Three former Chicago Bears players are headed for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Devin Hester, Steve McMichael, and Julius Peppers were announced as inductees Thursday at the NFL Honors.
Hester, 41, played 11 seasons with the Bears. He holds NFL records in career kick-return touchdowns (19), punt-return touchdowns (14) and return touchdowns (20), which includes punts, kickoffs, missed field goals, fumbles and interceptions. This was his third time as a Hall of Fame finalist.
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McMichael, 66, was part of this year's Seniors category finalists. According to his wife, Misty, McMichael received "the call" on his status as a finalist in last August. A spokesperson for the former Bear's family said a "Team Mongo" petition and letter-writing campaign to the Hall of Fame was launched in 2022 to advocate for the fan favorite to be inducted.
The legendary tackle played 13 of his 15 seasons for the Bears and was a key cog in the 1985 Super Bowl champion defense. He was a two-time First-Team All-Pro, two-time Second-Team All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler. McMichael led the defense with 11.5 sacks in 1988, beating out both Richard Dent and Dan Hampton. His 92.5 career sacks with the Bears rank second in franchise history, behind only Dent’s 124.5 sacks.
Peppers, 44, is a first-ballot Hall-of-Fame selection who played most of his career with the Carolina Panthers. He was a nine-time Pro Bowler who played four seasons with the Bears from 2010-2013. Peppers ranks fourth in NFL history with 159 1/2 sacks.