Chicago Bears: Ranking the top ten Chicago Bears of the 2000s

7. Roberto Garza, OL (2005-2014)

For the second half of the 2000s, Roberto Garza was a fixture on the Bears offensive line. After signing with the Bears in 2005 after two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, Garza played in all but six games from 2005-2014. He was a fixture on the 2006 offensive line, helping to lead the Bears to an appearance in Super Bowl XLI.

Not only was Garza’s career with the Bears impressive from a statistical aspect, it was also quite significant for the Latin American community. Garza was inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame in Laredo, Texas, just 200 miles from Garza’s hometown of Rio Hondo, Texas. The NFL has long been short on Latino players, with studies estimating that less than 2 percent of NFL players are of Latino descent as recently as 2015.

A guard for the majority of his career, Garza was the perfect candidate to move to the center position after Olin Kreutz signed with the New Orleans Saints in 2011.

Though his name may not have been all over the stat sheet given his position, Garza’s longevity and consistency made him a valuable asset to the Bears for the second half of the decade and then some.