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Brian Urlacher #54

Chicago Bears

Did You Know?

Brian's mom, Lavoyda, raised him and his two siblings, Sheri and Casey. While their mother worked a job at a landramat, a grocery store, and a convenience store, the children sometimes had more time with their babysitters than their mom. Six years after the family moved into Lovington, Lavoyda got married to Troy Lenard, who was a cowboy and an oil field pipeliner. Disciplined and hard-working, he provided Brian with a father figure and structure. If Brian stepped out of line, he knew Troy would whack him on the rear with the two-by-four Troy called "Uncle Henry." (JockBio.com)
Even though Brian looks like someone you'd never want to cross (on or off the field), Dick Butkus actually criticized Urlacher for not being mean enough (JockBio.com)
Besides his pro football career, Brian is quite the businessman. Urlacher owns a car dealership in New Mexico. Although he later told the media he feels "uncomfortable" appearing in commercials, he has been featured in commercials for McDonald's, Domino's Pizza, Nike, Glacéau, and Campbell's Chunky soup. On media day before Super Bowl XLI, Brian promoted Glacéau vitamin water by wearing their hat. Since they're not an NFL-approved sponsor, Brian was fined $100,000. Brian was the spokesperson and cover athlete for Sega Sports' NFL 2K3. (Chicago Bears, April 18, 2007)
Urlacher loves the Chicago Cubs, and was even invited to sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during a seventh-inning stretch. He also is a wrestling fan, and he has actually wrestled in a pay-per-view event himself, but was forbidden from continuing by the Bears. Brian also golfs quite a bit, and when he was featured in AT&T's Home Turf, he displayed one of his mansion's rooms, which was full of golfing gear. Other tidbits about Brian are that he likes to watch the Discovery Channel and National Geographic, and that he likes to listen to rap, rock, hip-hop, and even country music. (ATTBlueroom.com)
Brian was New Mexico's first first-round pick since the Steelers drafted Robin Cole in 1977. The Bears signed Brian to a five-year, $8 million contract, starting him as their strongside linebacker as a rookie. (JockBio.com)

Player Facts:

In college, Brian was a cross between a linebacker and a safety, as well as New Mexico's clutch wide receiver and return specialist. He left New Mexico ranked No. 3 in the school's history with 422 tackles, and made New Mexico records with the most tackles in a single season. He also amassed three interceptions and eleven forced fumbles and sacks. Sports Network, Walter Camp, the Football Writers Association of America, and the Associated Press all named him an All-American, and was one of the top prospects in the 2000 NFL Draft. (Pro Football Weekly, December 27, 1999)
Urlacher is part of the elite "Monsters of the Midway," a name used by Bears fans to categorize other football stars like Dick Butkus, Bill George, and "Samurai"A Mike Singletary. Nationally, Urlacher's own jersey sales have compared to other NFL stars' jersey sales like Brett Favre and Michael Vick. (About.com)
Brian is a highly-decorated player: he has been chosen six times to the Pro Bowl, is a four-time All-Pro selection, and was named the University of New Mexico's Male Athlete of the Year in 2000. In the 2000 NFL season, he was awarded the NFL Rookie Offensive Player of the Month in October, and the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Football Digest named him the 2001 Defensive Player of the Year, and was awarded the same honor by the Associated Press in 2005. (Chicago Bears)
Urlacher has been a four-time NFL Defensive Player of the Week, as well as a Special Teams Player of the Week. He won the Brian Piccolo Award in 2007, and led the league in fumble return yards in 2001. He also made Bears records with the most tackles in a single season. (Chicago Bears)
When he won both the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2000 and NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2005, he became just the fifth NFL player in history to win both. Despite his achievements and performance in the NFL, the Chicago Sun-Times' columnist Jay Mariotti called him the NFL's most overrated player. In 2006, a Sports Illustrated poll placed him as the second-most overrated player behind Terrell Owens (out of 361 players). Brian said he didn't really care. (Chicago Bears, October 31, 2006)

Charities:

Brian was featured on the Wheel of Fortune in 2002, and won more than $47,000 for charity. He has joined with other Bears teammates in donating autographed sports memorabilia to help fundraise for the Special Olympics, and has volunteered countless hours with the Special Olympics and Ronald McDonald house. (The Albuquerque Tribune, January 9, 2002)