Knowing Steve McMichael has been one of the single greatest rewards of my entire career. He has provided me with lessons in strength, courage, humility, humor and kindness.
After covering the Bears as a reporter for a handful of years, I graduated to hosting the ESPN 1000 pregame show around 2000. And of course, every host needs a former Bears great or two as their analyst.
I was paired with Steve McMichael, and it began a friendship that has lasted over two decades.
So I’ve been Team Mongo long before the T-shirts were made and the Hall of Fame election was even possible.
I can’t lie and tell you I was exactly looking forward to the partnership. He was the last person that I ever thought would deliver lessons in life.
My other cohost was Dave Duerson.
Business owner. Notre Dame trustee. Extremely buttoned up. Duerson would tell me often that he one day wanted to be the mayor of Chicago.
McMichael was the opposite, at least the version I had built up in my head.
FILE – Former NFL player Steve McMichael, who played defensive tackle at the Univ. of Texas, autographs a football as he stands on the float at the parade during the Hall Enshrinement Festival, Saturday July 17, 2010, in South Bend, Ind. Randy Gradishar and Steve McMichael, key members from dominant defenses in the 1970s and ’80s, and game-breaking AFL receiver Art Powell are finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2023. (AP Photo/Joe Raymond, File)
AP
As a kid who wanted to be Mark Giangreco, and actually shadowed him for career education class as a seventh grader, I vividly remembered McMichael making life miserable for Giangreco on his Sunday night sports wrap-up show.
Mongo would hold his hunting knife up to Giangreco’s throat, cut his tie in half with scissors, and at one time, spray painted all the PR pictures in the NBC tower hallway. Now, I had to “work” with that guy?
Shortly before McMichael made his media return with me at ESPN 1000, he got kicked out of Wrigley Field after wanting to “have some speaks” with umpire Angel Hernandez. Mongo was in his full WCW glory.
I was a dead man.
My hosting career was going to be finished by this crazy guy before it even started.
The morning of our first meeting came and I was jittery. In walked the big Bear, but it turned out he was just a giant teddy bear. Mongo was smiling, holding a carrier of four coffees from Dunkin and a box of doughnuts. “Great to meet you guys,” he bellowed in his distinctive Texas drawl.
No one could come up with a clever quip or analogy about the ineptitude of Bears football quite like McMichael. You know the phrase, “If it wasn’t so sad, it would be funny?” Mongo kept us from crying over the Bears and made us all laugh. He always had a good joke on and off the air and he loved to tell a good story.
But unlike his TV and wrestling persona, I soon learned there was much more to Mongo than one-liners, stories and jokes. He was one of the smartest people I had ever met. Mongo would explain to me why things were happening on the football field. He taught me about dealing with adversity as he dealt with his fair share. And McMichael was a shining example of loyalty as he always had my back as I was his teammate now.
We spent hours together in Champaign when the Bears were renovating Soldier Field and even spent time in a champagne room or two.
After the 1985 Bears 30-for-30 debut, Vince Vaughn held a VIP party and a few friends from ESPN 1000 were denied entry. Mongo went to the bouncer to tell them they were with him, the bouncer said the party was for friends and family only. Mongo replied, “they are family.”
One pregame I brought my puppy to the radio station. Like most puppies can do, he had an accident on the new carpet and it caused a big stain. I was worried about what my bosses would say. Mongo told me to blame his Chihuahua, Chula. He brought that dog everywhere. So Chula took the fall and my bosses never knew I brought my puppy to the studio.
During his playing career, Mongo set one-time Bears records for consecutive starts and consecutive games played. No matter how much he was hurting, he would play. And he continues to show that toughness and courage as he fights ALS.
During a fundraiser in his honor, after Mongo could no longer walk, he sat in his wheelchair as we chatted with my cohost Tom Waddle and former Bears kicker Kevin Butler. McMichael wanted to make a point and still found the strength to kick me to get my attention. He always owned a room, and this disease wasn’t going to stand in the way on this day.
I could’ve written about how ridiculous Devin Hester was. Or how the Bears are doing the right thing by rewarding DJ Moore. Or how the Bears are doing the wrong thing by not playing Caleb Williams and their other young players in the Hall of Fame game. But Mongo was the best, and you need to know that.
Steve McMichael will finally get the well-deserved spotlight in Canton at the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. The honor is long overdue.
He is one of the greatest Bears in the history of the franchise and one of the coolest men I’ve known.
It’s just unfortunate he won’t be able to celebrate on his terms. What a party it would’ve been.
We all would’ve been invited, because we’re family.
• Marc Silverman shares his opinions on the Bears weekly for Shaw Local. Tune in and listen to the “Waddle & Silvy” show weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m. on ESPN 1000.