The Athletic

"Urlacher's love of the game never could be hidden. He loved playing. His joy was evident whenever somebody on his side made a big play. He would throw his head back and laugh, and Bears fans would go wild. That same joy was evident in his Hall of Fame speech." - Dan Pompei | Read More

Chicago Tribune

"For a linebacker who defined a tough football city for 13 seasons, Urlacher left the deepest impression on the crowd of 22,205 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium and millions watching at home by showing his soft side. He seized the moment by letting go, humanizing a hulk of a man who's much less guarded as a 40-year-old NFL retiree than he was as a Bears linebacker." - David Haugh | Read More

Yahoo Sports

"Throughout his speech, Urlacher made it a point to speak about others. He referenced former teammates Lance Briggs and Olin Kreutz. He referenced the Chicago Bears middle linebackers that came before him." - Alec Lewis | Read More

Albuquerque Journal

"One of the highlights came very early, as he spoke about his arrival in Lovington as a young boy and his modest, even hardscrabble upbringing. He spoke lovingly about his late mother, Lavoyda Lenard, who worked two or three jobs to provide for her three children. She died in 2011 at age 51." - James Yodice | Read More

Pro Football Weekly

"We all had the pleasure of watching Brian Urlacher come of age in Chicago. Saturday night in Canton, he was a helluva man." - Hub Arkush | Read More

Chicago Sun-Times

"He didn't dance like Ray Lewis, detail suicidal thoughts like Brian Dawkins, recite poetry like Jerry Kramer or invite fans to a West Virginia mall like Randy Moss. Rather, Urlacher's words were much like his play: uncomplicated, exacting and fast. He knew the magnitude of his speech, given in front of a record 22,205 fans at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. He choked up briefly only 75 seconds in — 'Not yet,' he said to himself — and would do so again later." - Patrick Finley | Read More