Former Chicago Bears cornerback Charles “Peanut” Tillman – the creator of the famous defensive technique known as the ‘Peanut Punch’ – will become the 11th Bear to serve as the guest speaker at the University of St. Francis’ 47th annual Brown & Gold Night on Monday, April 13. The fundraising event will take place inside the school’s Sullivan Center with cocktails beginning at 5:30 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. and the program to follow at 8 p.m.

One of the NFL’s all-time greats when it came to creating turnovers, Tillman finished his career with 44 forced fumbles (tied for eighth in NFL history), including a single-season record 10 in 2012. He also holds the Bears’ records for most career interceptions by a cornerback (36) and most career defensive touchdowns (8). Overall, he totaled 38 picks and had 11 fumble recoveries.

Tillman played all but one of his 13 NFL seasons with the Bears, which eventually resulted in him being named one of the Top 100 players in the history of the franchise. He concluded his career with the Carolina Panthers in 2015. In that time, he was chosen for the Pro Bowl twice, was an Associated Press Second Team All-Pro selection in 2011 and earned a spot on the First Team in 2012. That same year, he set an NFL record with four forced fumbles in one game.

Tillman claimed a pair of prestigious NFL honors during his career, including being named the NFL Man of the Year in 2013. He also was the Bears’ 2018 recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award, which is presented to the player who best exemplifies a commitment to the principles of sportsmanship and courage and is voted upon by his peers.

Selected in the second round of the NFL Draft out of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette in 2003, where he was a two-time all-conference selection, Tillman claimed Football Digest Rookie of the Year honors that fall. He finished his career with 930 total tackles, 790 of which were solo tackles. He was also part of two Super Bowl teams – Super Bowl XLI with the Bears and Super Bowl 50 with the Panthers – as well as the No. 1-rated defense in the NFL in 2005.

Tillman gained his ‘Peanut’ nickname from his aunt because she felt that he resembled the shape of a peanut in his infancy.

The son of a sergeant in the Army, which resulted in Tillman attending 11 different schools as a child, he went on to become an FBI special agent in 2018 and served in that capacity until last year.

He and his wife, Jackie, have three daughters and one son and reside in the Chicagoland area.

Others who have spoken at the event include John Wooden, Al McGuire, Ray Meyer, Mike Ditka, Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary, Paul Hornung, Bart Starr, Fergie Jenkins, Frank Thomas, Joe Maddon, David Ross and Tillman’s old teammate, Brian Urlacher.

Tickets for the fundraiser, which includes both a silent and live auction, are available for $65 each or a table of ten for $650. Corporate sponsorships are also available. Please note that no autograph requests will be granted the night of the event.

For more information, contact the USF Athletic Department at 815-740-3842. To order tickets for the event, go to the USF Athletics website at www.gofightingsaints.com.