Steve McMichael enters Hall of Fame in ceremony at his home - ESPN

CANTON, Ohio — The most emotional moment of Saturday's Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony took place some 344 miles west of Tom Benson Stadium in Canton, Ohio.

Surrounded by his wife, daughter and members of the Chicago Bears' famed 1985 defense, Steve McMichael's Hall of Fame bust was unveiled inside of his home in Homer Glen, Illinois. McMichael, 66, is bedridden from battling ALS the last three years and has lost the ability to speak on his own. His sister, Kathy, delivered McMichael's enshrinement speech on behalf of her brother in a pre-recorded video.

Live video from McMichael's bedside was streamed to the crowd in Canton while ESPN's Chris Berman, who served as the Hall of Fame's master of ceremonies, relayed the message he received from the defensive tackle about his career impact.

«I do not want ALS to be my legacy,» Berman said. «What I did on the field, that's my legacy. Pushing myself to the limit… farther than anybody else could.»

On hand to celebrate McMichael's enshrinement were former teammates Richard Dent, Ron Rivera, Mike Singletary, Jimbo Covert, Gary Fencik, Jim Osborne and Marcus Keyes. Dent spoke to McMichael about his place in football history, which came as one of two members of the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class selected as senior finalists.

«Steve, we're here with all your world champion brothers,» Dent said. «Back in Canton, we have 378 brothers that are looking for you. You're on a team that you can never be cut from, you never can be released from. When you die on this team, you will still be on it.»

McMichael, a two-time All-Pro selection, retired in 1994 and ranks fourth in NFL history among defensive tackles with 95 sacks. He was one of three Chicago Bears to be part of