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Former Chicago Bears star Steve McMichael
takes readers through the most vibrant years of a charter
NFL franchise—as seen through the eyes of a legendary
carouser. His no-holds-barred practice habits and fondness
for after-hours merriment moved his first NFL bosses with
the New England Patriots to label him part of “the criminal
element” in the league before they waived him prior
to his second season. He was a much better fit for a Bears
team that was still under the watchful gaze of its tough-as-nails
founder, George Halas, and in the process of developing its
revolutionary “46” defense under Buddy Ryan. McMichael
was witness to the last days of Neill Armstrong’s ill-fated
coaching regime, all of Mike Ditka’s tempestuous tenure,
and Dave Wannstedt’s rookie season in charge. He covers
it all, from training camp misadventures in Lake Forest, Illinois,
and Platteville, Wisconsin and Ditka’s locker room tirades
to nights on the town with Dan Hampton and friends and behind-the-scenes
glimpses of extraordinary teammates, including Hall of Famers
Hampton, Walter Payton, and Mike Singletary. McMichael relives
his week in New Orleans—the perfect party town for the
perfect party team—before the Bears won Super Bowl XX
in dominating fashion. Steve McMichael’s Tales from
the Chicago Bears Sideline recounts the rivalries with
Green Bay and San Francisco, the rise to stardom of William
“Refrigerator” Perry, and the Grammy-nominated
team video, the “Super Bowl Shuffle,” which McMichael
loathed. He revisits all the reasons the team failed to win
a couple more titles—from Jim McMahon vs. Doug Flutie
to everybody vs. Michael McCaskey, the late Halas’s
Yale-educated grandson and successor. McMichael watched training
camp in Platteville become a carnival, literally, and watched
the Bears at the end of his career from a most unexpected
vantage point: through the facemask of a Green Bay Packers
helmet.
Steve McMichael played
13 seasons for the Chicago Bears, twice reaching the Pro Bowl
and four times being named All-Pro. He played in 191 games
with the Bears, more than anyone else in the team’s
history and all of them consecutively. He joined the Bears
in 1981, helping to form the core of a defense that in the
’80s set NFL records for sacks and fewest points allowed
in a season. While McMichael was a Bear the team won six NFC
Central Division titles and the 1986 Super Bowl and went to
the NFC championship game three times. The Texas native now
lives in Chicago with his wife, Misti.
Phil Arvia has been a
sportswriter at the Daily Southtown in Tinley Park,
Illinois, since 1987. His columns have earned national recognition
in the annual Associated Press Sports Editors writing competition,
and first-place awards from the Illinois Associated Press
Editors Association (2002) and Chicago Headline Club (2001).
The lifelong resident of Thornton, Illinois, still lives there
with his wife.
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