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Former University of New Mexico All-American and Chicago Bears All-Pro Brian Urlacher has joined the partnership that owns the Arena Football 2 expansion franchise in the Albuquerque-Rio Rancho market, the league announced today.

Urlacher, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year and five-time Pro Bowl selection for the Bears, said in a news release today: "This is a great partnership for me. I am very excited to be able to play a part in bringing professional football to my home state of New Mexico. The fans in New Mexico have always supported me, and it is great to be a part of giving those fans a local professional football team to cheer for."

Entering its eighth season, the AF2 has teams in mid-sized markets nationwide, such as Green Bay, Cincinnati and Oklahoma City. The AFL has teams in the nation's largest cities, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

"We are thrilled to welcome Brian Urlacher into the Arena Football family," said AF2 President Jerry Kurz. "Brian's work ethic, professionalism and overall character personifies everything we stand for."

As Arena Football's newest owner, Urlacher joins a number of other high-profile AFL/AF2 owners, including former Bears player and coach Mike Ditka (Chicago Rush), NFL Hall-of-Famer John Elway (Colorado Crush), music stars Jon Bon Jovi (Philadelphia Soul) and Tim McGraw (Nashville Kats), as well as former Green Bay Packers player Brian Noble (Green Bay Blizzard).

The yet-to-be-named team also announced the creation of its charitable foundation. Chaired by Urlacher, the foundation made its first donation today: $10,000 to The Lobo Club at the University of New Mexico, specifically to support the university's football program.

"Brian Urlacher made a tremendous impact as a member of the Lobos football program, and that impact continues today," said acting UNM President David Harris. "On behalf of the students, faculty, staff and alumni, we wish to thank Brian and his partners for their generosity and support and look forward to the team's first season."

The team will begin exploring its options for where it will play its games with venues possible in Albuquerque or Rio Rancho, AFL officials said.

Last week, Rio Rancho's city manager said he expects to have an AF2 team playing at the Santa Ana Star Center by 2008.

The AF2 plays a 16-game schedule, with half the games at home. Games are played in an indoor arena on a 50-yard field and feature rebound nets at the end zones and padded dasher boards lining the playing surface, providing for high scoring games.