National Football League

Brian Urlacher among 6 former Chicago Bears up for College Football HOF

Published Jun. 3, 2015 9:39 a.m. ET

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Brian Urlacher carried the Chicago Bears' tradition of intimidating linebackers into the new millennium, but before that he was a standout player at New Mexico. More than 15 years later, Urlacher is being considered for the ultimate college football honor.

The Bears announced on their website that Urlacher is one of six former Bears on the National Football Foundation's 2016 for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.

No one across the nation registered more tackles than Urlacher's 178 as a junior in 1998, Bears senior writer Larry Mayer notes. As a senior in 1999, the linebacker was a consensus first-team All-American and a finalist for the Jim Thorpe award.

The Bears made Urlacher the ninth-overall pick in the 2000 NFL draft. He went on to make eight Pro Bowls over the course of a 13-season career, so another Hall of Fame could come calling in a few years, too.

The other former Bears up for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, according to the team website, are safety Mark Carrier (USC), linebacker Ron Rivera (California), running back Rashaan Salaam (Colorado), defensive back Terry Schmidt (Ball State) and receiver Steve Schubert (Massachusetts).

(h/t Chicago Bears)

Photo Credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images