After 13 seasons as an inside linebacker in the NFL, all of them with the Bears, Brian Urlacher decided to call it quits on Wednesday. During those years Urlacher became one of the most respected defensive players in the league and put himself on the same Hall of Fame level as fellow retiree Ray Lewis.
Brian Urlacher retires: NFL reacts to Bears LB calling it quits
After long-time Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher decided to retire from the NFL, players, analysts and even teams reacted on Twitter.
Urlacher made an obvious impact on fellow players, analysts and even teams throughout the NFL. That impact was seen in several Tweets supporting Urlacher and his decision to call it quits.
Congrats to @burlacher54 on an incredible career. Welcome to retirement. I'll save you a spot on on my weekend softball team. Beers on me.
— Scott Fujita (@sfujita55) May 22, 2013
Congrats on 13 years of greatness Big Guy! Thank you for everything.
— J.T.3. (@TheRealJT3) May 22, 2013
Salute to Brian Urlacher. Helluva career. One of the best ever at the LB position in my opinion.
— Duane Brown (@DuaneBrown76) May 22, 2013
Said it before & I'll keep saying it! "BrianUrlacher greatest LB'er in #Bears history." I say it w/ no disrespect to Butkus or Singletary.
— james miller (@15miller) May 22, 2013
Sad to see one of the best teammates and mentors ive had retire today.. @burlacher54 Was an honor to go to war with!!! Hall of Famer!!!
— Jason McKie (@Jmack37) May 22, 2013
Great player... Great teammate... Awesome person!!!!
— earl bennett (@Agent_Orange80) May 22, 2013
Congrats @burlacher54 on a tremendous career. You are a Hall of Fame player and a true gentleman
— Jay Feely (@jayfeely) May 22, 2013
Congrats to the great @burlacher54 on an outstanding career. Always enjoyed watching u play. Class act & great player. #Respect #HOF bound
— Jason Taylor (@JasonTaylor) May 22, 2013
I like it Brain! 13 & done!!
— Warren Sapp (@WarrenSapp) May 22, 2013
You were who we thought you were.Congrats.RT @burlacher54: It was an honor to play my entire career for the @chicagobears.
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) May 22, 2013
Brian Urlacher...20+ picks, 40+ sacks and we'll see him in a yellow jacket instead of another jersey.#Man'sGame.
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) May 22, 2013
Wish Brian Urlacher all the best in his post-NFL life. His love of the game was always on display. Seemed like a man born to play football
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) May 22, 2013
First-time HOF candidates in 2018:Ray Lewis, Brian Urlacher, Ronde Barber, maybe Randy Moss.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) May 22, 2013
It was an honor to play with @burlacher54. A great team leader and a great person. I wish you the best in your life after football.
— Kahlil Bell (@KahlilBell32) May 22, 2013
Here’s what Urlacher himself had to say:
It was an honor to play my entire career for the @chicagobears say.ly/GOh5Sxs
— Brian Urlacher (@BUrlacher54) May 22, 2013
Urlacher finished his career with 1,229 tackles, 41.5 sacks, 22 interceptions, two for touchdowns. He made four trips to the playoffs as a member of the Bears and one trip to the Super Bowl. Whoever takes over for Urlacher has huge shoes to fill.
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