AUSTIN (KXAN) — Another Longhorn is headed to football immortality in Canton.
Steve McMichael, a 4-year letterman for the Longhorns on the defensive line from 1976-79, will be part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024, the league announced during its NFL Honors awards show Thursday.
McMichael becomes the fifth Longhorn to be inducted, following Earl Campbell, Bobby Dillon, Tom Landry and Bobby Lane. Alongside McMichael being inducted in the 2024 class are Dwight Freeney, Randy Gradishar, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Julius Peppers and Patrick Willis. The enshrinement ceremony will take place Aug. 3.
While at Texas, McMichael was a unanimous first-team All-American in 1979, a two-time All-Southwest Conference selection, and a member of the 1977 team that won the SWC title. He graduated from the program as its all-time leader in tackles with 369 and sacks with 30, and he was a finalist for both the Lombardi and Outland awards in 1979. He won the Hula Bowl MVP that season and was also named the team’s MVP after racking up 133 tackles. He forced 11 fumbles and had 40 tackles for loss during his career, helping lead Texas to a 34-12-1 record.
MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newsletters
During his 15-year NFL career, he was part of the vaunted Chicago Bears “46” defense that led the franchise to a Super Bowl title for the 1985 season. He was a five-time All-Pro with two Pro Bowl selections and set a franchise record for consecutive games played with 191. In 213 NFL games, he racked up 847 tackles, 95 sacks, 13 forced fumbles and 17 fumble recoveries. He retired in 1994 after playing his final season with the Green Bay Packers
In 2021, McMichael revealed he had ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was given the ALS Courage Award in Chicago that year. Steve’s wife, Misty, represented him at the NFL Honors ceremony when his induction was announced.