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Chicago Bears: 30 greatest players in franchise history

By Conor Dorney

Walter Payton #34, Running Back for the Chicago Bears during his final game in the American Football Conference West game against the Los Angeles Raiders on 27 December 1987 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California, United States. The Bears won the game 6 - 3. Visions of Sport. (Photo by Mike Powell/Allsport/Getty Images)
Walter Payton #34, Running Back for the Chicago Bears during his final game in the American Football Conference West game against the Los Angeles Raiders on 27 December 1987 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California, United States. The Bears won the game 6 - 3. Visions of Sport. (Photo by Mike Powell/Allsport/Getty Images) /
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Brian Urlacher, Chicago Bears
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

. LB. 2000-12. Brian Urlacher. 3. player. 57

Another player on the Bears’ storied list of outstanding middle linebackers, Brian Urlacher comes in at No. 3 on our list of the greatest players in franchise history.

One of the newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Urlacher came to Chicago via the ninth overall selection in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft. The former New Mexico Lobo earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in his first year and never looked back as the anchor in the middle of the Bears defense for each of his 13 seasons.

Following his successful rookie campaign, Urlacher became one of the most popular defensive players in the league, and it became a difficult task to go anywhere in Chicago without seeing a sea of No. 54 jerseys donned by the Bears faithful throughout the city.

From a production standpoint, Urlacher was a machine and the definition of a stalwart in the middle of a defense. He recorded over 1,300 tackles over the course of his career, as well as 41.5 sacks and was instrumental in leading the Bears to a Super Bowl appearance in 2006.

Since his retirement from the league, Urlacher has continued to be an active part of the community and has seemed to solidify his reputation as one of the NFL’s true “good guys.” But make no mistake, Urlacher’s menacing play on the field has cemented him a spot among the franchise’s elite for years to come.

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