The Big Hitter: Brian Urlacher

The Big Hitter
by Carolyn Gonzales

Former Lobo Brian Urlacher loves Chicago—and vice versa—but still calls New Mexico home.

Hits.

To a baseball player it’s the ball off the bat skidding through the outfield. To a musician it’s a song skyrocketing to the top of the charts. To a football player, it’s helmet against pads…it’s music made when the ball is snapped and linemen take care of business.

No one in the game of football is as gifted at hitting as Chicago Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher, ’00. A pro bowl player in each of his four years since being a first round draft pick from the University of New Mexico, Urlacher plays the game to win.

“I love hard-nosed football. Big hits are the number one tradition, the best tradition, in football,” he says.

Football, especially in Chicago, has its legends – Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary, and Bill George among others. Urlacher’s been compared to them all. His legend is told through the crunching sound of pads against pads, somehow different, they say, when Urlacher creates the cacophony.

From the Start

The big hitter hails from Lovington, New Mexico. In high school, he played football and basketball. As a sophomore he played wide receiver because of his speed, size, and strength. After the season, assistant coach Jaime Quiñones pointed Urlacher to the weight room. Over the next two years Urlacher grew five inches and put on 60 pounds of hard-hitting muscle.

Quiñones says Urlacher was a typical kid who loved sports. He was never in the office and was a good student.

“He didn’t question coaches’ reasons. He just did what was asked of him. He has a God-given ability, but it’s extra things that set special athletes apart – heart and work ethic. He never took a shortcut,” Quiñones says.

His senior year, the Wildcats went 14-0 and took the 3-A state championship. Urlacher was on the field throughout the game, catching 61 passes for 15 touchdowns, returning four punts and two kickoffs. His skills as receiver and safety won him all-state honors.

“As a senior, he was the best player in New Mexico. He was the best we’ve ever had, but he never let it go to his head. He is not arrogant,” Quiñones says.

Hometown Loyalty

No longer having family in Lovington – except former coaches – Urlacher remains deeply rooted in southeastern New Mexico. He recently invited a few close friends to join him in a charity basketball game at the old high-school gym. Among those trading cleats for basketball shoes were fellow pro-bowlers Jerry Azumah, Chicago Bears, and Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas, Miami Dolphins. Rounding out Urlacher’s team were Keith Brookings, Atlanta Falcons, and Bubba Jennings, Texas Tech.

“We’re playing this game to have a good time and raise money for the sports program. Lovington is a good football town with good people. It will always be home,” Urlacher says.

The money raised will go toward upgrades in the school’s Brian Urlacher Training Center, Quiñones says. “He has also donated money for scholarships and even picked up the bill for this year’s class to go on their senior trip to Lubbock,” he says.

Quiñones added that through his Nike contract, Urlacher has had the football team outfitted with cleats and the coaches with apparel.

Lobo Luck

Following high school graduation in 1996, Urlacher hoped to hop the state border and play at Texas Tech in Lubbock. Surprisingly, they didn’t offer him a scholarship. The Lobos’ Dennis Francione saw something in him others had overlooked.

“He stood out. In high school, he played receiver, tight end, and defense. He went out and made the play. Only three days after he reported to UNM, it was obvious he was a special player. He had both the height and weight to play lots of positions and he learned quickly. We scratched our heads and wondered why others didn’t see in him what we did,” Francione says.

Urlacher credits Francione, former Lobo Defensive Coach Bronco Mendenhall, and Francione’s successor, Rocky Long, for helping him develop as a player. “They coached hard, encouraged me to work hard. They stressed using the weight room and taking advantage of every opportunity to get better,” he says.

Long on Defense

When Long was hired to lead the Lobos, he brought with him a new philosophy on defense.

“The new scheme had a guy in the middle, a deep middle linebacker. Because Brian could play sideline to sideline, we adjusted so that he was always in the middle of the field,” Long says.

