Brian Urlacher

Brian Urlacher (born May 25, 1978) is an American former football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears.

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.

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.

Urlacher led the Lovington High School Wildcats to an undefeated 14–0 season, and a division 3-A state championship.

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.

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.

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 even 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", a cross between a linebacker and free safety, and placed him in a 3–3–5 defense scheme.

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 caught six touchdown passes, and returned five kicks for touchdowns.

After the 1999 season, he was one of the finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, and finished twelfth on the Heisman Trophy ballot.

Urlacher received All-American honors from Walter Camp, Football Writers Association of America, and the Associated Press.

He played college football for the New Mexico Lobos, where he received consensus All-American honors as a senior, and 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.

He played his final collegiate game at the 2000 Senior Bowl, where he was one of the game's top players.

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, and held a special halftime ceremony to honor his success in 2006.

Urlacher was also the first person to be inducted into the University of New Mexico's Football Wall of Fame.

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.

On November 9, 2013, during halftime of New Mexico's game against Air Force, the school retired Urlacher's No. 44 jersey.

He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2017 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

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.

Urlacher was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on December 5, 2017.