Twenty-five years of Chicago Bears football are in the books since the turn of the century. Since the calendar turned over to 2000, the Bears have seen some success, but also plenty of woeful stretches. Early on, Chicago became a defensive force, claiming four division titles and reaching only their second Super Bowl in franchise history from 2000 to 2010. Since then, however, a 14-year playoff victory drought that is still ongoing and a one-sided fight with their rival Green Bay Packers have taken the spotlight.

For all the ups and downs the Bears have seen, however, they had plenty of talent over the years across offense and defense. Multiple former Bears players are already in the Hall of Fame, while many more provided years of incredible play in the navy and orange.

Here at Bears Wire, we’re celebrating the best Bears players at each position over the last 25 years. Up next is defensive tackle, a position that has been a catalyst for some of the best Bears defenses in franchise history.

Tommie Harris

• 2004-2010
• 219 total tackles, 51 tackles for loss, 28.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 7 fumble recoveries, 4 pass breakups, 1 interception

The vaunted Bears defense of the mid-2000s had plenty of star power, such as Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Mike Brown, and Charles Tillman. But none were as important as Tommie Harris, the linchpinof Lovie Smith’s Tampa 2 defense in Chicago. Harris was the first draft pick of the Lovie era, a player the coach compared to Warren Sapp. It was easy to see why.

The first-round pick quickly solidified himself as a force up the middle, bullying guards off their blocks and chasing down running backs or quarterbacks with speed across the sidelines. Harris earned Pro Bowl honors three years in a row and was Second-Team All-Pro in 2005. The only thing that could slow Harris down was injuries, which became prevalent later in his career.

The most consequential injury took place late in the 2006 season, when Harris missed the rest of the year due to a hamstring injury. Had he been healthy, there’s a good shot the Bears would have wound up winning Super Bowl XLI. Regardless, Harris was a menace during the 2000s, and his play was a big reason why those defenses were elite.

Akiem Hicks

• 2016-2021
• 247 total tackles, 51 tackles for loss, 31 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 5 fumble recoveries, 8 pass breakups

There’s an argument to be made that no one embodied what it meant to be a Chicago Bear over the last 25 years more than Akiem Hicks. The talented defensive tackle arrived in Chicago as an intriguing free agent and left as one of the most important players in recent memory.

Hicks joined the Bears in 2016 and easily outperformed his contract with a career year, totaling 8.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss. The Bears signed him to a long-term extension, and Hicks maintained his high level of production that helped vault the defense into a top unit in 2018.

With Hicks’ help, the Bears won the division and gave Chicago one of the best defensive units they had seen. Hicks played with a tenacity while showing passion that fired Bears fans up all across the world. While Hicks’ play started to come back down to earth in part due to injuries, his impact on Vic Fangio’s defense won’t soon be forgotten.

Henry Melton

• 2009-2013
• 89 total tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 22.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 6 fumble recoveries, 7 pass breakups

Near the end of the 2000s, when Harris was on his last legs, the Bears had a hole at the defensive tackle position. Henry Melton stepped up and filled the void. The 2009 fourth-round pick out of Texas, Melton began making an impact in 2010 as a reserve before becoming a full-time starter in 2011.

Melton was an athletic three-technique who took advantage of opportunities on the line thanks to the attention given to Julius Peppers. His best two seasons came in 2011 and 2012, when he totaled 13 sacks and 20 tackles. His Bears career didn’t last too long, as the team placed the franchise tag on him for the 2013 season, where he played just three games due to suffering a season-ending injury. Melton lasted just two more years in the league, but his play in Chicago helped keep the Bears defense a formidable unit.

Ted Washington

• 2001-2002
• 45 total tackles, 5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 5 pass breakups

Tough decisions were made when it came down to the final spot for the defensive tackles. While Eddie Goldman was an underrated run stuffer for half a decade in the 2010s, he never dominated like Ted Washington did—even if his stint was short-lived. Washington signed with the Bears as a free agent in 2001 after already being a massive human, playing at 6’5″ and 365 pounds, who swallowed double teams like it was nothing during the Bears’ magical 2001 season when they went 13-3 and won the NFC Central.

Washington made everyone’s lives easier by helping stuff the run and creating opportunities for players like Brian Urlacher, Rosevelt Colvin, and Phillip Daniels. His play earned him First-Team All-Pro honors that season. He also brought veteran leadership to the team, one that didn’t have much experience playing winning football prior to his arrival. Washington only played a season and a half due to injury, but his impact on that 2001 team is still talked about to this day.

