2021 Football Roster
Chris Bergin
- Height:
- 5-11
- Weight:
- 223
- Position:
- LB
- Class:
- Graduate Student
- Hometown:
- Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
- High School:
- Detroit Country Day
2021: Voted Team Captain… NCAA (FBS) Statistical Champion leading the Nation in both Total tackles per game (11.8) and Solo tackles per game (7.0)… Finished career as the 8th All-Time leading tackler (368) in NU program history… Played in a school record 58 consecutive games… Most Solo tackles (84) in a season by a Wildcat since at least 2000… Selected First Team All-Big Ten by Phil Steele, Second Team All-Big Ten by Media, and Third Team All-Big Ten by Coaches & PFF (Pro Football Focus)… Two-time Burlsworth Trophy Semi-Finalist, Three-time Burlsworth Trophy Nominee, given to the country's most outstanding player who began his career as a walk-on... 2021 Butkus Award Watch List selection… National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame Hampshire Honor Society member... Four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection… 2021 Big-Ten & Nation's Leading Tackler in Total tackles (141) and Solo tackles (84), 15 more than the next highest… Started all 12 games… Registered ten tackles, including a sack and a tackle for loss against Michigan State (9/3) ... Tallied 13 tackles and his second-career interception against Duke (9/18) ... Registered his first-career forced-fumble and tallied a career-high 14 tackles in a career-day against Ohio (9/25) ... Tallied ten total tackles and a pass breakup in a win over Rutgers (10/16) ... Set a new career-high with 16 total tackles against Michigan (10/23), then surpassed the mark the next week with 19 total tackles against Minnesota (10/30)... Registered 12 total tackles and a QB hit against Iowa (11/6)... Tallied 15 total tackles and a tackle for a loss against Illinois (11/27).
2020: Honorable Mention All-Big Ten ... PFF All-Big Ten Third Team .... Phil Steele Third Team All-Big Ten ... Ranked third in the Big Ten in total and solo tackles ... Made his 17th career start for NU in season opener vs. Maryland (10/24)...Was one of five Wildcats to record four total tackles in the game...Compiled a career-high 12 total tackles in comeback victory against Iowa (10/31), the fourth time in his career he reached double digit tackles...Followed strong performance against the Hawkeyes with another double-digit tackle performance against Nebraska (11/7)...Snatched first career interception vs. Cornhuskers and a career-high two pass breakups...Named as Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for Week 3...Recorded a team-leading nine tackles on the road vs. Purdue (11/14)...Compiled seven total tackles including one for loss against Wisconsin (11/21)...Registered 11 tackles at Michigan State (11/28), which marked the third time in six games that he recorded double-digit tackles...Recorded four total tackles vs. Illinois (12/12) and tied his career-high for quarterback hurries (1)...Registered first sack of the season in Big Ten Championship vs. Ohio State (12/19)...Compiled 11 total tackles including a career-high eight solo against the Buckeyes...Recorded nine total tackles in Citrus Bowl vs. Auburn (1/1/21)...Finished third on team in total tackles...Semi-Finalist for Burlsworth Trophy.
2019: Ranked 10th in the Big Ten in tackles ... Recorded 10+ total tackles for the second time in his career at Stanford (8/31) ... Finished with 10 tackles for the second straight game while adding 0.5 sacks in a win over UNLV (9/14) ... Contributed a career-high two tackles for loss and five total tackles at Nebraska (10/5) ... Named Week 12 Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week following UMass win where returned a block field goal 85 yards for a touchdown, recovered a fumbled kickoff and tallied three special teams tackles ... Had the third most tackles out of any Northwestern player, with 86 over 12 games.
2018: Appeared in all 14 games as a sophomore linebacker including five starts, making 51 tackles (ranked fifth on the team) and 3.0 TFL while recovering two fumbles … Academic All-Big Ten ... Made his first tackle of the season against Duke (9/8) … Recovered first-career fumble against Akron (9/15) … Recorded eight tackles in back-to-back weeks against Michigan and Michigan State (9/29 and 10/6) … Credited with a career-high 11 tackles against Nebraska (10/13) … Made nine tackles including his first sack at Rutgers (10/20) … Finished with six total tackles and one tackle for loss against Illinois (11/24) … Recorded eight tackles, including one TFL, and recovered a fumble against No. 17 Utah in the Holiday Bowl (12/31).
2017: One of 13 first-year players to see action during the regular season ... Played in each of the final 11 games ... Named a 6x Practice Player of the Week ... Made a season-high three solo stops and four total tackles, including one for loss, in his collegiate debut versus Bowling Green ... Posted four games with at least two tackles ... Appeared in each of the final 10 games of the season, primarily on special teams ... Named NU Special Teams or Defensive Practice Player of the Week five times by the coaching staff.
High School: Joined Northwestern as a preferred walk on ... Team Captain, 2x unanimous 1st team All-State selection DB/Specialist, State of Michigan (MHSAA) Career Return Touchdowns Record Holder, Three-year letter-winner at Detroit Country Day ... 2x All-State selection, three time letter-winner in track and field, specializing in sprints … All-Region selection, one time letter-winner in Bowling ... Brother of fellow Wildcat Owen Bergin and former NU defensive back Joe Bergin.
Personal: Born Christopher John Bergin ... Son of Nicola and Joseph Bergin ... Father, Joseph, was a starter on Michigan State’s 1987 Big Ten champion team and its 1988 Rose Bowl champion team ... Chose Northwestern over Princeton, Harvard, Air-Force, and Navy ... Major is Economics with a minor in Business Institutions and a certificate in Leadership, Masters in Sports Administration.
