Sean Taylor
Sean Michael Maurice Taylor was an American professional football safety for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was selected fifth overall in the 2004 NFL draft by the Redskins, where he played four seasons until his murder in 2007.
As a high school player, Taylor led Gulliver Prep to a Florida state championship and set the state record for single-season touchdowns. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, where he was a member of their 2001 BCS National Championship team and won the Jack Tatum Trophy. With the Redskins, he gained a reputation as a hard-hitting player and was nicknamed "Meast" from the expression "half man, half beast." He made one Pro Bowl appearance in 2006.
During the 2007 season, Taylor was shot by intruders at his Miami area home and died the next day on November 27. Posthumously, he earned a second Pro Bowl selection and second-team All-Pro honors. Taylor was inducted to Washington's Ring of Fame in 2008.
Early life
Taylor was born in Florida City, Florida, on April 1, 1983. He spent his early years growing up with his great-grandmother in Homestead, Florida and later moved to his father's home at the age of 11. Taylor was baptized at the Bethel Seventh day Adventist Church in Florida City, Florida. He grew up in a low income neighborhood in Miami, on a street lined with candy colored houses.Taylor played high school football in Pinecrest, a suburb of Miami. He began his high school football career at Miami Killian Senior High School, a Class 2A public school, and later transferred to Gulliver Preparatory School, where he was a three-sport star in football, track and field, and basketball. Despite missing the first game of the season, the team's only loss, he helped Gulliver win the Florida Class 2A State Championship in 2000 with a 14–1 record.
Taylor was a star on both sides of the ball during that season, playing running back, safety, and linebacker. He rushed for 1,400 yards, scored a state-record 44 touchdowns, and twice rushed for over 200 yards during Gulliver's state playoff run. He also compiled more than 100 tackles during the season and scored three touchdowns in the state title game victory over Marianna High School. In track and field, Taylor won the state 2A 100-meter dash in 2000 and was also one of the state's top 400-meter dash sprinters.
Taylor was considered the top prospect in Miami-Dade County by the Miami Herald. He was also rated the nation's No. 1 skill athlete and an All-American by Super Prep. Taylor was also an Orlando Sentinel Super Southern Team selection, the No. 1 athlete on The Florida Times-Union Super 75 list and rated the No. 1 player in Florida by The Gainesville Sun.
In 2007, he was also named to the Florida High School Athletic Association's All-Century Team, which selected the Top 33 players in the 100-year history of high school football in the state. After his death, Taylor was honored at Gulliver by a plaque that was placed in the school's cafeteria. The football field at Gulliver Prep was renamed Sean Taylor Memorial Field on September 5, 2009.
College career
Taylor was recruited to play for coach Larry Coker's Miami Hurricanes football team at the University of Miami. He was also a member of the Hurricanes track and field team, competing in events such as the 100-meter and 200-meters.2001 season
As one of only four true freshmen on the 2001 Miami Hurricanes football team, Taylor carved a niche for himself in Miami's secondary in nickel and dime defensive schemes. During the season, Taylor was named Big East Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against the Pittsburgh Panthers. The Hurricanes won the national championship in 2001, and the 2001 Miami Hurricanes team has subsequently been ranked among the best in the history of college football.2002 season
In 2002, his first season as a starter, Taylor was a second-team All-Big East selection by the league's head coaches. He finished third on the team in tackles with 85, broke up 15 passes, intercepted 4 passes, forced one fumble, blocked one kick and returned a punt for a touchdown. He led all Miami defensive backs in tackles, interceptions and passes broken up, and had a career-high 11 tackles and intercepted 2 passes in the Hurricanes National Championship loss to Ohio State. He made a critical play during the game, in which he intercepted Buckeyes quarterback Craig Krenzel in the endzone and returned the ball out of the endzone. Buckeyes running back Maurice Clarett ran Taylor down, and in the process stripped the ball away from him. Clarett recovered the ball for Ohio State, allowing them to kick a field goal to go up 17–7 at the time.2003 season
Taylor produced a historic season during his final year at Miami that culminated with a plethora of honors and awards. He was named a unanimous first-team All-American, the Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation's best defensive back. He led the Big East Conference and ranked first nationally in interceptions with 10, tying the record for interceptions in a season with former Hurricanes standout Bennie Blades. Taylor also finished first in total tackles with 77. He intercepted two passes in Miami's impressive 28–14 win over Pittsburgh, playing a key role as the Hurricanes limited All-American receiver Larry Fitzgerald to just three receptions for 26 yards. He returned interceptions for an average of 18.4 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown return at Boston College, a 50-yard scoring runback at Florida State and a 44-yard scoring runback against Rutgers University. His three touchdown returns of interceptions is a Miami single-season record.Taylor also competed in track and field as a senior for the Hurricanes. He placed 4th in the 100-meter at the Gatorade Invitational in Coral Gables, Florida, with a time of 10.77 seconds, behind teammates Terrell Walden, Roscoe Parrish and Travarous Bain. His best efforts for the season came at the Big East Outdoor T&F Championships in Storrs, Connecticut, where he ran personal-bests of 10.74 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 21.60 seconds in the 200-meter dash. He also participated as a member of the 4x100 relay.
