BOSTON — Chicago Bears Hall of Famer Steve McMichael had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), researchers and family members of the late defensive tackle announced Tuesday.
The Concussion & CTE Foundation of Boston made the announcement, along with McMichael’s widow, Misty.
Steve McMichael, who died on April 23, 2025, at the age of 67, was a key defensive member of the Bears’ 1985 squad that steamrolled the NFL and won Super Bowl XX.
“Mongo” died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Hall of Famer Steve McMichael, a key member of the dominating defense that helped the 1985 Chicago Bears win the Super Bowl, has been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the Concussion & CTE Foundation said.
— WGN TV News (@WGNNews) April 7, 2026
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CTE, a degenerative brain disease, has been found in athletes competing in contact sports, The Associated Press reported. The condition has been known to cause violent mood swings, depression and impulsive behavior.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the only way to definitively diagnosis CTE is after death during an autopsy of the brain.
“Too many NFL players are developing ALS during life and diagnosed with CTE after death,” Misty McMichael said in a statement released by the Concussion & CTE Foundation. “I donated Steve’s brain to inspire new research into the link between them.”
“Steve McMichael had severe CTE as well as ALS with TDP-43 inclusions typical for ALS in his brainstem and spinal cord,” Ann McKee, director of the Boston University CTE Center and chief of neuropathology for the VA Boston Healthcare System, said in a statement. “There is strong evidence linking repetitive brain trauma and ALS; in our CTE brain bank, about 6% of individuals with CTE also have ALS.”
The 6-foot 2-inch, 270-pound McMichael played a franchise-record 191 games for the Bears, WBBM reported. He became a full-time starter at defensive tackle in 1983.
He was a two-time first-team All-Pro and a two-time Pro Bowl selection.
McMichael ranks second to Richard Dent on the Bears’ career sacks list with 92 1/2.
McMichael was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024 but was unable to attend due to his condition. A delegation went to his home to give him his gold jacket as the rest of the Class of 2024 received theirs.
McMichael was diagnosed with ALS in 2021.
The AP, citing a 2021 study by the Harvard Medical School and the Boston University CTE Center, NFL players are more than four times more likely to develop ALS than other men.
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