Welcome to the latest installment of my weekly "Lunch with Larry," which features wide-ranging conversations with Bears-related guests about their lives and careers.
This week my special guest is former safety Mark Carrier, who spent the first seven seasons of his 11-year NFL career with the Bears from 1990-96. Selected with the sixth pick in the 1990 draft out of USC, Carrier was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year after setting a Bears record that still stands with 10 interceptions.
Every week I will select the best "Lunch with Larry" fan question, with the winner receiving a Connie's Pizza gift card. The question of the week can be found at the bottom of this article.
Mark recalls that joining a Bears roster that was still stocked with members of the famed 1985 Super Bowl XX championship team was both exciting and scary. The defense included Hall of Famers Mike Singletary, Richard Dent and Dan Hampton.
Mark was drafted ostensibly to replace Dave Duerson in the secondary. But Duerson turned out to be Mark's biggest advocate, teaching him how to be a pro. When he was struggling with the speed of the game, Duerson helped him maintain his confidence and belief in himself.
Even as a rookie, Mark was responsible for making checks from the secondary. So he understood that he needed to know the defense as well as any coach or player. His ability to work in concert with Singletary and communicate with the rest of the defense helped him earn trust among the veterans.
After retiring from the NFL, Mark worked as a defensive assistant coach with the Ravens (2006-09), Jets (2010-11) and Bengals (2012-15). Watching the players he worked with succeed is what he enjoyed most about coaching.
Mark is in his sixth year as assistant athletic director at Loyola Academy, a high school in Chicago's northern suburbs. Mark works with many sports but is especially proud of the football team, which recently won its third straight class 8A state championship.
The fan question of the week and winner of a Connie's Pizza gift card comes from Zach S., who asks: What is the best advice you give to young athletes?
Mark's answer: ""My basic advice to young athletes is that if you want to be the best or to be great, be ready to put in the effort to get it done. I correlate that to students. If you want to get an 'A' or an 'A+,' your effort has to match that. Don't expect to get that if you're doing average work. Put in the time and effort to get what you want to achieve."
I'd like to thank Mark for joining me on Lunch with Larry. I loved watching the physicality he brought to the Bears defense and enjoyed catching up with him!
