Brian Keith Urlacher (born on May 25, 1978) is an American football player, who currently plays for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He attended the University of New Mexico, where he was one of the school's most decorated athletes. In addition to setting multiple university records, Urlacher earned national consideration for the Jim Thorpe Award and Heisman Trophy during his senior year. ^[1] He started his professional career with Bears as the ninth overall selection in 2000 NFL Draft. ^[2]

Urlacher has since established himself as one of the league's most productive defensive player. After winning the NFL Rookie of the Year Award in 2000, he has been elected to seven Pro Bowls, ^[3] and won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in 2005. ^[1] His playing style, accomplishments and reputation have made him one of the team's most popular players. Urlacher has also been spokesperson for several companies. ^[4] Sega Sports selected Urlacher to appear on the cover of NFL 2K3, while other companies, such as Nike, Old Spice, and Vitamin Water, have featured him in advertisements. ^{[5] [6]}

Early life

Brian Urlacher was born to Brad and Lavoyda Urlacher in Pasco, Washington. ^[7] After his parents separated, Lavoyda raised Urlacher and his siblings in Lovington, New Mexico. He spent his youth immersed in sports, and developed a partiality towards football, basketball, and later table tennis. ^[7] While his mother worked several jobs to keep her family afloat, Urlacher spent his teenage years playing sports for the Lovington High School and training in weight rooms. ^[7] The training helped Urlacher gain the speed, height, and muscle mass he would need to solidify his football career. ^[7]

As he progressed though high school, Urlacher gained experience in all three phases of football. He saw play time as a running back, wide receiver, return specialist, and defensive back. ^[1] Urlacher led the Lovington High Wildcats to an undefeated 14-0 season, and a division 3-A state championship. ^[7] He finished the season with twelve touchdown receptions, six touchdown returns, and two rushing touchdowns. ^[1] He additionally merited state-recognized honors in football, as well as basketball. ^[8] Lovington has since recognized Urlacher’s accomplishments by retiring his high-school jersey number, and naming a holiday after him. ^[1]

Collegiate career

Urlacher wished to attend Texas Tech University, but the school did not offer him an athletic scholarship. ^[7] The University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University were the only two Division I schools that offered Urlacher scholarships. ^[7] He ultimately enrolled into the University of New Mexico, and chose to major in Criminology. ^[8] The New Mexico Lobos' head coach, Dennis Franchione, converted Urlacher to linebacker, but often left him on the sidelines in favor of more experienced players. ^[7] The team finished with winning records during Urlacher's first two years, and even made a trip to the 1997 Insight.com Bowl. ^[7] The Franchione's success prompted him to leave New Mexico in favor of Texas Christian University. His departure prompted the school to hire Rocky Long, the University of California, Los Angeles' former head coach, to relieve his position.

Despite the change, Urlacher flourished under Long's tenure. ^[7] Urlacher not only received more play time, but also played a more versatile role on both offense and defense. Long converted Urlacher into a "Lobo-Back", ^[9] a cross-between a linebacker and free safety, and placed him in a 3-3-5 defense scheme. ^[10] He spent significant time training with the team's defensive coordinator, Bronco Mendenhall, who helped Urlacher refine his skills as a defensive back. ^[7] Long also used Urlacher as a return specialist and wide receiver throughout his final two years with the Lobos. ^[8] Despite Long's extensive changes to the team's roster, formations, and work ethic, the Lobos' performance declined. However, Urlacher became the one of the team's most productive players during this time. He finished his career with 442 tackles, three interceptions, eleven sacks and force fumbles. ^[1] Outside of defense, he caught six touchdown passes, and returned five kicks for touchdowns. ^[1]

Urlacher is regraded as the University of New Mexico's most decorated alumni. After the 1999 season, he was one of the finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, and finished twelfth on Heisman Trophy ballot. ^[11] Urlacher received All-American honors from Walter Camp, Football Writers Association of America, and Associated Press. ^[8] He played his final collegiate game at the 2000 Senior Bowl, where he was one of the game's top players. ^[12] Urlacher led the nation with 178 tackles during his junior year, and also set a school record for most tackles in a single season. ^[1] He finished with the third most career tackles in the University of New Mexico's history. ^[1] The school has honored Urlacher on several occasions. They awarded him with the Male Athlete of the Year Award in 2000, ^[13] and held a special half-time ceremony to honor his success in 2006. ^[14] Urlacher was also the first person to be inducted into the University of New Mexico's Football Wall of Fame. ^[15]

