Bear Digest

Hall of Fame Day Arrives for Devin Hester and Steve McMichael

A look at Saturday's Pro Football Hall of Fame festivities, how to watch them and the class members including Devin Hester, Steve McMichael and Julius Peppers.

Gene Chamberlain

Steve McMichael becomes the sixth member of the 1985 Bears to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Sunday.
Steve McMichael becomes the sixth member of the 1985 Bears to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Sunday. / Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports

Former Bears Steve McMichael and Devin Hester and former Panthers/Bears/Packers defensive end Julius Peppers join Randy Gradishar, Dwight Freeney, Patrick Willis and Andre Johnson Saturday in entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The ceremony in Canton, Ohio at the PFHOF will be accompanied by a presentation at McMichael's south suburban Home Glen house as he is stricken with ALS and cannot travel. McMichael will be presented for induction at Canton by Walter Payton's son, Jarrett.

Bears fans who want to watch the ranks of the team's inducted players hit a league-high total of 32 can do so on a few different networks.

Here's a look at Saturday's Hall of Fame ceremonies.

2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction

Time: 11 a.m.

TV: ESPN/NFL Network.

DT Steve McMichael

Mongo or Ming the Merciless, 66, announced he is battling ALS in 2021 and has been paralyzed by the illness known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease." As a player from 1980-94, McMichael set a Bears record with 191 games played while making a career total of 95 sacks. The total ranks fourth all time for defensive tackles and he led the Bears in sacks in 1989, 1990 and 1992, according to Pro Football Reference. Twice a Pro Bowl player and twice an All-Pro, McMichael played one season for Green Bay at the end of his career and part of a season for New England at the beginning, before coming to the Bears in 1981.

WR Devin Hester

A cornerback coming out of Miami as a Bears second-round pick in 2006, the 41-year-old Hester is the only return specialist to make the Hall of Fame. He does it with the NFL record for most returns with 20 in the regular season plus one to start Super Bowl XLI. He returned an NFL record 14 punt returns for TDs, had five kick returns and one missed field goal return. Hester played 11 years and was a rookie when he became the only one to return the opening kick of the Super Bowl for a TD. He made the Pro Bowl four times, including once with Atlanta in 2014, and made All-Pro three times.

Edge Julius Peppers

The only first-ballot Hall of Famer in this class and just the 90th to do it of 377 total Hall of Famers, Peppers played from 2002-2018 for Carolina, the Bears and Packers. He signed a $91.5 million, six-year deal with $42.5 million guaranteed to come to Chicago in 2010. He played for the Bears through 2013 and had 37 1/2 sacks for them. For his career, he made the Pro Bowl nine times, All-Pro three times and made 159 1/2 sacks, which ranks fourth all time. He returned to Carolina in 2017 for two seasons after three seasons in Green Bay.

Edge Dwight Freeney

Played for the Colts when they beat the Bears in Super Bowl XLI, he had 125 1/2 career sacks and led the NFL in sacks in 2004 with 16.

LB Randy Gradishar

The leader of Denver's Orange Crush defense, he won NFL defensive player of the year in 1978 with three interceptions, three sacks and four fumble recoveries. A seven-time Pro Bowl player and two-time All-Pro.

WR Andre Johnson

A seven-time Pro Bowl player for the Texans who is 11th in NFL history in receptions (1,062) and receiving yards (14,185). He twice led the league in receptions and in receiving yards. A seven-time Pro Bowl player and two-time All-Pro.

LB Patrick Willis

In an eight-year 49ers career from 2007-14 he made the Pro Bowl seven times and All-Pro five times.

Twitter: BearsOnSI

Published
Gene Chamberlain

GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.