- Steve McMichael is also undergoing a procedure to drain his lungs of fluid
- The former defensive tackle is responding well to antibiotics for his UTI
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Steve McMichael, a Chicago Bears legend, is improving after being hospitalized with a urinary tract infection, sepsis and pneumonia amid his battle with ALS, his family announced.
McMichael, 66, a star defensive tackle on the Chicago Bears’ famed 1985 Super Bowl championship team was taken into intensive care Thursday night.
McMichael – affectionately known as Mongo – is improving after being administered with antibiotics to treat the UTI, according to Jarrett Payton, the son of legendary Chicago running back Walter Payton.
The former tackle’s family also confirmed that McMichael was responding well to the treatment, while revealing he is also undergoing a procedure to drain his lungs of fluid.
‘Steve is responding to the antibiotics administered for treatment of his UTI,’ the family wrote in a statement, via NBC’s Mike Berman.
Steve McMichael, a Chicago Bears legend, is improving after being hospitalized with a UTI
![McMichael spent 13 of his 15 seasons with the Bears and was an All-Pro in 1985 and 1987](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/17/14/73981109-0-McMichael_spent_13_of_his_15_seasons_with_the_Bears_and_was_an_A-a-2_1708180683236.jpg)
McMichael spent 13 of his 15 seasons with the Bears and was an All-Pro in 1985 and 1987
![His family released an update on Friday, announcing that the former tackle was improving](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/17/14/81389503-13095003-image-a-12_1708181305736.jpg)
His family released an update on Friday, announcing that the former tackle was improving
‘He is also undergoing a procedure known as thoracentesis to remove fluid from his lungs.
‘Steve is expected to be released from the hospital in the coming days. Continued prayers are appreciated.’
His wife, Misty McMichael, had revealed in an Instagram post that her husband was hospitalized on Thursday night. ‘Prayers for Mongo,’ it read on a picture of the former No 76.
McMichael spent 13 of his 15 seasons with the Bears and was an All-Pro in 1985 and 1987.
He played in a franchise-record 191 consecutive games from 1981 to 1993 and ranks second to Richard Dent on the Bears´ all-time sacks list with 92 1/2. His final season was with Green Bay in 1994.
McMichael is one of 12 players whose final appearance was no later than 1998 in the mix to be inducted into the Hall of Fame next year.
![He played in a franchise-record 191 consecutive games from 1981 to 1993 for the Bears](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/17/14/81389303-0-image-m-6_1708180756009.jpg)
![McMichael ranks second to Richard Dent on the Bears' all-time sacks list](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/17/14/81389305-0-image-a-7_1708180760862.jpg)
He played in a franchise-record 191 consecutive games from 1981 to 1993 for the Bears
That list will be whittled down to as many as three by the selection committee, and the finalists will be part of the 2024 class if they are supported by at least 80% of voters next January.
Whether he was terrorizing opponents or discussing the Bears on sports talk radio, McMichael remained a prominent presence in Chicago long after his playing days ended.
He became known as ‘Ming The Merciless’ and ‘Mongo’ after the character in ‘Blazing Saddles’ who knocked out a horse.
McMichael also spent five years in professional wrestling in the late 1990s.
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