GGOATRANK
🇺🇸
American Football · Defensive tackle · United States

Steve McMichael

1980–1994 · Super Bowl XX champion and the Bears' second all-time sack leader.

Retired
Ranking model

100% titles, statistics, dominance, longevity and global competition depth.

Pure sporting data
86.4
Cultural & brand footprint 52/100 · total legacy 76.7
Super Bowl titles
1
Career sacks
95
Pro Bowls
2
Consecutive games played
191
First-team All-Pro selections
2

Category profile

Dominance
82
Peak
92
Longevity
88
Honours
82
Statistics
90

Career timeline · Touchdowns per season

SeasonTouchdowns per seasonShare of career
19811
19823
19838.5
198410
19858
19868
19875
198811.5
198910.5
19908.5
19913
19926
19932.5

Data sources

  • NFL.com
  • Pro Football Reference
  • Pro Football Hall of Fame

Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method

Why Steve McMichael ranks #71 in American Football

Steve McMichael ranks 71st among American Football athletes on GOAT Rank and 1206th of 2289 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 86.4 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 82, Peak 92, Longevity 88, Honours 82, Statistics 90. Those categories are normalised against the full American Football reference universe of 381 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 1980–1994 with 13 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1988, which sets the Peak component at 92. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 92 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes super bowl titles 1, career sacks 95, pro bowls 2, consecutive games played 191.

Immediately ahead sits Kevin Mawae on 86.4, a gap of 0.0 points. Directly behind is Davante Adams on 86.4. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.

Steve McMichael GOAT Score explained

Dominance82/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far McMichael stood above the field while competing. Scored 82/100 against the full American Football cohort.
Peak92/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1988. Scored 92/100.
Longevity88/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 14 years of competition and 13 recorded seasons. Scored 88/100.
Honours82/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 82/100.
Statistics90/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 90/100.

Steve McMichael — frequently asked

Is Steve McMichael the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Steve McMichael ranks 71st in American Football with a GOAT Score of 86.4, behind Tom Brady on 97.2.
What is Steve McMichael's GOAT Score?
86.4 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 82 (25%), Peak 92 (20%), Longevity 88 (20%), Honours 82 (20%), Statistics 90 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Steve McMichael rank all time?
1206th of 2289 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 71st within American Football.
Steve McMichael vs Kevin Mawae: who ranks higher?
Steve McMichael, on 86.4 against Kevin Mawae's 86.4 — a margin of 0.0 points.
Compare with Brady