Casey Urlacher

Last updated
Casey Urlacher
No. 37
Position: Fullback / Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1979-08-27) August 27, 1979 (age 44)
Pasco, Washington
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:244 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school: Lovington (NM)
College: Lake Forest College
Undrafted: 2003
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career Arena statistics
Rush attempts:2
Rushing yards:10
Rushing TDs:0
Player stats at ArenaFan.com

Casey Urlacher (born August 24, 1979) is an American politician and former football player. He has been the mayor of Mettawa, Illinois, since 2013. Urlacher previously played football in the Arena Football League for two seasons for the Chicago Rush and Nashville Kats. He is the brother of former National Football League linebacker Brian Urlacher.

Contents

Early life

Casey Urlacher was born to Brad and Lavoyda Urlacher in 1979. Following the couple’s divorce, Lavoyda moved the family to Lovington, New Mexico, where she later married Troy Lenard.

During his high school years, Urlacher distinguished himself as a premier football player, helping Lovington High School record a 14-0 season. Together, Casey and his older brother, Brian, earned a prodigious reputation around Lovington. Following Brian’s graduation, Casey was promoted to captain of the football team. Also, outside of football, Urlacher ran track and played basketball and baseball.

College career

Urlacher spent his first two years of college at the New Mexico Military Institute. During his first two years, he only managed to play for one season, while redshirting the other.

In 2000, Urlacher moved in with his brother Brian in his house in Lake Bluff, Illinois, and attended Lake Forest College playing with the team for three seasons.

Professional football career

Urlacher was not selected in the 2003 NFL Draft. The Chicago Bears granted him a professional try-out during their training camp in 2003, but Urlacher failed to make the final roster. [1]

The Chicago Rush arena football team signed him to play as a fullback and linebacker, but Urlacher failed to make the team's roster after training camp and was released. Upon his release, Casey signed with the Peoria Pirates of af2, then the Nashville Kats before being cut in 2005 and joining the Chicago Rush again for a short time. [2]

Civic and political career

In April 2013, Urlacher was elected mayor of the Village of Mettawa, Illinois, having won 61% of the vote. [3] In October of that year, Urlacher was appointed by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn (D) to the Illinois' Civil Service Commission. [4] Bruce Rauner reappointed Urlacher to the Illinois Civil Service Commission on May 8, 2017. [5] He served until February 2020, when he resigned his seat. [6]

Urlacher announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination to run for State Senate in the 26th district to succeed Dan Duffy on October 1, 2015. [7] His attempt to get on the ballot was challenged, and state election officials invalidated more than 1000 of his collected signatures leaving him with only 48 above the minimum. [8] In March 2016, Urlacher was defeated in a three-way primary by Dan McConchie by over 1,300 votes. [9]

After the federal indictment, Urlacher initially did not seek re-election as mayor of Mettawa in the 2021 consolidated election. However, after obtaining a pardon from President Trump, Urlacher declared as a write-in candidate for mayor. He was re-elected after obtaining 157 write-in votes. [10] Urlacher told the Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois) that he filed as a write-in after being urged by his neighbors. [11]

In May 2021, Casey Urlacher filed to run for state senate. [12] Dan McConchie, who defeated Urlacher in 2016, currently serves as the Illinois senate minority leader. Although Urlacher filed to challenge McConchie in the primary, the new state legislative maps put Urlacher in a different district. [13]

Federal indictment

Urlacher was among 10 people charged in a federal indictment alleging they ran an offshore sports gambling ring that raked in millions of dollars from hundreds of Chicago-area gamblers. The ring was led by Vincent "Uncle Mick" DelGuidice, a reputed associate of the Chicago Outfit who owned a gambling website registered in Costa Rica. Urlacher first was a customer of the gambling ring, before accumulating substantial debts, which he agreed to work off by recruiting new gamblers and collecting debts. [14] [15] [16] He was charged with conspiracy and running an illegal gambling business. He is accused of acting as an agent for the gambling ring, recruiting bettors in exchange for a cut of their eventual losses. [17] Urlacher pleaded not guilty to the charges in March 2020. [18] Urlacher was pardoned by President Donald Trump during his last hours in office on January 20, 2021. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mettawa, Illinois</span> Village in Illinois, United States

Mettawa is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 533. The village maintains trails for pedestrian, bicycle and equestrian usage. Five forest preserves of the Lake County Forest Preserve District are located within village boundaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lovington, New Mexico</span> City in New Mexico, United States

Lovington is a city in, and the county seat of, Lea County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 11,009 at the 2010 census, up from 9,471 in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Urlacher</span> American football player (born 1978)

Brian Urlacher is an American former football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the New Mexico Lobos, where he received consensus All-American honors as a senior, and was selected ninth overall by the Bears in the 2000 NFL Draft.

