BREAKING: Longhorn top star legend DT officially heading to Pro Football Hall of Fame

Former Texas Longhorn and Chicago Bears icon Steve McMichael was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this past Saturday, surrounded by his family and former Bears teammates at his Chicago home. Due to ALS complications, McMichael’s Bears teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Richard Dent delivered the induction speech at his bedside.

“You’re part of a team that you can never be cut from or released from. Even after you pass away, you will still be on this team,” Dent said. “Welcome home, Steve. You’re in football heaven.”

McMichael is now the seventh member of the legendary 1985 Chicago Bears team to join the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This team is renowned for one of the most impressive seasons in NFL history, finishing with a 15–1 record and concluding their season with a 46–10 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX.

McMichael is also the sixth Longhorn to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, joining Tex Schramm, Tom Landry, Bobby Layne, Bobby Dillon, and his college teammate Earl Campbell.

Before losing his ability to speak, McMichael and his sister Kathy had started drafting his Hall of Fame speech about a year and a half ago.

“I played 15 years in the NFL and cherished every moment,” Kathy said on behalf of her brother. “We made it, Momma, your baby made it! Bear Down and Hook ‘Em.”

At the University of Texas, McMichael was a dominant force, finishing his career with the program’s all-time records for sacks and tackles by the time he graduated in 1979. He was an All-American and All-Southwest Conference selection in 1978 and 1979 and was named MVP of his senior year.

The Freer native was inducted into the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor in 1999 and later into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009.

After being cut by the New England Patriots following his rookie year, McMichael joined the Chicago Bears and made an immediate impact on Buddy Ryan’s “46 Defense.” He played in a Bears-record 191 consecutive games and ranks second on the team’s all-time sack list with 92.5.

Following his NFL career, McMichael ventured into professional wrestling, where he gained fame as a member of Ric Flair’s “The Four Horsemen” in the late 1990s and held the WCW World Heavyweight Championship from September 1996 to August 1997.

McMichael remained in the Chicago area after his wrestling career, becoming a familiar voice on Chicago sports radio as a co-host of a Bears pre-game show on ESPN 1000.

In retirement, he was a staunch advocate for player well-being, serving as an ambassador for the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, a non-profit that supports former players and their families with medical and financial needs.

McMichael’s legacy will be enshrined forever in Canton, Ohio. It is said that when the Hall of Fame closes at night, the bronze busts of the players come to life and converse. The busts of the ’85 Bears will undoubtedly make their presence known for all eternity.