On Friday morning, it was reported by the Chicago Tribune that Steve McMichael, a Chicago Bears legend in the 80s and wrestler for WCW in the 90s, is suffering from Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a type of motor neuron disease. It is also known as Lou Gehrig disease due to the famous baseball player being diagnosed with it in 1939.
The 63-year-old was diagnosed three months ago and has already lost over fifty pounds in weight and can no longer lift his arms or hold anything. He is expected to need a wheelchair shortly. The average life expectancy for someone with ALS is sadly only two to five years, but it is possible to live longer with Stephen Hawking, having lived more than 50 years after being diagnosed.
While to the masses, McMichael is known for his NFL career, which saw him play to win the Super Bowl during a twelve-year career with the Bears, he is best known to wrestling fans for his run in WCW. He started as a commentator on Nitro before entering the ring as a competitor at The Great American Bash in 1996. He’d team with fellow NFL player Kevin Greene to take on Arn Anderson and Ric Flair before later joining his opponents as part of the Four Horsemen.
In just over 100 professional matches, he’d win his only championship when he defeated Jeff Jarrett for the United States Championship at a Clash Of The Champions event in 1997. His final match came in 1999 at a house show where he teamed with Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko defeating Barry Windham, Curt Hennig, and Wrath.
Prior to his WCW run, he made an appearance on WWF’s flagship show Raw, where he provided guest commentary and brawled with Kama Mustafa leading up to appearing ringside for Lawrence Taylor’s match with Bam Bam Bigelow at WrestleMania XI. Nine years after departing WCW and being out of the wrestling limelight, he would guest referee a tag team Monster’s Ball Match for TNA due to the show being held in a suburb of Chicago.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help cover the costs of his care, and his family is searching for a handicap-accessible home. So far, $31,173 has been raised of the $100,000 goal from 423 donors in 17 hours. If you’re in a position to help, you can at gofundme.com/f/teammongo.
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