Bear Digest

T.J. Edwards and Rome Odunze honored with Brian Piccolo Awards

A list of all past Brian Piccolo Award winners for the Chicago Bears as linebacker T.J. Edwards and wide receiver Rome Odunze were honored Tuesday at Halas Hall.
Gene Chamberlain|
T.J. Edwards became the first Bears veteran winner of the Brian Piccolo Award to repeat since Olin Kreutz in 2003-04.
T.J. Edwards became the first Bears veteran winner of the Brian Piccolo Award to repeat since Olin Kreutz in 2003-04. | Photo: Chicago Bears video

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Chicago Bears

How much Bears management thought about linebacker T.J Edwards became apparent last week when they gave him $20 million over two years in a contract extension.

How much the Bears players thought about Edwards, a native Chicagoan, became apparent when he was announced as the first back-to-back veteran winner of the Brian Piccolo Award since Olin Kreutz in 2003-04.

At the same time, a different streak continued Tuesday as no quarterback has been named a rookie Brian Piccolo Award winner since Jim McMahon in 1982.

The rookie winner for 2024 was wide receiver Rome Odunze and not quarterback Caleb Williams. Odunze became the first rookie receiver to win it since Darnell Mooney in 2020.

The Bears give out the award each April in memory of Piccolo, the running back who died at the age of 26 from cancer in 1970. Piccolo had embryonal cell carcinoma. The award is given to the rookie and veteran who best exemplified Piccolo's courage, loyalty, teamwork, dedication and sense of humor.

"I find something every day where someone says I’m too slow or someone, whatever," Edwards said. "I get to go out and prove them wrong and I get to go out and prove the people right who believe in me."

Bears coach Ben Johnson presented the two for the awards even though his experience with both is limited. His first practices with them have been the last two days at voluntary minicamp.

He kidded with Edwards a bit about being one of the victims of his "Stumble Bum" play last year in Detroit's win at Soldier Field, saying he had "taken the cheese" on the fake. But he had known quite a bit about the linebacker's ability from another assistant, Dave Fipp. It was Fipp who was the former Lions special teams coordinator and was with the Eagles when they went to the Super Bowl while Edwards played there.

"When you came to Chicago, he (Fipp) and I talked about you quite a bit," Johnson said. "The reason was we were going against each other now and I needed to know the scouting report. And what he told me made a lasting impression on the type of person you are.

He said you're a glue guy, you're one of those guys that brings everybody together and when I watched the tape of you, that stands out first and foremost. It doesn’t matter what the 40 time is, this guy plays the game the right way. There’s a right way and a wrong way. This guy does it the right way."

Johnson, who came to the occasion equipped with a poem about Piccolo he admitted to having "outside help" writing, pointed out Edwards was a bit like Piccolo in one respect.

"TJ didn’t take a conventional path to NFL stardom," Johnson said. "He went undrafted just like Brian and fought every step of the way to prove he belonged. And now not only is he a core part of the Bears defense, he’s also a mentor, a tone-setter and someone his teammates look to when the game gets tough."

The chip for Edwards started to build when he was watching the draft.

"I remember just having family and friends over for the draft and going all the way back to that and just looking around like, I don't know what round, so if you guys want to head out for a little bit, give me some space," Edwards said. "I think my dad was ready to throw a TV, all those things go through your head.

"It was a blessing to be able to be anywhere. To be honest with you, once I look back at it, I thought, people got hung up on all those things and it is something that drives me today. It really does. I never forget how that made me feel and how that still pushes me to try to be better than I was. There're so many things that stick with you in that sense and that I still find personal, and I just keep going and keep attacking it. But honestly, I wouldn't change it for the world. I really wouldn't.”

Odunze had familiarized himself with the story of the friendship between Piccolo and Gale Sayers as Jeannie Morris described in the book, "A Short Season. The movie "Brian's Song" was based on her book. Odunze labeled it inspiring.

"Just because you know what we do is all superficial when we talk about just football and the game and all that but something like that transcends the game and transcends our individual selves," Odunze said.

He called his entire career to this point a head-spinner.

"It’s kind of whirlwind, but at the end of the day it’s what you dream about when you’re a kid," Odunze said. "It’s what you grow up watching, the draft, and learning about and when you’re finally in it it seems like a lot, like you always keep that grateful mentality, for sure."

Brian Piccolo Award Winners

Year: Veteran Award, Rookie Award

2024: LB T.J. Edwards, WR Rome Odunze

2023: LB T.J. Edwards, T Darnell Wright

2022: RB David Montgomery, LB Jack Sanborn

2021: Edge Robert Quinn, RB Khalil Herbert

2020: WR Allen Robinson, WR Darnell Mooney

2019: DT Nick Williams, RB David Montgomery

2018: DE Akiem Hicks, LB Roquan Smith

2017: RB Benny Cunningham, RB Tarik Cohen

2016: WR Josh Bellamy, RB Jordan Howard

2015: TE Zach Miller, S Adrian Amos

2014: RB Matt Forte, CB Kyle Fuller

2013: QB Josh McCown, T Jordan Mills

2012: DE Julius Peppers/CB Charles Tillman, DE Shea McClellin

2011: LB Nick Roach, DT Stephen Paea

2010: DT Anthony Adams, T J'Marcus Webb

2009: C Olin Kreutz, WR Johnny Knox

2008: CB Charles Tillman, RB Matt Forte

2007: LB Brian Urlacher, TE Greg Olsen

2006: C Olin Kreutz, KR Devin Hester

2005: T John Tait, S Chris Harris

2004: C Olin Kreutz, DT Tommie Harris

2003: C Olin Kreutz, CB Charles Tillman

2002: DE Phillip Daniels, DE Alex Brown

2001: T James Williams, RB Anthony Thomas

2000: DT Clyde Simmons, LB Brian Urlacher

1999: WR Marcus Robinson, CB Jerry Azumah

1998: WR Bobby Engram, S Tony Parrish

1997: TE Ryan Wetnight, TE John Allred/S Van Hiles

1996: DT Chris Zorich, WR Bobby Engram

1995: QB Erik Kramer, RB Rashaan Salaam

1994: S Shaun Gayle, RB Raymont Harris

1993: WR Tom Waddle, LB Myron Baker/G Todd Perry

1992: LB Mike Singletary/DT Chris Zorich

Rookies Only Before 1992

1991: DT Chris Zorich

1990: S Mark Carrier

1989: DE Trace Armstrong

1988: TE James Thornton/LB Mickey Pruitt

1987: WR Ron Morris

1986: RB Neal Anderson

1985: K Kevin Butler

1984: S Shaun Gayle

1983: T Jimbo Covert

1982: QB Jim McMahon

1981: LB Mike Singletary

1980: TE Bob Fisher

1979: DE Dan Hampton

1978: FB John Skibinski

1977: T Ted Albrecht

1976: WR Brian Baschnagel

1975: FB Roland Harper

1974: TE Fred Pagac

1973: DT Wally Chambers

1972: DT Jim Osborne

1971: S Jerry Moore

1970: G Glen Holloway

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.