The Brian Urlacher Hall of Fame induction will be a joyous occasion for all. Here’s a man who earned the rare honor of being a first ballot entry, doing his franchise proud and living up to his status as a genuine superstar. Then again Urlacher has always been a guy who marches to a different beat. What he values and what people think he values are often two completely opposite things.
Nothing emphasizes this more than his choice for who will present him at Canton this coming August. Thinking about the subject, there are plenty of possible candidates for that position. Of course, the first name is Lovie Smith, the head coach who turned Urlacher into a Defensive Player of the Year in 2005 and got him to the Super Bowl in 2006.
There’s also former teammate Lance Briggs who shared the linebackers room for almost a decade, helping Urlacher form one of the best tandems in recent NFL history. There’s also former coordinators like Greg Blache, Ron Rivera and Rod Marinelli who are also notable names. Yet none of them ended up getting the call.
Brian Urlacher Hall of Fame induction will go to Bob Babich
Former Bears LB coach/defensive coordinator Bob Babich will present Brian Urlacher for enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August, the Hall of Fame announced on Monday.
— Jeff Dickerson (@DickersonESPN) April 2, 2018
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These days most Bears fans remember Bob Babich for his forgettable three seasons as defensive coordinator from 2007 to 2009, replacing Rivera. Before and after that though he was the teams’ linebackers coach. He was the one primarily tasked with transforming Urlacher into the versatile stud he became in the mid-to-late 2000s. It’s hard to argue with the results. Urlacher had three of his four best seasons as a pro under Babich’s watch.
Nobody has a true understanding of how close the two men are but they were together for nine seasons. That’s a long time working a lot of long hours every day trying to be great. Urlacher seems to have a great appreciation for what Babich did and the sacrifices he made, most notably to take a demotion in 2010 from defensive coordinator to remain linebackers coach.
That kind of sacrifice can earn a man respect and loyalty, not to mention rewards like this.
