Brian Cabral Brian Cabral ( born June 23 , 1956 ) stood in as the interim head football coach for three games for the Colorado Buffaloes in 2010 . Cabral is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League who played for the Atlanta Falcons , the Green Bay Packers , and the Chicago Bears . He won a Super Bowl as a member of the 1985 Chicago Bears . College playing career . Cabral lettered three seasons for Colorado at linebacker from 1975 to 1977 under Coach Bill Mallory , as he was a captain and played a big role on The Buffaloes ' Big Eight champion team in 1976 . He led Colorado with 13 tackles ( 12 solo ) in the 1977 Orange Bowl against Ohio State . As a senior , he was honored as the Big Eight Conference ' s player of the week for a monster 25 tackles in a CU 27 - 21 win over Stanford and shared the team ' s Sure Tackler Award with Mark Haynes . That 25 - tackle game included 13 solo stops and is still tied for the fourth most in a single game in Colorado team history . NFL career . Cabral was a nine - year NFL veteran , being drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round of the 1978 NFL Draft . He played two seasons with Atlanta , one with Green Bay and six with Chicago . As the captain of the Bears ' special teams , he was a member of Chicago ' s Super Bowl XX championship team in 1985 . Coaching career . Following his NFL career , Cabral became the inside linebackers coach at Purdue for two seasons . In 1989 , Cabral came back to Colorado and tutored the inside linebackers his first year as a graduate assistant . Cabral assumed full - time duties in the same capacity in 1990 and has remained the inside linebackers coach since that time . From 1999 through 2005 , he also coached the punt return unit on special teams , and served as the director of Colorado ' s summer football camps from 1995 through 2005 and for a brief time as recruiting coordinator . Known as one of the top linebacker coaches in the nation , his students have included Matt Russell , the 1996 Butkus Award winner , all - Big Eight performers Greg Biekert , Chad Brown and Ted Johnson , all of whom went on to stardom in the National Football League , and all - Big 12 linebacker Jordon Dizon , a consensus All - American who was also the league defensive player of the year for 2007 . He also recruited tailback Rashaan Salaam , the 1994 Heisman trophy winner , and Chris Naeole , a 1996 All - American guard . He was promoted to associate head coach by Dan Hawkins on February 7 , 2008 . Hawkins cited his leadership when promoting him to associate head coach , noting that " no one person has had more influence in the success of Colorado football than Brian Cabral . " Cabral ' s 21 years as a full - time assistant rank as the most in Colorado athletic history , not only for football but for all sports sponsored by the University . Cabral has served twice as interim head coach for the Buffaloes . His first stint was a three - month period in 2004 before the start of the season when Head Coach Gary Barnett was placed on paid administrative leave . In that role , he continued to coach his position players but also took care of day - to - day operational details of the program . On November 9 , 2010 , Cabral was again named interim head coach when Dan Hawkins was fired . He won his initial game as interim head coach against Iowa State 34 - 14 after Hawkins firing , with Hawkins ' son having his best game of the season . Personal life . Cabral grew up in Kailua , Hawaii and remains involved in recruiting efforts in Hawaii for the Buffaloes . Cabral has worked youth camps in the state as well as all - Polynesian camps in the continental U . S . He is a founding board member of the Polynesian Coaches Association . Cabral earned a B . S . degree in therapeutic recreation from Colorado in 1978 . Head coaching record . < small > Named Interim Head Coach on Nov . 9th < br >