The Monsters of the Midway is most widely known as the nickname for the National Football League's Chicago Bears. The moniker initially belonged to the University of Chicago Maroons football team, which was a reference to the Midway Plaisance on the South Side of Chicago. The nickname became associated with the Bears, who won six championships between 1932 and 1946. The nickname was revived in the Super Bowl era of the NFL to describe the team's dominant defenses, particularly the 1985 Chicago Bears team that won Super Bowl XX. Monsters of the Midway is also used by the Bears in marketing campaigns and promotional media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Payton College Preparatory High School</span> Public secondary school in Chicago, Illinois, United States

Walter Payton College Preparatory High School (WPCP) is a public 4–year magnet high school located in the Old Town neighborhood on the near–north side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 2000, Payton is operated by the Chicago Public Schools district. The school is named for Walter Payton, African-American football player for the Chicago Bears and humanitarian. Since 2019, Payton has been ranked the No. 1 public high school in the State of Illinois, and No. 4 in the United States, by U.S. News & World Report.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunter Hillenmeyer</span> American football player (born 1980)

Hunter Taverner Hillenmeyer is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft and played for the Chicago Bears from 2003 to 2010. Hillenmeyer attended high school at Montgomery Bell Academy and played college football at Vanderbilt University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tank Johnson</span> American football player (born 1981)

Terry "Tank" Johnson is an American former professional football defensive tackle in the NFL for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals. He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Payton</span> American football player (1953–1999)

Walter Jerry Payton was an American professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears. Nicknamed "Sweetness", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. A nine-time Pro Bowl selection, Payton is remembered as a prolific rusher, once holding records for career rushing yards, touchdowns, carries, yards from scrimmage, all-purpose yards, and many other categories. Payton also retired with the most receptions by a non-receiver, and he had eight career touchdown passes.

James C. Caroline was an American football player in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini, where he played as a halfback and was a consensus All-American in 1953. After a year in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts and the Montreal Alouettes, Caroline played for ten seasons in the NFL with the Chicago Bears. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illinois Republican Party</span> Illinois affiliate of the Republican Party

The Illinois Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Illinois founded on May 29, 1856. It is run by the Illinois Republican State Central Committee, which consists of 18 members, one representing each of the state's congressional districts. Once the dominant party in Illinois, the state GOP has become a minority party within the last few decades, holding little power in the state. The current chairman is Don Tracy, who has served since 2021.

Kenneth Kurson is an American political consultant, writer, journalist, and former musician, who was editor-in-chief of The New York Observer between 2013 and 2017. In 2020 he was charged by federal prosecutors with cyberstalking and harassment, for which he was pardoned by President Donald Trump in 2021. In February 2022, Kurson pleaded guilty to state misdemeanor criminal charges of attempted eavesdropping and computer trespass related to his divorce.

Dan Duffy is a Republican member of the Illinois Senate. He represents the 26th Senate District which includes Barrington, Barrington Hills, North Barrington, Libertyville, Mundelein, Lake Zurich, Fox River Grove, Lakewood Hills, Cary, Hawthorn Woods, Lake in the Hills, Cuba and Kildeer.

