Steve "Mongo" McMichael to be honored for advancing CTE research

A year after his passing, the late Chicago Bears legend Steve "Mongo" McMichael is being honored for advancing CTE research.

McMichael was recently posthumously diagnosed with stage 3 CTE, nearly after a year after he died following a five-year battle ALS. McMichael died April 23, 2025, a year ago Thursday.

McMichael will be recognized Thursday night at the Race to End CTE reception.

McMichael's widow, Misty, shared his CTE diagnosis earlier this month. She said she hoped sharing the news will raise awareness about the long-term effects of repetitive head impacts, and the urgent need to advance research.

The family said McMichael wanted his brain to be studied after he died, in order to advance research into the possible link between ALS and CTE.

Dr. Chris Nowinski, chief executive officer of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, said research shows a far higher risk for ALS among NFL players, and suggests a link to CTE.

"So the epidemiological data shows us that NFL players have four times the risk of developing ALS than the general public. And what seems to be linking that additional risk is the fact that every NFL player that we've studied who had ALS also had CTE," Nowinski said earlier this month. "There's an interaction between the types of brain damage that occur from thousands of hits to the head."

McMichael was drafted by the New England Patriots in 1980, and joined the Bears the following year. In 1985, the first of three straight All-Pro seasons at defensive tackle, McMichael helped lead the Bears to their only Super Bowl title to date — starting at left defensive tackle and recording a sack against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX.

In 2021, McMichael revealed he was battling ALS. Three years later, McMichael, along with family and friends who had for years pushed for it, celebrated Mongo getting elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.