On the Friday before Super Bowl XLI between the Bears and Colts, an Indianapolis eighth-grader wore his No. 54 Brian Urlacher jersey to school, putting loyalty ahead of popularity.
"Everybody else was wearing Peyton Manning jerseys,” Patriots rookie guard Ted Karras recalled. "But I loved the Bears.”
His favorite NFL player growing up was former Bears center Olin Kreutz. One of his most cherished childhood memories involved meeting Mike Ditka. He believed in quarterback Rex Grossman and named every defensive starter on the 2006 Bears without hesitation. Smiling, Karras dared me to stump him with Bears trivia.
"You could try me,” he said. "But just know I have good knowledge when it comes to the Bears.”
Apparently so, and much of it came from Karras’ grandfather, Ted Karras Sr., the starting left guard on the 1963 NFL championship team. The elder Karras played 68 games for the Bears from 1960-64, developing friendships with teammates Bill Wade and Ditka that made for great tales to tell the grandkids — like the one where Karras and Ditka tussled on the sideline. Some of Grandpa’s best stories involved George Halas, who signed him in 1958 and traded him to the Steelers with a handshake agreement to return the guard to Bears after offensive lineman Abe Gibron retired.
"He always talked about Mr. Halas with respect,” Karras said of his grandfather, who passed away last year. "In his living room hung a great picture with Papa Bear at the wedding when my grandpa and grandma got married.”
Karras temporarily shelved his Bears fandom last spring after the Patriots selected him in the sixth round of the NFL draft. For the two-time all-Big Ten lineman from Illinois, it represented not only a chance to join an elite NFL organization but continue a family legacy in the league. When he started the Patriots’ season-opener, Karras became the fifth family member to play in the NFL.
Besides Ted Karras Sr. with the Bears, great uncles Alex and Lou played for the Lions and Redskins, respectively. Ted’s father, Ted Karras Jr., a former Northwestern defensive tackle, saw action in the NFL strike season of 1987 with the Redskins.
Ted Karras Sr. Anna Karras / Handout
Ted Karras Sr., the Bears’ starting left guard on the 1963 NFL Championship team, during a photo taken in October 1965.
Ted Karras Sr., the Bears’ starting left guard on the 1963 NFL Championship team, during a photo taken in October 1965.
(Anna Karras / Handout)
"My dad got a Super Bowl bonus (from the Redskins) because he was a (replacement player) during the strike, my grandpa won a world championship but I could be the first Karras with a Super Bowl ring,” Karras said. "That lineage always has been important to me to uphold.”
That weighed on his mind when Karras walked into Indianapolis Cathedral as a tall, skinny freshman weighing 185 pounds and worried about adding bulk. As the story goes, Karras drank a gallon of milk every day trying to grow into a lineman’s body.
"Yeah, at first I hoped he would get big enough to fulfill the family tradition,” said Rick Streiff, Karras’ coach at Cathedral. "But besides the milk, he became a weight-room fanatic. He willed it, with a passion to succeed.”
Occasionally, when Karras got too passionate during pregame, Streiff would tell his captain a joke to lighten the mood. Talk about nervous laughter.
"There was a hint of fear that Ted would punish all of you if things didn’t go the way you wanted them to go … and that may have included me occasionally too,” Streiff kidded. "When he said something, everybody jumped. A tremendous leader.”
Those qualities came in handy during an Illinois career Karras agreed was tumultuous. Karras, a four-year starter at right guard, signed with Ron Zook, survived Tim Beckman, whom he defended after Beckman’s firing, and starred as a senior under Bill Cubit. He played for five offensive line coaches, yet still believes in Illinois enough to be selling Lovie Smith’s first recruiting class.
"As far as all the stuff that happened when I was there, it was one of the craziest times you could have,” Karras said. "But I loved my experience and will always be loyal. I’ve been a fan of Lovie since the Bears. The honeymoon is over quickly in the Big Ten so he has to win but I’m excited about Lovie.”
His voice quickened even more discussing his Patriot coaches, Bill Belichick and 67-year-old offensive line assistant Dante Scarnecchia. Both have praised Karras’ intelligence in adapting as a rookie asked to learn all three interior positions: left guard, right guard and center. Barring injury, Karras’ only action Sunday will come on special teams but a limited role hardly will make the journey less special.
"It’s an honor to work with two NFL institutions,” Karras said. "This is all a blessing. It has been one of the craziest years of my life.”
The rookie’s NFL education began when he fought off a man with a knife on the night he arrived in town after the draft — "My welcome to Boston moment,” Karras kidded. And it will continue Sunday on the game’s biggest stage, with his proud parents in the stands, as Karras hopes the other sixth-round draft pick in the Patriots offense, quarterback Tom Brady, makes NFL history.
"This week has been more than I ever could have imagined,” Karras said.
He hasn’t been this excited to put on a jersey before a Super Bowl since eighth grade.
dhaugh@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @DavidHaugh
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