Bears great Steve McMichael likely will find out Tuesday if his candidacy for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 is still on course.
McMichael, a two-time All-Pro defensive tackle, is one of 12 finalists to earn a nomination through the seniors committee. The committee evaluates players who finished their careers no later than 1998 and can send up to three to the electors. That vote is held leading up to the Super Bowl, and the enshrinement would be next August.
“I’m feeling so [expletive] excited,” his wife, Misty, told the Sun-Times on Monday.
The seniors committee is scheduled to vote Tuesday and plans to inform candidates of the results promptly, but the official announcement could come Wednesday afternoon.
McMichael’s health has deteriorated the last two years because of ALS. Misty said his hope of making the Hall of Fame has inspired him to keep fighting to stay alive.
While there is no certainty, it’s highly likely that the players chosen by the seniors committee will be inducted. All three players recommended by the seniors committee last year were voted into the Hall.
The seniors committee initially narrowed the field to 31 in mid-July, then cut it to 12 a few weeks later. Along with McMichael, longtime Packers wide receiver Sterling Sharpe and former MVP quarterback Ken Anderson are among those hoping to advance.
Known as “Mongo,” McMichael was a star on the Bears’ 1985 championship team. He played 15 seasons in the NFL, including 1981 through ’93 with the Bears. In addition to his first-team All-Pro selections, he made second-team All-Pro twice and also made the Pro Bowl twice. In franchise history, he is second only to Richard Dent in sacks at 92½ and is third in tackles with 814.
