Hall of Fame defensive tackle Steve McMichael was diagnosed with Stage 3 CTE by researchers studying his brain one year after his death at age 67.
McMichael was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024 long after the physical effects of ALS had taken a grip on the once fearsome specimen who starred on the Chicago Bears’ dominant defenses in the mid-to-late 1980s.
He is second on the team’s sacks list to Richard Dent with 92.5 and was a longtime running mate of beloved Bears defensive lineman Dan Hampton. McMichael moonlighted in professional wresting as “Mongo.”
When McMichael was diagnosed with ALS in 2021 he and his family made contact with Chris Nowinski, co-founder and CEO of the Concussion & CTE Foundation.
“Too many NFL players are developing ALS during life and diagnosed with CTE after death,” Misty McMichael, Steve’s wife, said in a statement released by the foundation. “I donated Steve’s brain to inspire new research into the link between them.”
CTE, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, can only be diagnosed posthumously and causes a wide range of symptoms. Nowinski studied the brain of former Bears defensive back and McMichael teammate Dave Duerson in 2011 after he committed suicide at age 50. He was diagnosed with CTE. Duerson was NFL Man of the Year in 1987.
“Steve McMichael was known for his strength, toughness, and larger-than-life presence, but his final act was to give a piece of himself back to the sports community so that we might have a chance to save ourselves,” Nowinski said in a statement. “I appreciate all the former athletes, including many of Steve’s ’85 Bears teammates, who are raising funds and volunteering to participate in CTE research so we can create a brighter future for athletes everywhere.”