College statistics
Professional career
Following his 2003 season, Taylor announced that he was entering the NFL draft. He attended the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana, but opted to skip all of the combine drills and only met with team representatives and personnel.Washington Redskins
In the 2004 NFL draft, the Washington Redskins selected Taylor in the first round with the fifth overall selection. He was the first of a record six players selected in the first round from the University of Miami; the other five players were Kellen Winslow II, Jonathan Vilma, D. J. Williams, Vernon Carey, and Vince Wilfork.2004
On July 27, 2004, the Washington Redskins signed Taylor to a six-year, $18.5 million contract that included a $13.4 million signing bonus and could have been worth $40 million with incentives and bonuses. His contract also included a seventh-year option. Taylor became the first top ten pick to sign his contract in 2004.On August 4, 2004, dissatisfied with his contract, Taylor fired his agents, Eugene Mato and Jeff Moorad. He fired them after other top ten picks signed their contracts and felt their deals were better in comparison. This marked his second time firing agents within five months after he fired agent Drew Rosenhaus two days after the NFL draft. He immediately rehired Rosenhaus, who served as his agent for the remainder of his career. Taylor also had an incident that involved his early departure during the NFL's Rookie Symposium which was mandatory for every incoming player from the draft and was held over four days. He left after the first day, but returned for the last two days at the urging of representatives from the Redskins. Over his first three seasons, Taylor also was fined at least seven times for late hits, uniform violations and other infractions.
Throughout training camp, Taylor competed for the job as the starting free safety against Andre Lott. On August 9, 2004, Taylor made his professional NFL debut in the Redskins' preseason-opener as part of their second unit defense against the Denver Broncos. He recorded two interceptions in the second half off passes by rookie quarterback Matt Mauck. During the third quarter, Taylor intercepted a pass intended for Jeb Putzier and returned it for a three-yard touchdown to put Washington in the lead 10–9. Head coach Joe Gibbs named Taylor the backup free safety to begin the regular season, behind starter Andre Lott, after Taylor failed to surpass him on the depth chart.
He made his professional regular season debut in the Washington Redskins' season-opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and assisted on one tackle in their 16–10 victory. In Week 3, Taylor earned his first career start after surpassing Lott on the depth chart and recorded four combined tackles and deflected two passes in the Redskins' 21–18 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. On October 18, 2004, Taylor made four solo tackles, a pass deflection, a sack, and returned his first career interception for 45-yards during a 13–10 win at the Chicago Bears. He made his first career interception and sack during the game, recording both on quarterback Brian Griese. In Week 12, he collected a season-high ten combined tackles and broke up a pass in a 16–7 loss at the Pittsburgh Steelers. He finished his rookie season in with 76 combined tackles, nine pass deflections, four interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a sack in 15 games and 13 starts.
2005
Before the season started, Taylor switched his jersey number from No. 36 to No. 21 after it was available due to the departure of cornerback Fred Smoot to the Minnesota Vikings. Taylor kept the number when Smoot rejoined the Redskins in 2007, with Smoot opting to wear No. 27. Assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Gregg Williams opted to retain Taylor as the starting free safety to begin the regular season, alongside strong safety Ryan Clark.He started the Washington Redskins' season-opener against the Chicago Bears and recorded four solo tackles and broke up a pass in their 9–7 victory. On November 11, 2005, it was reported that Taylor and teammate Clinton Portis received fines from the NFL due to violating the league's uniform code during the Redskins' 17–10 home victory against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 9. Taylor's fine was for $5,000 due to his choice of wearing white socks with a burgundy and gold striped pattern instead of the required all white socks. He was inactive for the Redskins' Week 10 loss at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to an injury. On January 1, 2006, he collected a season-high nine combined tackles and deflected two passes during a 31–20 win at the Philadelphia Eagles. Taylor finished the season with 70 combined tackles, a career-high ten pass deflections, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a sack in 15 games and 15 starts.
The Washington Redskins finished second in the NFC East with a 10–6 record and received a wildcard berth. On January 7, 2006, Taylor started in his first career playoff game and recorded seven combined tackles and returned a fumble for a touchdown in their 17–10 victory at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During this game he allegedly spit in the face of Buccaneers running back Michael Pittman and hit him in the face. Taylor was ejected.
Two days later, the NFL fined Taylor $17,000 for the incident. The Redskins were eliminated the following game after losing 20–10 to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Divisional Round. Taylor finished the loss with seven combined tackles and a pass deflection.