Devin Hester, Steve McMichael and Julius Peppers are among 40 players who wore Bears uniforms and are in Canton.
There were just three names left to be announced for the Class of 2024 when the names of each new inductee to the Pro Football Hall of Fame were revealed on NFL Honors night.
They were all dressed in Chicago Bears gear.
With the addition of Devin Hester, Steve McMichael, and Julius Peppers, there are now 40 Bears in the Pro Football Hall of Fame—32 of them are active Bears and the remaining eight, like Peppers, were players who at least partially wore the uniform. Of all the teams, it is the most.
Bears President & CEO Kevin Warren said in a statement, “We are ecstatic and extremely grateful that both Devin Hester and Steve McMichael have been selected for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.” “These two men, who were both revolutionary football players, have always carried themselves, their families, and the Chicago Bears with honor, sophistication, and grace.
It is quite remarkable and unique to have Steve and Devin inducted into Canton as the 31st and 32nd members of our franchise, respectively. We also want to express our gratitude to Julius Peppers for his great influence on the Chicago Bears and our congratulations on his enshrinement.”
McMichael, 66, has ALS, and his wife Misty represented him at the NFL Honors ceremony. There was a watch party back at McMichael’s Homer Glen residence. There were friends and old teammates present.
Along with McMichael and linebacker Randy Gradishar, Art Powell was one of three senior player finalists who did not earn an induction into the Hall of Fame due to his lack of the necessary 80 percent support.
Other than Peppers, Hester, and McMichael, the other people elected into the Hall of Fame were Dwight Freeney, Andre Johnson, Patrick Willis, and Gradishar.
There is a lot of conjecture that the Bears will play in Canton, Ohio for the Hall of Fame game, the first preseason game, after three players who were Bears or wore the uniform for at least part of their careers were added.
Bears fans were moved by McMichael and Hester’s news; McMichael’s announcement was primarily due to his deteriorating health, while Hester’s announcement was primarily due to the fact that he was a special teams player who had never been inducted into the Hall of Fame and had missed his first two shots. As a return man, he is the first player inducted.
After his rookie season, Hester made 20 touchdown returns in all, including one to start Super Bowl XLI.
Following the ceremony, Hester spoke with NFL Network, “When you talk about the Hall of Fame, you’re talking about a lot of great athletes, a lot of great quarterbacks, a lot of great running backs, defensive backs, and linebackers.” “But when you talk about Devin Hester, you’re the first person to do it ever, and I just thank God that he gave me the opportunity to let the other returners in.”
“And not only returners but special teams guys as well and say, hey, at the end of the day we do have a big part of this situation in this ballgame, which is the NFL.”
With 159 1/2 career sacks, Peppers is only higher than Bruce Smith (200), Kevin Greene (160), and Reggie White (198). Of those sacks, he made 37 1/2 while playing with the Bears from 2010 to 2013.
The epidemic postponed the 2020 induction ceremony for Jimbo Covert and Ed Sprinkle, the final Bears players to be honored.