Steve McMichael

Steve McMichael

Steve McMichael in 2008
No. 66, 76, 90
Defensive tackle
Personal information
Date of birth: October 17, 1957 (1957-10-17)
Place of birth: Houston, Texas
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	Weight: 270 lb (122 kg)
Career information
College: Texas
NFL Draft: 1980 / Round: 3 / Pick: 73
Debuted in 1980 for the New England Patriots
Last played in 1994 for the Green Bay Packers
Career history
New England Patriots (1980) Chicago Bears (1981–1993) Green Bay Packers (1994)
Career highlights and awards
2x Pro Bowl selection (1986, 1987) Super Bowl champion (XX)
Career NFL statistics as of 1994
Tackles	838
Sacks	95
Interceptions	2
Stats at NFL.com

Stephen Douglas McMichael (born October 17, 1957) is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for fifteen seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. McMichael played college football for the University of Texas, and was recognized as an All-American. He played professionally for the New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, and Green Bay Packers of the NFL, and was a member of the Bears' Super Bowl-winning team in 1985. He was later a professional wrestler for four years, and is currently the head coach of the Chicago Slaughter of the Indoor Football League.

Early years

McMichael was born in Houston, Texas.

College football career

McMichael attended the University of Texas, where he played for the Texas Longhorns football team from 1976 to 1979. As a senior in 1979, he was a consensus first-team All-American.

Professional football career

McMichael was drafted out of Texas in 1980 by the New England Patriots. He was acquired by the Chicago Bears as a free agent in 1981. He would become one of their starting defensive tackles and help lead them to a Super Bowl win in 1985. He had a streak of 101 games started until 1990, when his playing time was reduced. He led the Bears with 11¹⁄₂ sacks in 1988. He had 108 tackles in 1989. McMichael was named to the NFC's Pro Bowl teams for the 1986 and 1987 seasons. Bears coach Mike Ditka said in 2005 that McMichael was the toughest player he had ever coached. He played with the Green Bay Packers in 1994 before retiring. In 2010 McMichael was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame.

Steve McMichael
Ring name(s)	Steve "Mongo" McMichael
Height	6 ft 2 in
Weight	270 lbs
Born	October 17, 1957 (1957-10-17) Houston, Texas
Resides	Chicago, Illinois
Debut	1995
Retired	1999

Pro wrestling

World Wrestling Federation (1995)

After the end of his NFL career, he appeared at ringside in the WWF for Lawrence Taylor at WrestleMania XI on April 2, 1995 in Hartford, Connecticut. Taylor was wrestling Bam Bam Bigelow and there were several football players at ringside to keep wrestlers from interfering in the match. At a previous RAW, McMichael did guest commentary with Vince McMahon and would later brawl with Kama Mustafa, one of Bigelow's comrades. The fight was all over the arena floor and almost into the stands, knocking over the broadcast table, soon being broken up by personnel. Taylor ended up winning the later match.

World Championship Wrestling (1995–1999)

Mongo then went to World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as a commentator. He bickered with Bobby Heenan during matches and brought his dog Pepe with him to the broadcast booth. In April 1996, Ric Flair started hitting on his wife Debra, who would sit at ringside during WCW Monday Nitro. Mongo did not like this and challenged Flair and Arn Anderson to a match with his partner Kevin Greene. He trained with Randy Savage (In reality, he was trained by Terry Taylor at the WCW Power Plant.), while Flair and Arn got Heenan to be their "coach" for the match.

The match took place at The Great American Bash PPV on June 16, 1996. During the match, Debra and Greene's wife were chased to the back by Woman and Miss Elizabeth. Debra came back with Woman and Elizabeth, and she had a briefcase full of money and a Four Horsemen t-shirt. Mongo accepted it and hit Greene in the head with the briefcase. Then they all pounded on Savage, and the Horsemen (along with Chris Benoit) were four strong again.

His first singles match was against Joe Gomez on the Bash at the Beach PPV on July 7, 1996. Mongo won with his signature move, the Mongo Spike, which is a reference to his football career having never being able to spike the ball in a game because of never personally scoring.

He went on to feud with the Dungeon of Doom with the other Horsemen, and he had problems with Jeff Jarrett over the affections of Debra in late 1996 through early 1997. Because of this, Woman would trash Debra, causing Mongo and Benoit to step in each time. The turning point in the Mongo-Jarrett issue was at SuperBrawl on February 23, 1997. Mongo wrestled Jarrett; and if Jarrett won, he was an official Horsemen. Debra interfered for Jarrett, so he would win. Then, Mongo and Jarrett had to team, and they bickered at first but then became a solid team.