Lovington High School is the public senior high school of Lovington, New Mexico. Its colors are Royal Blue and White and its mascot is a Wildcat. It is a part of Lovington Municipal Schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Hegseth</span> American Army veteran and political commentator (born 1980)

Peter Brian Hegseth is an American television host and author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States Senate election in Illinois</span>

The 2016 United States Senate election in Illinois was held on November 8, 2016, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Illinois, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

Daniel McConchie is a Republican member of the Illinois Senate. He represents the 26th Senate District which includes Algonquin, Barrington, Cary, Deer Park, Fox River Grove, Hawthorn Woods, Hoffman Estates, Island Lake, Kildeer, Lake Zurich, Libertyville, Long Grove, Mundelein, and Wauconda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald Gidwitz</span> American business executive and ambassador (born 1945)

Ronald J. Gidwitz is an American businessman, diplomat, and political candidate who served as United States Ambassador to Belgium, while also serving as acting United States Ambassador to the European Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Illinois gubernatorial election</span> Election for Governor of Illinois

The 2022 Illinois gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Illinois, concurrently with the 2022 Illinois general election. Gubernatorial candidates ran on tickets with candidates for lieutenant governor. The incumbent governor and lieutenant governor, first-term Democrats J. B. Pritzker and Juliana Stratton, sought re-election together against Republican nominees Illinois State Senator Darren Bailey and his running mate Stephanie Trussell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Illinois Senate election</span>

The 2022 elections for the Illinois Senate occurred on November 8, 2022 to elect Senators from all of the state's 59 Legislative districts in the Illinois Senate. The primary election took place on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. The winners of this election will serve in the 103rd General Assembly with seats apportioned among the state based on the 2020 United States census. Under the Illinois Constitution of 1970, senators are divided into three groups with each group having a two-year term at a different part of the decade between censuses, with the rest of the decade being taken up by two four-year terms. The Democratic Party has held a majority in the Senate since 2003. The inauguration of the 103rd General Assembly occurred on Wednesday, January 11, 2023.

References

  1. ↑ Skip Wood (August 7, 2003). "Casey Urlacher's Bears gig likely to be short, but he's loving it". www.usatoday.com. USA Today.
  2. ↑ "Urlacher back with Rush". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. March 31, 2005. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  3. ↑ Ward Room Staff. "Who Won, Lost and Didn't Show Up On Election Day In Illinois" . Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  4. ↑ Maxwell, Mark (12 October 2013). "Urlacher's brother named to Illinois state commission". Comcast SportsNet. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  5. ↑ Rauner, Bruce (May 9, 2017). "Appointment Message 1000175". Illinois General Assembly . Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Casey Urlacher resigns from Illinois Civil Service Commission". Daily, local and breaking news for DeKalb County, Illinois - Daily Chronicle. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  7. ↑ Edwards, Brad. "Urlacher Brother, Now Mayor Of Northwest Suburb, Eyes State Senate Seat". CBS Chicago. CBS News. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  8. ↑ Riopell, Mike. "Brother of ex-Bear Urlacher can run for Illinois Senate, officials rule". Daily Herald. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  9. ↑ Graham, Doug (17 March 2016). "McConchie claims victory in 26th state Senate District". Daily Herald. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  10. ↑ "After Pardon By Trump, Casey Urlacher Wins Reelection As Write-In". Lake Forest-Lake Bluff, IL Patch. 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
  11. ↑ Graham, Doug T. (2021-04-13). "Urlacher says Mettawa residents urged him to run as write-in". Daily Herald. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
  12. ↑ EDT, Scott McDonald On 5/7/21 at 12:21 AM (2021-05-07). "Casey Urlacher, Illinois mayor pardoned by Trump, running for state senate". Newsweek. Retrieved 2021-06-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ↑ ILLINOIS, CAPITOL NEWS. "CAPITOL RECAP: New legislative maps passed on little notice; budget and ethics reforms approved, but college sports gambling bill on hold". pantagraph.com. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
  14. ↑ Seidel, Jon (2021-01-20). "Casey Urlacher pardoned by Donald Trump, faced charges in gambling case". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  15. ↑ Seidel, Jon (2020-02-20). "Brian Urlacher's brother charged in federal gambling indictment". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  16. ↑ Burnstein, Scott (2020-03-05). ""Uncle Mick," Urlacher's Baby Bro, Plead Not Guilty In Federal Gambling Case Out Of ChiTown". The Gangster Report. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  17. ↑ Meisner, Jason; Leventis Lourgos, Angie (February 20, 2020). "Casey Urlacher, brother of Bears Hall of Famer, charged with Chicago cop and 8 others in offshore sports gambling business". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  18. ↑ Meisner, Jason (March 4, 2020). "Casey Urlacher, brother of Bears great, pleads not guilty in gambling case". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding Executive Grants of Clemency". whitehouse.gov . Retrieved 20 January 2021– via National Archives.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.