urlacher

Photograph: Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune 

So Brian Urlacher is no longer in the NFL. We kind of thought this might happen when he hinted at his retirement in March. Today, he made it official.

 

 

 

We thought we'd take the occasion to take a look at a few of our fondest memories of the career Bear.

 

There was that time he had the diving interception and a fumble recovery for a TD in the same game against the Falcons. Even though you know he makes it to the endzone, your pulse just quickens every time you watch him stoop to grab that loose ball.

 

 

Then there was the time he had 25 tackles against the Cardinals in the best comeback win of 2006.

 

 

And then there's this highlight reel from Youtube user WeezeyDeezey, which has more hits, turnovers, sacks, and big plays than we can begin to name.

 

 

But the all-time greatest Urlacher memory has to be this little home video Chicago mag recorded the last time the Bears made the Super Bowl.

 

A few other production notes from one of its creators, Chicago mag's Jeff Ruby:

  • Jeff wrote it and recorded it with a human beatboxer, Yuri Lane, and a local high school tuba player named Aaron Philips
  • The magazine's tech guru John Kenzie drew the faces
  • Jeff and his wife did the rest of the art
  • This took place back when Urlacher had more hair
  • Number 54 comes up at roughly 1:36 in the video, with the line, "He's the big man they call Urlacher / He's got all the flair of a pair of pressed Dockers"

We'll miss you, Brian!