Bears legend Steve McMichael is still in the mix to be inducted into the Hall of Fame next year after making the cut on a list of 12 senior player candidates Thursday. The next reduction is to no more than three final candidates Aug. 22.
It would be incredibly meaningful to McMichael, 65, and his wife Misty amid his battle with late-stage amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). It’s a tough field among the seniors — those who stopped playing no later than 1998 — that includes four-time All-Pro wide receiver Sterling Sharpe and MVP quarterback Ken Anderson, but McMichael’s candidacy is strong.
He played 13 of his 15 NFL seasons for the Bears and made his name as an All-Pro defensive tackle for their 1985 championship team. McMichael also made All-Pro in ’87, was second-team All-Pro in ’86 and ’91 and was picked for the Pro Bowl twice. He had 92 1/2 sacks and 814 tackles for the Bears, which ranks second and third, respectively, in franchise history.
Bears owner Virginia McCaskey, who took over for her father George Halas, in 1983, was among 29 coach/contributor candidates, but did not make the group of 12 semifinalists.
Longtime coach Clark Shaughnessy, however, remained a semifinalist. He coached more than three decades, including from 1933 through ’39 as head coach at University of Chicago and from 1951 through ’62 as Bears defensive coordinator.
