Garrett Wolfe (born August 17, 1984) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He was selected by the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

in the third round of the

2007 NFL draft The 2007 NFL draft was the 72nd annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draf ...

. He played his

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Northern Illinois Huskies The Northern Illinois Huskies are the athletic teams that represent Northern Illinois University (NIU). The Huskies are a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I and the Mid-American Conference (M ...

Early life

A Chicago native, Wolfe attended Holy Cross High School in

River Grove, Illinois River Grove is a village in Leyden Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,612 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. History Just as nearby Elmwood Park and Oak Park are named after thei ...

. He rushed for 4,311 yards and 56 touchdowns during the final two years of his high school career. Wolfe set eleven school records during his tenure at Holy Cross and earned numerous honors from various Chicago media sources, including the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' and ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...

''.

College career

Wolfe spent most of his first year at

Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois, United States. It was founded as "Northern Illinois State Normal School" in 1895 by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld, initially to provide the state with c ...

on the sideline. He began to make significant progress his sophomore year when he became the team's starting running back and one of the most productive rushers in the nation. Wolfe managed to solidify his performance towards the end of the 2004 season, rushing for over 1,400 yards and scoring 17 touchdowns during the last seven games of the season.CSTV.com
Player Bio: Garrett Wolfe :: Football:
Retrieved on April 29, 2007 His 2005 season was almost as successful. He earned national recognition with stout performances against the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except wo ...

and

Northwestern Wildcats The Northwestern Wildcats are the athletic teams that represent Northwestern University, located in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference and one of two private universities in the conference, the other ...

. Wolfe's season was hindered by a knee injury, which forced him to miss three games. Nevertheless, his achievements were recognized with an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

selection and by being voted the Huskies'

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

. Wolfe started the 2006 season on a productive note by accumulating 285 total yards (171 rushing, 114 receiving) against the

Ohio State Buckeyes The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree, ...

, who were at the time the nation's top ranked team. He finished the season with an

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

-high 1,928 rushing yards while averaging 157 yards per game.

College statistics

Professional career

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears selected Wolfe in the

's third round, with the 93rd overall selection.Chicagobears.com
Bears choose Wolfe, Okwo in Round 3
Retrieved on April 28, 2007 On May 15, 2007, Wolfe became the first of his draft class to sign, inking a four-year deal with the Bears. Financial terms were undisclosed. Wolfe was placed on season-ending

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

with a torn hamstring on December 12, 2008. He finished the 2008 season with 15 carries for 69 yards. Wolfe became a restricted free-agent after the 2010 season, but the Bears did not offer him a contract. He remained unsigned throughout the 2011 NFL lockout. In May 2011, Wolfe was arrested and charged with retail theft, disorderly conduct, assault of a police officer and resisting an officer with violence following an altercation at a

Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The municipality is located on natural and human-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean an ...

nightclub. All charges against Wolfe were later dropped.

Omaha Nighthawks

In late 2011, Wolfe signed with the Omaha Nighthawks.

Montreal Alouettes

On May 14, 2012, Wolfe signed with the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

NFL career statistics

References

External links

Chicago Bears bio

Stats Crew profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolfe, Garrett 1984 births Living people American football running backs Chicago Bears players Northern Illinois Huskies football players Omaha Nighthawks players Players of American football from Chicago 21st-century African-American sportsmen Montreal Alouettes players Canadian football running backs Players of Canadian football from Chicago