Honorable mention: Eddie Goldman

Bears All-Quarter Century Team

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears All-Quarter Century Team: Defensive tackles

The Golden State Warriors have had over 600 players don the more than 60 jersey numbers used by their players over the more than 75 years of existence the team has enjoyed in its rich and storied history.

Founded in 1946 during the Basketball Association of America (BAA — a precursor league of the NBA) era, the team has called home the cities of Philadelphia, San Francisco, Oakland, and even San Diego.

 To commemorate the players who wore those numbers, Warriors Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team. For this article, we begin with the 26th of 27 players who wore the No. 15 jersey for the Warriors.

That player would be Golden State guard alum Mychal Mulder. After ending his college career at Kentucky, Mulder would go unselected in the 2017 NBA draft, playing in the G League until he signed with the Dubs in 2020.

His stay with the team would span parts of two seasons, coming to an end when he was waived by Golden State in 1981.

During his time suiting up for the Warriors, Mulder wore only jersey No. 15 and put up 6.2 points and 1.2 rebounds per game.

All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.

This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Warriors jersey history – No. 15 – Mychal Mulder (2020-21)

The Brooklyn Nets have 52 jersey numbers worn by over 600 different players over the course of their history since the franchise was founded in 1967 as a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA), when the team was known as the “New Jersey Americans”.

Since then, that league has been absorbed by the NBA with the team that would later become the New York Nets and New Jersey Nets before settling on the name by which they are known today, bringing their rich player and jersey history with them to the league of today.

To commemorate the players who played for the Nets over the decades wearing those 52 different jersey numbers, Nets Wire is covering the entire history of the franchise’s jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team. The 21st of those 52 different numbers is jersey No. 20, which has has had a total of 28 players wear the number in the history of the team.

The ninth of those players wearing No. 20 played in the (then) New Jersey (now, Brooklyn) Nets era, guard alum Michael Ray Richardson. Richardson was picked up with the fourth overall selection of the 1978 NBA draft by the New York Knicks.

The Lubbock, Texas native would play the first four seasons of his pro career with the Knicks. He would also play for the Golden State Warriors before he was dealt to New Jersey in 1983. His stay with the team would span parts of four seasons, coming to an end when he was suspended by the team.

During his time suiting up for the Nets, Richardson wore only jersey No. 20 and put up 16.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 2.7 steals per game.

All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets jersey history No. 20 – Michael Ray Richardson (1983-86)

Texas A&M Football Misses Out on Two Linemen Drew Evers and Aaron Thomas One Day After Major Success originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Texas A&M football picked up a pair of offensive tackles on Wednesday, June 25, four-star Zaden Krempin and three-star Avery Morcho. The No. 2 2026 recruitment class in the nation, though, couldn’t hang on to its second potential lineman duo on June 26.

On Thursday, Ohio State and SMU got the edge over the Aggies

Drew Evers, a four-star offensive tackle from Flower Mound, Tex., announced his verbal commitment to SMU. The class of 2026 student-athlete is No. 208 overall and listed as the No. 14 interior offensive lineman despite being recruited as a tackle. He’s also ranked No. 27 out of Texas.

“214 . . . I’m staying home. Let’s work #PonyUp,” he wrote, according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

Another offensive tackle, Aaron Thomas, also veered away from the Aggies and decided that Ohio State would be his NCAA home. Thomas is a three-star recruit from Phoenix, Ariz. and is ranked No. 439 overall. He’s also the No. 36 overall tackle and No. 5 athlete from his state.

Greg Biggins wrote in his scouting report:

“He’s a fluid mover, a natural athlete and looks to have all the physical traits to play offensive tackle at the college level. He’s a reactionary athlete with good feet and balance. He’s still raw in some areas, plays high at times and doesn’t always use his length but we like the natural aggressiveness and finishing ability he flashes.”

Thomas was originally favored unanimously to choose the Aggies, but the Buckeyes were always their biggest competition. At some point, Florida State was a top consideration as well given his father was an offensive lineman for the Seminoles.

The two recruits opting to take their talents elsewhere isn’t heartbreaking for Texas A&M, though. After landing Krempin and Morcho, Elko’s in a decent spot going further as recruits roll out their commitments.

Related: Elite Young Quarterback Heavily Considering Texas A&M for Far Future NCAA Career

Related: Offensive Lineman Duo Pledges Commitment to Texas A&M Football in Heat of Recruiting Season

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.