The Bears continued to fill out new head coach Matt Nagy's staff Friday, hiring Mike Furrey as receivers coach.
Furrey, 40, played seven NFL seasons as a receiver and safety with the Rams (2003-05), Lions (2006-08) and Browns (2009). The Northern Iowa product appeared in 94 games with 41 starts, catching 221 passes for 2,298 yards and seven touchdowns and recording four interceptions and 10 pass breakups.
Furrey spent the past seven seasons coaching at the collegiate level as head coach at Kentucky Christian (2011-12), receivers coach at Marshall (2013-15) and head coach at Limestone College in Gaffney, S.C. (2016-17).
At Kentucky Christian, Furrey inherited a team that went 0-11 in 2010 and turned them into a squad that went 7-4 and was ranked in the top 25 in 2012.
At Marshall, he helped guide the program to three straight bowl wins and the 2014 Conference USA title. The Thundering Herd led the conference in scoring and ranked in the top five nationally in total offense in 2013 and 2014.
Furrey took over a Limestone program still in its infancy, and guided the Blue and Gold to its best season in the short three-year history of the team. The Saints, who had combined for just four wins over the first two years of competition, finished with records of 5-6 in 2016 and 4-6 in 2017.
As a player, Furrey originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Colts in 2000, but he was waived at the end of training camp.
Bears receivers coach Mike Furrey walks the sideline while the head coach of Limestone College in Gaffney, South Carolina.
Furrey then played in the XFL with the Las Vegas Outlaws in 2001 and the Arena Football League with the New York Dragons in 2002-03.
Furrey returned to the NFL with the Rams in 2003, catching 20 passes for 189 yards in 13 games as a reserve receiver. After playing sparingly in 2004, he was switched to safety in 2005 and excelled at the new position, recording interceptions in three straight games and a total of four on the season.
Furrey returned to receiver with the Lions in 2006 and had a breakout season, catching 98 passes for 1,086 yards and six touchdowns while appearing in all 16 games with 14 starts. He followed in 2007 with 61 receptions for 664 yards and one TD while playing in all 16 games with 10 starts.
Furrey spent his final NFL season with the Browns in 2009, initially catching 23 passes for 170 yards as a receiver before switching to safety.
Twice nominated for the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award while with the Lions, Furrey was a finalist for the prestigious award during the 2009 season as a member of the Browns.
Furrey was inducted into the UNI Athletics Hall of Fame in September, 2017. He was a three-time All-American for the Panther football team from 1997-1999. Furrey caught 242 passes (third in MVFC history) for 3,544 yards (fourth in MVFC history). He spent his freshman season at Ohio State in 1996.
In 2007, he founded the Mike Furrey Foundation and has since raised more than $500,000 to help improve the lives of those who are hurting, hungry, hopeful and/or homeless. He also serves as the board president for Basket of Hope with former NFL coach Tony Dungy as the organization's spokesperson.
