Bears great Steve McMichael elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame

(670 The Score) Bears great Steve “Mongo” McMichael, a local legend in Chicago, has finally received his call to Canton.

On Thursday evening, McMichael was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the 2024 class. He earned his honor as one of three senior selections to be selected to the Hall of Fame.

"This honor is well deserved and long overdue and we are so happy for Steve and his family," Bears chairman George McCaskey said. "To be cut by a team early in your career and then go on to the Pro Football Hall of Fame is a tremendous accomplishment. Steve showed us all what can be achieved through grit, toughness and hard work, and he has earned his place among game's immortals."

A star defensive tackle who played for the Bears from 1981-'93 amid his 15-year NFL career, McMichael is best known for his role in the middle of Chicago’s dominant defense in the team's 1985 Super Bowl-winning season. McMichael recorded 95 career sacks, including 92.5 sacks over 191 games with the Bears, and he earned first-team All-Pro honors in 1985 and 1987.

A famed personality in his post-football career, McMichael was diagnosed with ALS in April 2021. He resides in the Chicago suburbs and continues to battle the disease, for which there's no known cure.

McMichael's family had been campaigning on his behalf for a selection into the Hall of Fame. On Thursday, their hopes came to fruition.

Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 .