Hall of Fame
Position: Defensive Back
Years: 1996-1999
Place of Birth: Pasco, WA
Date of Birth: May 25, 1978
Jersey Number: 44
Height: 6-4"
Weight: 240
High School: Lovington HS (Lovington, NM)
Arguably the most decorated player in New Mexico history, Brian Urlacher earned consensus First Team All-America honors in 1999 and was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. He deservedly becomes the first Lobo (player or coach) to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
The 1999 Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, Urlacher led the league in tackles (154), forced fumbles (5) and fumble recoveries (3) as a senior. The two-time team captain and Team MVP twice led the Lobos in tackles, recording a single-season school record 178 in 1998, which led the nation. A two-time all-conference performer, Urlacher’s 115 tackles in conference games in 1999 are a MWC single-season record, and his 154 total single-season tackles that season rank third all-time in MWC history and sixth in the Lobos record books.
Showing his versatility, the 1999 New Mexico Male Athlete of the Year recorded seven touchdowns to lead the team in scoring with 42 points while also earning his second consecutive Colonel H.J. Golightly Defensive Player of the Year award from the team. His 442 career tackles rank fourth all-time in Lobo history while his 11 career forced fumbles rank second. As a sophomore, Urlacher led New Mexico to a berth in the 1997 WAC Championship Game and a trip to the Insight.com Bowl, the Lobos’ first bowl appearance since 1961.
Following his standout career, he played in the 2000 Senior Bowl where he earned Defensive MVP honors. A member of the State of New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame, Urlacher’s No. 44 jersey was retired by the Lobos in 2013.
Selected ninth overall in the 2000 NFL Draft, Urlacher spent his entire 13-year career with the Chicago Bears. The eight-time Pro Bowl selection and five-time All-Pro was named the 2000 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year and 2005 AP Defensive Player of the Year. A member of the NFL All-Decade Team for the 2000s, Urlacher led the Bears to an appearance in Super Bowl XLI and holds the franchise record with 1,776 career tackles. He received the Bears’ Brian Piccolo Award in 2007.
Giving back to his community off the field, Urlacher donated $500,000 to UNM for its indoor practice facility, and he conducted summer football camps at the university for more than a decade. He built the Brian Urlacher Training Facility for his alma mater Lovington High School (N.M.) and bought shoes for all of the school’s athletes for five years. During his career with the Bears, Urlacher would purchase 120 tickets to every Chicago home game and donate them to charity. He worked briefly as a studio analyst for FOX Sports 1 following his NFL career.
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