Who’s next? Four Bears worthy of Hall of Fame consideration

Hilgenberg not only played in but started seven straight Pro Bowls from 1985-91, a sure sign that he dominated at his position for a substantial period. The undrafted free agent from Iowa anchored one of the best offensive lines in NFL history for a decade. He helped the Bears win six division championships, one conference title and one Super Bowl during his 11 seasons with the team from 1981-91. The line helped the Bears lead the NFL in rushing for four straight seasons from 1983-86.

Argument against and counter

The great Bears teams of the 1980s won only one championship, yet McMichael will become the sixth player from that era in the Hall of Fame, joining Covert, Richard Dent, Dan Hampton, Walter Payton and Mike Singletary. Voters may be reluctant to select a seventh player from those teams. Plus, there are only seven centers from the Super Bowl era in the Hall of Fame.

But Hilgenberg certainly seems to possess the necessary credentials. The seven straight Pro Bowl starts show that he was the NFC’s best center during a sizeable chunk of his playing career, and while he was not named to the NFL All-Decade Team for the 1980s—Mike Webster and Dwight Stephenson were selected and are both in the Hall of Fame—Hilgenberg was a five-time All-Pro.