CHICAGO _ Brian Urlacher ran out of the Soldier Field tunnel one more time Monday night, but this time he was wearing his gold Hall of Fame jacket and not a Bears uniform.
Bears matriarch Virginia McCaskey presented Urlacher with his Hall of Fame Ring of Excellence at halftime of the Bears game against the Seahawks, a moment Urlacher said solidified the entire Hall of Fame experience.
Urlacher, who played his entire career with the Bears from 2000 to 2012, was enshrined in the Hall on Aug. 4. Several of his former teammates, including Devin Hester, Matt Forte, Olin Kreutz and Lance Briggs, celebrated with him this weekend in Chicago. They ran out of the tunnel as the Bears introduced them and then surrounded him as he reached midfield last.
"To go on the field, run out of the tunnel one more time, and to do it with my teammates around me and in front of me, that was the coolest thing for me," Urlacher said. "Mrs. McCaskey, to speak and say what she said, she was amazing."
Urlacher's Hall of Fame bust was on display Monday during the ceremony, and the Bears also gave Urlacher and his family a statue of him as a player.
Urlacher last played Dec. 2, 2012, at Soldier Field, also against the Seahawks and Russell Wilson. Urlacher injured his hamstring while chasing Wilson on a third-down play in overtime.
He said Monday night was his first Bears game as a fan.
"I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to the fans," Urlacher said. "You never know when it's your last game. I especially didn't know it was my last game. So to get a chance to come back and do this. ... All my teammates, 15 or 16 guys came back. I get a chance to see them, go to the facility, see a lot of people that worked there when I was there. It was awesome."
