BrianUrlacher

Brian Urlacher is a former linebacker born May 25, 1978, in Pasco, Washington (6'4", 258 lbs). He played his entire 13-year career (2000–2012) with the Chicago Bears after being drafted 9th overall out of New Mexico in 2000. He's the 2005 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, 2000 Defensive Rookie of the Year, eight-time Pro Bowler, and Pro Football Hall of Famer (2018).

Urlacher grew up in Lovington, New Mexico, and developed into a hybrid "Lobo-Back" — part linebacker, part safety — under coach Rocky Long at the University of New Mexico, finishing as a consensus All-American. Chicago drafted him 9th overall in 2000, and after a rocky start he settled into the middle linebacker spot and won Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Urlacher anchored the Bears' defense for over a decade, earning eight Pro Bowl selections and four first-team All-Pro nods. His best individual season came in 2005, when he won Defensive Player of the Year while leading a defense that allowed the fewest points in the league. In 2006, he helped Chicago reach Super Bowl XLI, which they lost to the Colts.

He retired in 2013 as the Bears' all-time leader in tackles (1,779) and started all but two of the 182 games he played — third-most in franchise history. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2017 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018, his first year of eligibility.

Off the field, Urlacher has worked as a broadcaster and remains one of the most recognizable faces in Bears history; the team kept his No. 54 out of circulation for 13 years after his retirement before reissuing it in 2026.