Brian Urlacher (; born May 25, 1978) is an American former professional football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the New Mexico Lobos, earning consensus All-American honors and winning MW Player of the Year in 1999. He was selected ninth overall by the Bears in the 2000 NFL draft.
Urlacher quickly established himself as one of the NFL's most productive defensive players, winning the NFL Rookie of the Year Award. During his career, he was selected to eight Pro Bowls, recognized as a first-team All-Pro four times, and won NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2005. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2017 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.
Early life Urlacher was born to Bradley and Lavoyda Urlacher in Pasco, Washington, and his parents raised him with his younger brother Casey Urlacher. After his parents separated, Lavoyda raised Urlacher and his siblings in Lovington, New Mexico. He spent his youth immersed in sports, and developed an interest in football, basketball, track, and later table tennis; he graduated from Lovington High School in 1996. While his mother worked several jobs to keep her family afloat, Urlacher spent his teenage years playing sports for Lovington High School and training in weight rooms." Brian Urlacher - Biography " . JockBio.com. Retrieved on July 18, 2007.
As he progressed through high school, Urlacher gained experience in all three phases of football. He saw playing time as a running back, wide receiver, return specialist, and defensive back.The Official website of the Chicago Bears, Roster - 54 Brian Urlacher , chicagobears.com, Retrieved on July 18, 2007. Urlacher led the Lovington High School Wildcats to an undefeated 14–0 season, and a division 3-A state championship in 1995. He finished the season with twelve touchdown receptions, six touchdown returns, and two rushing touchdowns. He additionally received state-recognized honors in football, as well as basketball.NFLPlayers.com, Brian Urlacher #54 , Retrieved on July 18, 2007. Lovington has since recognized Urlacher's accomplishments by retiring his high-school jersey number, and naming a holiday after him.
Urlacher wanted to attend Texas Tech University, but the school did not offer him an athletic scholarship.
College career Urlacher enrolled at the University of New Mexico, majored in criminology, and played for the Lobos. Their head coach, Dennis Franchione, converted Urlacher to linebacker, but often left him on the sidelines in favor of more experienced players. The team finished with winning records during Urlacher's first two years and made a trip to the 1997 Insight.com Bowl. The team's success prompted Franchione to leave New Mexico in favor of Texas Christian University. His departure prompted the school to hire Rocky Long, a former coach at UCLA.
Urlacher flourished under Long's tenure. Urlacher not only received more playing time, but also played a more versatile role on both offense and defense. Long converted Urlacher into a "Lobo-Back",Harvey, Kitson, And now for some football.... (February 2, 2007), Duke City Fix, Retrieved on July 20, 2007. a cross between a linebacker and free safety, and placed him in a 3–3–5 defense scheme.The Official Site of the University of New Mexico Athletics, Player Bio: Rocky Long:: Football , cstv.com, Retrieved on July 18, 2007. He spent significant time training with the team's defensive coordinator, Bronco Mendenhall, who helped Urlacher refine his skills as a defensive back. Long also used Urlacher as a return specialist and wide receiver throughout his final two years with the Lobos. Despite Long's extensive changes to the team's roster, formations, and work ethic, the Lobos' performance declined. However, Urlacher became one of the team's most productive players during this time. He finished his career with 442 tackles, three interceptions, 11 sacks, and 11 forced fumbles. Outside of defense, he made seven receptions for 61 yards and six touchdowns as a wide receiver, and had 19 returns for 290 yards as a kick returner.
After the 1999 season, he was one of the finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, and finished twelfth on the Heisman Trophy ballot.Gonzales, Carolyn, The Big Hitter (Fall 2004), Mirage Magazine, Retrieved on July 18, 2007. Urlacher received All-American honors from Walter Camp, Football Writers Association of America, and the Associated Press. He played his final collegiate game at the 2000 Senior Bowl, where he was one of the game's top players.The Official website of the Senior Bowl, The Senior Bowl-- A Look Back At 57 Years Of Football Excellence , seniorbowl.com, Retrieved on July 18, 2007. Urlacher led the nation with 178 tackles during his junior year, and also set a school record for most tackles in a single season. He finished with the third most career tackles in the University of New Mexico's history. The school has honored Urlacher on several occasions. They awarded him with the Male Athlete of the Year Award in 2000,The Official site of the University of New Mexico Athletics, Traditions – Hall of Honor, cstv.com, July 19, 2007. and held a special halftime ceremony to honor his success in 2006.Limón, Iliana, UNM football: Lobos rally from 21-point deficit to beat Utes (October 20, 2006), The Albuquerque Tribune, Retrieved on July 19, 2007. Urlacher was also the first person to be inducted into the University of New Mexico's Football Wall of Fame.Mayer, Larry, Lightning strikes twice for Urlacher (October 20, 2006), chicagobears.com, Retrieved on July 19, 2007. On November 9, 2013, during halftime of New Mexico's game against Air Force, the school retired Urlacher's No. 44 jersey. Urlacher was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on December 5, 2017.
