Full Text of HR0813 100th General Assembly
HR0813 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Brian Urlacher is one of the greatest defensive | 3 | | linebackers to ever play
professional football, dazzling | 4 | | Chicago fans with his intensity and work ethic on the field
| 5 | | coupled with a stand-up reputation off the field; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Brian Urlacher was born on May 25, 1978 in Pasco, | 7 | | Washington; he moved to
New Mexico where he attended Lovington | 8 | | High School and excelled in
football, basketball, track, and | 9 | | table tennis; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Even as a young football player, Brian Urlacher's | 11 | | prodigious athleticism and
versatility allowed him playing | 12 | | time as a running back, wide receiver, return specialist, and
| 13 | | defensive back; he led the Lovington High School Wildcats to an | 14 | | undefeated 14 and 0 season
and a division 3-A state | 15 | | championship; he finished the season with 12 touchdown | 16 | | receptions,
six touchdown returns, and two rushing touchdowns; | 17 | | and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, In addition to state-recognized honors in | 19 | | football and basketball, Brian Urlacher's alma mater, | 20 | | Lovington High School, recognized his accomplishments by | 21 | | retiring
his high-school jersey number and naming a holiday | 22 | | after him; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Upon graduating from Lovington High School, Brian | 2 | | Urlacher enrolled at the
University of New Mexico, majored in | 3 | | criminology, and played for the New Mexico Lobos
football team; | 4 | | he finished his football career with 442 tackles, three | 5 | | interceptions, 11 sacks, and 11
forced fumbles, along with | 6 | | catching six touchdown passes and
returning five kicks for | 7 | | touchdowns; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, Brian Urlacher's remarkable career at UNM was | 9 | | highlighted with All-American
honors from Walter Camp, the | 10 | | Football Writers Association of America, and the Associated | 11 | | Press;
his collegiate play culminated with his selection to the | 12 | | 2000 Senior Bowl, where he was
one of the game's top players; | 13 | | and | 14 | | WHEREAS, Brian Urlacher impressed spectators and analysts | 15 | | at the NFL Scouting Combine
by bench pressing 225 pounds 27 | 16 | | times and completing the 40-yard dash in 4.57
seconds; he | 17 | | caught the eye of the Chicago Bears, who ultimately selected | 18 | | him in the first
round as the draft's ninth overall pick; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, Bear's head coach, Dick Jauron, recognized Brian | 20 | | Urlacher's versatility as a
middle and outside linebacker and | 21 | | appointed him as the team's starting strong-side linebacker; | 22 | | and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, During his first season with the Bears, Brian | 2 | | Urlacher recorded 124 tackles and eight
sacks, surpassing the | 3 | | franchise's previous rookie records; he received a number of
| 4 | | individual accolades for his performance during the season, | 5 | | including from the Associated Press and The
Sporting News, who | 6 | | named him as the 2000 Defensive Rookie of the Year; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Brian Urlacher played one of the best games of his | 8 | | career on October 7, 2001
against the Atlanta Falcons, where he | 9 | | held Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, who was
well known for | 10 | | his scrambling abilities, to 18 rushing yards and recorded a | 11 | | forced fumble with a
sack, demonstrating his immense athletic | 12 | | ability; he recovered Michael Vick's fumble for a
90-yard | 13 | | touchdown; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, In 2005, Brian Urlacher won the NFL Defensive | 15 | | Player of the Year after the
Bears allowed the fewest points | 16 | | per game and created the most turnovers in the National | 17 | | Football
Conference; additionally, he recorded at least 10 | 18 | | tackles in six consecutive games, while
finishing the season | 19 | | with a team-high 121 tackles; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, Brian Urlacher's natural talent as a leader was | 21 | | shown in the 2005 season, when he
helped the Bears come back | 22 | | from a 20-point deficit against the Arizona Cardinals by |
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| 1 | | recording
19 tackles and a forced fumble that was returned for | 2 | | a touchdown; and | 3 | | WHEREAS, In 2012, Brian Urlacher was awarded the Ed Block | 4 | | Courage Award, given to
those who showed a commitment to | 5 | | sportsmanship and courage; during his award acceptance
speech, | 6 | | he thanked the Bears for their support after his mother Lavoyda | 7 | | Lenard died; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, Brian Urlacher played 182 games with the Chicago | 9 | | Bears recording 1,037 solo
tackles, 316 assisted tackles, 41.5 | 10 | | sacks with 252 lost yards, and 22 interceptions for 324 yards
| 11 | | and two touchdowns; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Brian Urlacher was the main reason Lovie Smith's | 13 | | Cover 2 defense was so
successful in Chicago, rushing offences | 14 | | sideline-to-sideline while at the same time having the
ability | 15 | | to drop back in coverage and take away the middle third of the | 16 | | field; this fluidity allowed
him to lead the Bear defense to | 17 | | the top five in points allowed four times during his tenure | 18 | | with
the team: in 2005, 2006, 2010, and 2012; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Brian Urlacher stated "If you play middle | 20 | | linebacker, you want to play in Chicago
because, to me, it's | 21 | | the most coveted defensive position in football: middle | 22 | | linebacker for the
Chicago Bears", and "It was an honor" after |
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| 1 | | hearing he became the 28th Hall of Famer to enter
as a Bear in | 2 | | the eight-member 2018 class; therefore, be it
| 3 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 4 | | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 5 | | applaud and commend Brian Urlacher for his accomplishments | 6 | | during his 12 seasons playing for the Chicago Bears; his | 7 | | hard-work, dedication, and commitment to teamwork, exemplified | 8 | | day-in and day-out, gave fans a reason to enjoy the game | 9 | | despite the ebbs and flows of the season; in addition to
| 10 | | maintaining an unwavering commitment to the game, he | 11 | | demonstrated excellent
leadership and poise which garnered the | 12 | | respect of teammates, coaches, opponent, and fans alike; and be | 13 | | it further
| 14 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 15 | | presented to Brian Urlacher and the Chicago Bears.
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