the Super Bowl.
Inside the home he shares with his wife Misty in Homer Glen, mementos from that decorated career are everywhere. Then, last February, more mementos started showing up commemorating his election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As Steve’s collection grew, so did his burning desire to be around for his enshrinement in early August.
“We had a do not resuscitate, but when I knew he was getting in, I ripped it up and I told him, ‘You’re sticking it out, babe. Until you get in, sorry, you’re not going anywhere’,” Misty said. “And he doesn’t want to go anywhere. He wants to live.”
Which he has, bravely fighting ALS – a diagnosis he shared publicly in the spring of 2021 – for the last five months to ensure he experiences his name joining the rest of football’s greatest players in Canton, Ohio.
“It’s been amazing. It’s been amazing,” Misty said when thinking about how Steve has been driven to stay alive. “It’s been a blessing. It’s helped me get through this ALS battle. It’s helped me take my mind off his death, give him something to live for, give me something to live for, give the whole community something to hang on to. And to get something good out of this. ALS might take him, but not before we get in the Hall, baby,” she adds.
Now, with the day they’ve circled – Saturday, August 3rd – so close, Misty says Steve is excited. For her, it’s hard to avoid feeling a flood of emotions.
“I’m feeling relieved and relaxed and happy, but also a little sad,” Misty said through tears. “I’m not sure why. But I’m just so thankful that it finally happened.”
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Misty will represent Steve in Canton at events leading up to enshrinement day, but on Aug. 3, she’ll fly back home on a private jet. That day, on the McMichael’s street, there will be a block party for fans to celebrate the 66 year-old’s accomplishment.
But inside the couple’s house, Misty will present Steve with his Pro Football Hall of Fame bust and gold jacket. It’ll give him the chance to experience the moment for which he’s been waiting.
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“It’s bittersweet, because I wish he could enjoy it more,” Misty said. “But you know, I talk about it with his close friends, and we say if he was healthy, we might have partied ourselves to death.”
Misty bursts out in laughter when she thinks about how she and Steve would have celebrated.
“So maybe this is a blessing. It is a blessing. Whenever it comes, it’s a blessing, and just happy he’s still here.”
The Hall of Fame broadcast will go live from inside the McMichael’s house, and Misty will speak on behalf of her husband. Steve wants her to deliver one brief message to everyone watching.
“It’s, ‘Hello Chicago, thank you Chicago’, she says, and then blows a kiss. “And I feel the same.”