The scheme worked. Urlacher led the nation in tackles for two years. “He was exceptional in his size, speed, and enthusiasm. He played like a super star, but never acted like one. He was a good practice player as well as game player,” Long says.

Urlacher was featured on a half-hour ESPN segment a couple years ago, but with a caveat, “He refused to do it if they didn’t show him at least once in a Lobos uniform,” Long says.

Like a Brother

Former teammate and good friend Daniel Reyes (BA, 2001) spent time recently with Urlacher in Las Vegas, Nevada. He says, “Brian is one of those special people everyone is blessed to know. I know I am. He is also the best all-around athlete I have ever seen. Brian will bring down running backs on the football field faster than anyone and he will pick up a ping-pong paddle and make you look really bad at ping-pong.

“As a former Lobo teammate, I was very fortunate to play with Brian. He was number 44 and I was 45. It was great having a locker next to one of your best friends. Not only is he one of the best athletes to come through UNM and NCAA football—he is also a humble person who sets a great example of the type of person a man would want his son or brother to grow up like. He was one of the hardest working and dedicated players. He gave 110 percent on and off the field and his presence made our team and myself play to our full potential,” he says.

Reyes says that Urlacher is always quick to credit others before accepting recognition for himself, despite leading the NCAA in tackles, being an All-American, MWC Player of the Year, a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, and even given some Heisman Trophy consideration.

Urlacher was more than a friend and teammate. “He became my brother,” Reyes says. “Thankfully we have stayed close following our time as Lobos. Brian always puts the needs of others first and will always ask, ‘How’s your mom? How is Janna? [Reyes’ wife] before anything. You know you have a brother when the important things in your life are important to him as well.”

At the top of the list of importance in Urlacher’s life these days is his 3-year old daughter, Pamela. “She says Daddy plays for the “Cago Bears.’ She recognizes my jersey when she sees people in it,” the proud dad says. (Urlacher’s jersey is among the most popular of NFL fans.)

Strength—of Character

Urlacher’s skills and accomplishments have thrust him into the spotlight, sought after for endorsements and interviews, autographs and photographs, and yet, he remains grounded.

“I surround myself with my family and friends – people who have no problem telling me if I do something wrong,” he explains.

Reyes believes Urlacher’s strength, and strength of character, carried him from the UNM Lobos to the Chicago Bears and will propel him further—into the NFL Hall of Fame.

Drafted ninth by the Bears in 2000, Urlacher was New Mexico’s first first-round draft pick since Robin Cole went to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1977. Urlacher quickly signed a five-year deal worth $8 million.

Wasting no time in Bears’ blue and orange, Urlacher made his mark by moving through offensive lines like a Midwestern twister.

His first year he lead the team in total tackles (165), sacks (8), and solo tackles (103), and was named second team All-Pro by The Football News. He was just the third player in the team’s history to be named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Although voted a first alternate to the Pro Bowl, he made that trip to Hawaii when Detroit’s Stephen Boyd was sidelined.

Perfect Match

In the three years following his rookie season, Urlacher continued to shine despite the team’s struggles. In 2002, Urlacher racked up 214 tackles, leaving behind Butkus’s single-season franchise record. In 2003, the Bears, fully aware of Urlacher’s value, offered him a nine-year contract, purportedly worth more than $56 million.

Head Coach Lovie Smith calls Urlacher the "prototype" middle linebacker for a reconfigured Bears defense in which only the size of the collision will matter.

"We've never had a middle linebacker like him,” Smith says. “The speed that Brian has, the ground he can cover, I think he will take off in this system."

Urlacher says he wants to play for at least six more years, leaving while he’s still playing well. He has no plans to exit the Windy City. “I love this blue-collar city. It’s a great place to be a defensive player. They love hard-hitting football and I like to hit people,” he says.

It’s why fans brave a blizzard in the bleachers of Soldier Field and why New Mexicans who never before paid attention to Bears football now turn on their televisions.

“Go, Grr-lacher!”

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