+Chicago Bears great, and future Hall of Famer, +Brian Urlacher announced he is retiring from the +NFL after 13 seasons. There are a lot of superlatives I could use to describe Brian's career, but I will leave it to George McCaskey as he laid out his career best:
“How lucky we were that Brian Urlacher was a Chicago Bear.
"Brian announced his retirement in the same, understated way in which he carried himself at Halas Hall the last 13 years — he simply wanted to be one of the guys and play the game he loves. But his rare ability, work ethic and passion for football put him among the greats to ever play the game.
"Besides superlative play on the field, he was also the unquestioned leader in the locker room, as well as the sometimes reluctant face of the franchise. Brian is a special person who represented our team and our city with skill and humility while never seeking acclaim or recognition.
"In the pantheon of Bears, Brian has earned his place alongside Halas, Grange, Nagurski, Ditka, Payton — and yes, Bill George, Butkus and Singletary.
“We congratulate Brian on a brilliant career and he will continue to be a welcomed member of the Bears Family in retirement.”
Here are just a couple of his career highlights, that need to be remembered today.
With the 9th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select Safety Brian Urlacher from the University of New Mexico. The Bears drafted Urlacher to play linebacker in the NFL due to his size and speed, but the move from Safety wasn't his only position change. After starting the season as the Bears starting Strong Side Linebacker, Urlacher was benched for under-performance, as well as personally saying he felt lost as an OLB. After Barry Minter (the Bears Middle Linebacker) went down with an injury, Brian reemerged as the MLB and a phenom was born. Urlacher went on to win the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year award, recorded 124 tackles, 8 sacks both of which were Bears rookie records.
2001. In a pregame interview, Michael Vick used action figures to show how he would run all over the young star, Brian Urlacher. Once the game started it was a completely different story. Vick was held to 18 yards rushing, Urlacher sacked Vick, forced a fumble, and returned another Vick fumble 90 yards for a touchdown.
2005. Brian Urlacher earns the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year award. Urlacher was the undeniable leader of the leagues best defense, allowing the least amount of points and producing the most turnovers. This would also mark his second trip to the postseason. Brian recorded 121 tackles, 6 sacks, and a forced fumble. Outside of stats, he was the leader on the field. Directing players to the right spots, calling audibles, and owning the MLB position under the Lovie Smith defensive scheme.
2006. The Bears are who we thought they were.... Not only was this Brian's only appearance in the Super Bowl, Brian had his single best game earlier in the year against the +Arizona Cardinals. Trailing the Cardinals late by 20 points, Urlacher created a key fumble that was returned for a touchdown, recorded 25 tackles, and the Bears completed the comeback. Urlacher and the defense lead the Bears to a 13-3 record, and earned that appearance against the +Indianapolis Colts in +Super Bowl XLI.
Brian's career will be more than the stats and awards. Urlacher was the mainstay, and a future Hall of Famer, playing linebacker for franchise that created the position. He was the leader on and off the field and the face of the Bears franchise over the past 13 seasons.
Check out the interview with Tom Waddle and Marc Silverman on ESPN 1000 in Chicago.
Waddle and Silvy
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