Brian Urlacher earned the highest achievement one football player can, becoming a first-ballot member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He joins a long line of previous Chicago Bears greats to earn a similar honor and one could argue that outside of maybe one or two names, he might’ve been the most beloved by the fans.
It is for this reason, among many others that the team has planned a special ceremony at halftime of the Bears’ Monday night battle against the Seattle Seahawks to honor the star middle linebacker. It’s well-deserved and hopefully will add more joy to what could be the teams’ first victory of the season.
As it turns out, the timing of this might be perfect. Most Bears fans may not remember, but the team has actually had a run of good fortune when they’ve had nights honoring former greats. It hasn’t just been one fluke instance either. It’s happened multiple times in the past nine years. Here are some examples people will remember well.
Chicago Bears fortunes turn favorable when they honor past greats
2009 – The 10-year anniversary of Walter Payton’s death
Walter Payton was still on the minds of Bears fans even 10 years after his tragic death from liver disease. The team wanted to play proper homage to all-time great in a home game against the Cleveland Browns. The game itself was somewhat ugly, but they won it in true Sweetness fashion. They rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns while the defense smothered the Browns passing game all day in a 30-6 blowout.
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2013 – Mike Ditka’s jersey retirement
It took a little longer than expected, but the Bears finally got around to doing something they should’ve ages ago. They decided to retire the #89 worn by Hall of Fame tight end and Super Bowl-winning head coach Mike Ditka during halftime of a December game against Dallas.
It was a classic Chicago-style game with whipping winds and freezing temperatures. The Cowboys had no answers for a red-hot Bears offense that racked up points at will in a 45-28 thrashing. They were led by unlikely hero Josh McCown who piled on five touchdowns. One might call that game the apex of the Marc Trestman era.
2016 – Bears greats honored by Hall of Fame with Ring of Excellence
The Pro Football Hall of Fame planned to have a ceremony on Halloween night in 2016. Past Bears greats like Dick Butkus, Richard Dent, Dan Hampton, and Gale Sayers were presented with rings as new members of a Ring of Excellence. Nobody celebrated the evening more than Jordan Howard who trampled the Minnesota Vikings for 153 yards rushing. The defense added five sacks in a 20-10 upset of their division rival.
