Brian Urlacher and Adrian Peterson named to College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2017

In honor of Brian Urlacher heading into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, we’re sharing some of our past Urlacher articles to our front page for you guys to reminisce on.

Brian Urlacher and Adrian Peterson spent eight years as Bears teammates, making a run to Super Bowl XLI.

They will enter the College Football Hall of Fame together, as two of the 13 honorees announced today in the CFB HOF Class of 2017.

Urlacher spent three years at the University of New Mexico as a defensive standout for the Lobos. He played both defensive back and linebacker, eventually fusing the responsibilities into a hybrid position the team dubbed a “Lobo-Back.”

During his junior season in 1999, Urlacher led the nation in tackles with 178 and was a consensus AP All-American. He was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation’s top defensive back, and a member of the Walter Camp All-America team. The Bears drafted him with the 9th overall pick in the 2000 draft.

Peterson starred for Georgia Southern University as a running back, amassing a Division I-record 6,559 rushing yards in regular season games, a mark that still stands. The four-time All-American was the first sophomore to win the Walter Payton Award, given to the best offensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision, formerly Division I-AA.

Peterson helped the GSU Eagles win national championships in 1999 and 2000, with a total of three title game appearances. After the Bears drafted him in the 6th round of the 2002 draft, Peterson spent his NFL career as a special teams standout and a spot-runner behind starters Anthony Thomas, Thomas Jones, Cedric Benson, and Matt Forte.

He set career highs in 2007 in carries (151), rushing yards (510), rushing touchdowns (3), receptions (51), and yards from scrimmage (930).

Urlacher (2000-2012) and Peterson (2002-2009) spent their NFL careers entirely with the Bears. Among their CFB HOF classmates are San Diego State running back Marshall Faulk, USC quarterback Matt Leinart, Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning, and Florida coach Steve Spurrier.

The group will be inducted at the 60th National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 5, 2017, at the New York Hilton Midtown. More information about the CFB HOF and the Class of 2017 is here.