Mongo wrestled two football players in 1997. He beat Reggie White at Slamboree on May 18, 1997 and lost to Kevin Greene at the Great American Bash on June 15, 1997, which saw Mongo slapped by Greene's mother at ringside.

In July 1997, Jarrett was kicked out of the Horsemen, and Debra soon left Mongo for Jarrett. Mongo got his revenge when he defeated Jarrett for his WCW United States Title at the Clash of the Champions on August 21, 1997. Just weeks earlier, Arn Anderson had been forced to retire due to an injury, and Curt Hennig took his place in the Horsemen. At Fall Brawl on September 14, 1997, Hennig turned on the Horsemen and joined the nWo. The next night on Nitro, Hennig defeated Mongo for the United States Title, and Flair disbanded the Horsemen.

Mongo went after Debra's stable of wrestlers that included Jarrett, Eddie Guerrero, and Alex Wright. Debra hired Bill Goldberg to get Mongo, and he became one of Goldberg's first victims in November 1997.

He briefly helped Benoit feud with Raven's Flock in January 1998 and then got into a feud with Davey Boy Smith, in which he broke his hand during a match at Super Brawl in February.

Mongo returned in June 1998 and had a feud with Stevie Ray and finally helped to reform the Four Horsemen in October with Flair, Benoit, Dean Malenko, and manager Arn Anderson.

They feuded with the nWo, and, in early 1999, Mongo left WCW for good. He was divorced from Debra around this time. She was already dating World Wrestling Federation superstar Stone Cold Steve Austin, prompting McMichael to do an interview with The National Enquirer entitled "Stone Cold Stole My Wife!"

After Wrestling

McMichael co-hosts a Bear pre-game show with Carmen DeFalco on ESPN 1000 in Chicago, and is the head coach of the Chicago Slaughter of the Continental Indoor Football League. Mongo also hosts a Monday Night Football party every Monday at a gentlemans club outside of Chicago. Steve also hosts a weekly Game Day party at Fanatics Bar & Grill in Onarga IL every Sunday.

McMichael was a guest singer for "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" at a game between the Chicago Cubs and Colorado Rockies in August 2001. After home plate umpire Angel Hernandez called Ron Coomer out at the plate on a controversial call, McMichael questioned Hernandez's call and said that he'd be waiting for him after the game. Hernandez ejected McMichael after he sang.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2008)

McMichael returned to professional wrestling for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's flagship pay-per-view, Bound For Glory, where he refereed the Monster's Ball Match. This match was notable for McMichael's extremely slow cadence for a three count.

Mongo, in 2010, opened Mongo's on Main a restaurant in Sandwich Il close to the lake community Lake Holiday IL. Unfortunately, Mongo's on Main has been closed down.

Personal life

In 1985, McMichael married Debra Marshall, former professional wrestling manager and WWE Diva. They divorced on October 12, 1998.

On August 3, 2007, McMichael appeared as a guest on the Waddle & Silvy Show on Chicago ESPN Radio 1000 and announced he is going to be a father with his wife, Misty. Their daughter Macy Dale McMichael was born at 4:12pm on January 22, 2008.

On July 17, 2010, McMichael was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

In wrestling

• Finishing moves
  • Mongo Spike (Tombstone piledriver)

• Signature moves
  • Backbreaker
  • Back body drop
  • Dropkick
  • Figure four leglock
  • Inverted atomic drop
  • Lariat
  • Sidewalk slam
  • Shoulder block
  • Shoulder neckbreaker
  • Spinebuster
  • Three-point stance into either a clotheline or a football tackle
• Entrance themes
  • "Unledded" (WCW) 1996–1998
  • "Coast" (WCW) 1996–1997 (used while part of the horsemen)
  • "Four Horsemen theme" (WCW) 1998–1999 (used while part of the horsemen)
  • "Red Remix" by Toxic (TNA)

Championships and accomplishments

American football

• National Football League
  • NFL Pro Bowler (1986, 1987)
  • Member of 1985 World Champion Chicago Bears
  • Member of the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame

Professional wrestling

• World Championship Wrestling
  • WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • Worst Television Announcer (1996)

Quotations

"I want to be the hitter, not the hittee."

External links

• Home Page of the Chicago Slaughter Indoor Area Football Team