Professional career

2000–2001

Urlacher was considered to be one of the most talented collegiate prospects headed into the 2000 NFL Draft. ^[16] He impressed spectators and analysts at the NFL Combine by bench pressing 255 pounds twenty-seven times, and completing the forty-yard Dash in 4.57 seconds. ^{[7] [17]} The Chicago Bears, who were in need of a defensive play-maker, selected Urlacher in the first round, as the draft's ninth overall pick. ^[18] He signed a five-year contract, which was worth nearly eight million dollars with a five and a half million dollar signing bonus, within two months of the draft. ^[19] Dick Jauron, who was then the Bears' head coach, recognized Urlacher's versatility as a middle and outside linebacker, and appointed him as the team's starting strongside linebacker. ^{[7] [20]} However, Urlacher struggled to perform consistently in his first professional game, and lost his starting position to Rosevelt Colvin. ^[21] Jauron left Urlacher on the sidelines during the following week, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers shutout the Bears with a score of 41-0. ^[22]

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 three game on account of an injury. ^[23] Urlacher excelled at the middle linebacker position, and recorded forty-six tackles, six sacks, and one interception in his next five starts. ^[22] Not even a rib cage injury hindered his performance during this period, as Urlacher went on to win the League's Rookie Defensive Player of the Month in October. ^[23] He led the Bears with 124 tackles and eight sacks, which surpassed the franchise's previous rookie records. ^[24] Although the Bears finished with a 5-11 record, Urlacher received a myriad 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. ^{[8] [25]} Football fanatics across the nation also voted Urlacher to play at the 2001 Pro Bowl as an alternate middle linebacker. ^[7] Urlacher's successful rookie campaign served as the foundation for his professional career and reputation. ^[26]

Urlacher further distinguished himself as the one of the Bears' most productive play makers during the 2001 season. He had one of the best games of his career on October 7, against the Atlanta Falcons. Urlacher held Falcon's quarterback Michael Vick, who was well-known for his scrambling abilities, to eighteen rushing yards, ^[27] and recorded a forced fumble and sack. ^[22] He also returned one of Vick's fumbles for a ninety-yard touchdown. ^[22] Two weeks later, Urlacher helped set up a Bears come-back victory against the San Fransisco 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. ^[7] He also caught a touchdown pass from punter Brad Maynard off a fake field goal attempt against the Washington Redskins in fourteen, which clinched a first-round bye. ^[28] Urlacher concluded the season with three interceptions, six, sacks, and was candidate for 2001 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award. ^[29] Football Digest named Urlacher their publication's defensive player of the year. ^[29] 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. ^[22]

2002–2004

The Bears were unable to carry their momentum into the 2002 NFL season. While the team struggled, Urlacher continued to remain as one of the team's most consistent players. During the season, he recorded a franchise-high 214 tackles. ^[7] As a result of his productivity, Urlacher was elected to the Pro Bowl, and was selected for the 2002 All-Pro team. ^[8]

2005–present

In 2005, Urlacher won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year after leading a defensive team that allowed the fewest points per game, and created the most turnovers in the National Football Conference. ^[30] Urlacher himself recorded at least ten tackles in six consecutive games, while finishing the season with a team high 121 tackles. ^[8] He was also accredited as becoming one of the team's leaders, whose audibles and experience helped develop several younger teammates. ^[31] 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 during the on January 15, 2006. He recorded seven tackles and one interception in a 29-21 loss. ^[22] Urlacher was also selected to the 2006 Pro Bowl, but declined the position on account of an injury. ^[32]

The team continued their resurgence into the 2006 season, finishing with a record of 13-3. During the season, Urlacher had one of the best performances of his professional career against the Arizona Cardinals. ^[33] He helped the Bears overcome a 20 point deficit by recording 11 tackles and a forced fumble that was returned for a touchdown. ^[33] Teammate Devin Hester commented on Urlacher's performance, stating, "We watched the film and everybody was saying that he just turned into the Incredible Hulk the last four minutes of the game, just killing people and running over and tackling whoever had the ball." ^[33] The Bears won the NFC Championship against the New Orleans Saints, 39-14, but lost Super Bowl XLI to the Indianapolis Colts, 29-17. Urlacher finished the season with 93 tackles and three forced fumbles. He was elected to the 2006 All-Pro Team and 2007 Pro Bowl, while also earning consideration for the League's Defensive Player of the Year award. ^[34]

The Bears were unable to replicate their success in the 2007 season, and finished last in the NFC North. In the middle of the season, Urlacher admitted that he had been suffering from an arthritic back, but later claimed the ailment was not serious. ^[35] Nevertheless, he finished the season on a high note, registering five interceptions, five sacks, one fumble recovery, one hundred and twenty-three tackles, and a defensive touchdown. ^[36] Following the season’s conclusion, Urlacher received minor neck surgery to treat his arthritic back. ^[37] During the offseason, Urlacher revised his contract with the Bears, who granted him a $6 million dollar signing bonus with a $1 million increase in salary each of the next four years. ^[38]

Playing style

Personal life

References