Professional career
NFL draft
Urlacher was considered one of the most talented collegiate prospects in the 2000 NFL draft,Buchsbaum, Joel, Linebackers: Arrington's athleticism, instincts make him the top LB prospect (December 27, 1999), profootballweekly.com, Retrieved on July 18, 2007. and impressed spectators and analysts at the NFL Scouting Combine by bench pressing 225 pounds twenty-seven times and completing the forty-yard dash in 4.57 seconds. The Chicago Bears, who needed a defensive playmaker after having the 29th ranked defense in 1999, selected Urlacher in the first round as the ninth overall pick.Sports Illustrated, CNNSI.com's 2000 NFL Mock Draft (April 12, 2000), cnnsi.com, Retrieved on July 19, 2007.
2000–2004 He signed a five-year contract, worth nearly eight million dollars with a five and a half million dollar signing bonus, within two months of the draft. Bears head coach Dick Jauron recognized Urlacher's versatility as a middle and outside linebacker and appointed him as the team's starting strongside linebacker.Kiper, Mel, Prospects rise quickly at Senior Bowl (March 8, 2002), espn.com, Retrieved on July 19, 2007. However, Urlacher struggled to perform consistently in his first game and lost his starting position to Rosevelt Colvin.Chicago Tribune, Questions With... Brian Urlacher (2006), chicagosports.com, Retrieved on July 19, 2007. Jauron left Urlacher on the sidelines during the following week as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers shut out the Bears, 41–0.Yahoo! Sports, , Retrieved on July 20, 2007.
He managed to regain a starting spot on the Bears roster after Barry Minter, the team's veteran middle linebacker, was forced to miss the week 3 game on account of an injury. Urlacher excelled at the middle linebacker position, and recorded 46 tackles, six sacks, and one interception in his next five starts. He suffered a rib cage injury during this period but still won the league's Rookie Defensive Player of the Month in October. He led the Bears with 124 tackles and eight sacks, both of which surpassed the franchise's previous rookie records.RetroJersey.net, About Brian Urlacher , Game Time Promotions, Retrieved on July 20, 2007. Although the Bears finished with a disappointing 5–11 record, Urlacher received a number of individual accolades for his performance during the season. Many news organizations, such as the Associated Press and The Sporting News named him as the 2000 Defensive Rookie of the Year. Football fans across the nation also voted Urlacher to play at the 2001 Pro Bowl as an alternate middle linebacker. Urlacher's successful rookie campaign served as the foundation for his professional career and reputation.Judge, Clark, Riddle of the middle: When would Bears have shifted Urlacher? (January 30, 2007), CBS SportsLine.com, Retrieved on July 20, 2007.
Urlacher became one of the Bears' most productive playmakers during the 2001 season. He had one of the best games of his career on October 7 against the Atlanta Falcons in which he held Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, who was well known for his scrambling abilities, to just 18 rushing yards.Yahoo! Sports, , Retrieved on August 5, 2007. He also recorded a forced fumble and sack, and returned one of Vick's fumbles for a 90-yard touchdown. Two weeks later, Urlacher helped set up a Bears comeback victory against the San Francisco 49ers by intercepting a pass, and later setting up a game-winning touchdown return for Mike Brown, after causing 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens to lose control of a pass. He also caught a touchdown pass from punter Brad Maynard off a fake field goal attempt against the Washington Redskins in week 14, which clinched a first-round bye.Maske, Mark, Redskins Fall From Race (December 24, 2001), The Washington Post. Retrieved on June 26, 2008. Urlacher concluded the season with three interceptions, six sacks, and was a candidate for 2001 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award.Brian Urlacher Profile (2008), Scout.com. Retrieved on June 26, 2008 Football Digest named Urlacher their publication's defensive player of the year. The 2001 Chicago Bears won 13 games, marking the team's best finish since 1986, but lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Divisional Playoffs.
The Bears' 2001 winning season would be followed by three straight losing seasons. As a result, the Bears fired Jauron and hired Lovie Smith before the 2004 NFL season. After the Bears started the season on the lower rungs of the NFC North, Urlacher suffered several injuries that sidelined him for a majority of the season.
2005–2011 In 2005, Urlacher won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year after playing for a defensive team that allowed the fewest points per game, and created the most turnovers in the National Football Conference.Yahoo! Sports, NFL Statistics By Team – 2005. Retrieved on July 2, 2008. Urlacher himself recorded at least 10 tackles in six consecutive games, while finishing the season with a team high 121 tackles.Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, Brian Urlacher. Retrieved February 10, 2012. He was also credited as one of the team's leaders, whose audibles and experience helped develop several younger teammates.Associated Press, named AP Defensive Player of the Year (January 6, 2006), ESPN. Retrieved on July 7, 2008. Urlacher led the Bears to an 11–5 record, marking their best finish since 2001. Urlacher played his second career playoff game against the Carolina Panthers on January 15, 2006. He recorded seven tackles and one interception in a 29–21 loss. Urlacher was also selected to the 2006 Pro Bowl, but declined the position on account of an injury.Alder, James, 2006 NFL Pro Bowl Rosters , about.com. Retrieved on July 2, 2008.