Ex-Bear to run for suburban mayor

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ROMEOVILLE, Ill., Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Former Chicago Bear Steve McMichael, a lineman on the Bears' storied 1985 Super Bowl championship team, is running for mayor of suburban Romeoville, Ill.

"I'm dead serious about this," McMichael, the owner of Mongo McMichael's restaurant and sports bar in Romeoville, told WJOL-AM, Joliet, Ill. McMichael told the Chicago Tribune his customers had encouraged him to toss his helmet into the political ring.

The outspoken McMichael moved to Romeoville, a suburb southwest of Chicago in April, saying he didn't want to raise his 4-year-old daughter in a downtown condo.

McMichael, 54, who plans to run against incumbent Mayor John Noak in April, did not reveal his party affiliation.

"I am not a politician," he said. "I am someone who will not delegate over the people. I will listen to them and act on what they want to see in the community."

A former professional wrestler, McMichael is the current coach of the Chicago Slaughter of the Indoor Football League.