Garrett Wolfe (born August 17, 1984) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

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)#Offen ...

. He was drafted by the Bears in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played his

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Northern Illinois Northern Illinois is a region generally covering the northern third of the U.S. state of Illinois. The region is by far the most populous of Illinois with nearly 9.7 million residents as of 2010. Economics Northern Illinois is dominated by th ...

Early years

A Chicago native, Wolfe attended Holy Cross High School in

River Grove, Illinois River Grove is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,612 at the 2020 census. Geography River Grove is located at (41.925830, -87.840135). According to the 2010 census, River Grove has a total area of , all lan ...

. 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 a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' and ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...

''.

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. It was founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895, by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld as part of an expansion of the state's system ...

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 2,400 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 NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...

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 the only private university in the conference. Northwestern ...

. 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 selection and by being voted the Huskies'

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated '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 particu ...

. 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 student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

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

Statistics

Professional career

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears drafted Wolfe in the 2007 NFL Draft'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 th ...

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 The 2011 National Football League Player lockout was a work stoppage imposed by the owners of the NFL's 32 teams that lasted from March 12, 2011, to July 25, 2011. When the owners and the NFL players, represented by the National Football League ...

. 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. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which sep ...

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 folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...

Career statistics

References

External links

Chicago Bears bio

Just Sports Stats
{{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 African-American players of American football 21st-century African-American sportspeople