Ty Law
Tajuan Edward "Ty" Law is an American former professional football cornerback who played in the National Football League for 15 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, earning first-team All-American honors, and was selected by the Patriots in the first round of the 1995 NFL draft.
During his 10 seasons in New England, Law received four Pro Bowl selections and two first-team All-Pro honors. A three-time Super Bowl winner with the Patriots, he also holds the franchise record for interceptions. Law spent his final five seasons as a member of the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, and Denver Broncos, earning a fifth Pro Bowl selection with the Jets. Ranking 24th in NFL career interceptions, he twice led the league in interceptions during the 1998 and 2005 seasons. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.
Early life
Law attended Aliquippa High School in Aliquippa, in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, where he played football and basketball, and ran track. He played in football as a cornerback, safety, wide receiver, and running back. He was named MVP of the school's basketball team. In 1991, he led Aliquippa to victory in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association A-level high school football championship.Tony Dorsett, a Hall of Fame running back, is Law's uncle. Law spent summers in Dallas with Dorsett while he was growing up.
College career
Law had a three-year stint at the University of Michigan, where he lettered three years in a row, earned first-team All-American honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation as a junior, and was a two-time unanimous All-Big Ten Conference selection. He was on the cover of the October 3, 1994, issue of Sports Illustrated, though it was an ignominious honor; he is the defender over whom Colorado Buffaloes receiver Michael Westbrook is leaping on the famous Miracle at Michigan play. Following his junior year, he left Michigan to enter the 1995 NFL Draft due to financial hardship after his grandfather declared bankruptcy.He finished his college career with 154 tackles , six interceptions, and 17 passes defended.
Professional career
Pre-draft
As a junior, Law wrote of a letter to the NFL Draft Advisory Board of his interest in declaring for the 1995 NFL Draft and was told in their reply letter they projected him to be selected anywhere from the fourth to seventh round. He attended a pre-draft visit with the New England Patriots. The Patriots would have Law as their highest graded defensive back on their draft board, ahead of Bobby Taylor, who was graded ahead of Law by the majority of draft experts.New England Patriots
1995
The New England Patriots selected Law in the first round of the 1995 NFL draft. He was the second cornerback selected, following Tyrone Poole, and was the second of three Michigan players selected in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft, along with Tyrone Wheatley and Trezelle Jenkins.On July 20, 1995, the New England Patriots signed Law to a five-year, $5.50 million contract. Throughout training camp, Law competed against Maurice Hurst for the role as the No. 2 starting cornerback. Head coach Bill Parcells named Law a backup and listed him as the third cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, behind starters Ricky Reynolds and Maurice Hurst.
On September 3, 1995, Law made his professional regular-season debut in the New England Patriots’ season-opener against the Cleveland Browns, ironically against Bill Belichick, and recorded two solo tackles in their 17–14 victory. On October 1, 1995, Law earned his first career start, appearing as a dimeback, and recorded four combined tackles and set a season-high with two pass deflections during a 30–17 loss at the Atlanta Falcons. He missed two games due a hip flexor injury. On November 20, 1995, the Patriots cut starting cornerback Maurice Hurst after a poor performance in a 10–24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, during which Hurst gave up two 40-yard passes from Jim Harbaugh to wide receiver Sean Dawkins. Head coach Bill Parcells subsequently named Law his replacement at starting cornerback for the last five games of the season. On November 26, 1995, Law earned his first start as a starting cornerback and had six combined tackles, one pass deflection, and had his first career interception on a pass thrown by Jim Kelly to wide receiver Justin Armour during a 35–25 victory at the Buffalo Bills. The following week, Law made three combined tackles, a pass break-up, and intercepted a pass by Jim Everett to wide receiver Quinn Early and returned it for a season-long 38 yards as the Patriots lost 31–17 to the New Orleans Saints in Week 14. In Week 15, he set a season-high with eight combined tackles, made one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass attempt by Jets’ quarterback Boomer Esiason during a 31–28 win against the New York Jets. He made an interception in three consecutive games since taking over the starting role. On December 23, 1995, Law set a season-high with eight solo tackles and made his first career sack on Jim Harbaugh for a six–yard loss during the first quarter of a 10–7 loss at the Indianapolis Colts. He finished his rookie season in 1995 with 47 combined tackles, nine pass deflections, three interceptions, and one sack in 14 games and seven starts.
1996
On February 16, 1996, the New England Patriots hired recently fired Cleveland Browns' head coach Bill Belichick to reunited with Bill Parcells as an assistant head coach and the secondary coach. Defensive coordinator Al Groh named Law and Ricky Reynolds as starting cornerbacks to begin the season, following the departure of Maurice Hurst.On October 20, 1996, Law set a season-high with 12 combined tackles and made two pass deflections during a 27–9 victory at the Indianapolis Colts. He was inactive for three games due to a knee injury. In Week 15, he made one tackle, a pass deflection, and scored the first touchdown of his career after intercepting a pass thrown by Glenn Foley to wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson and returning it 38–yards for a touchdown in the third quarter as the Patriots defeated the New York Jets 34–10. On December 15, 1996, Law recorded seven solo tackles, set a season-high with three pass deflections, and also set a season-high with two interceptions on passes by Troy Aikman during a 12–6 loss at the Dallas Cowboys. He finished his sophomore season with 62 combined tackles, nine pass deflections, three interceptions, and one touchdown in 13 games and 12 starts.
The New England Patriots finished the 1996 NFL season first in the AFC East with an 11–5 record, to clinch a playoff berth and a first-round bye. On January 5, 1997, Law started in the first playoff game of his career and made three combined tackles and a pass break-up as the Patriots defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 28–3 in the AFC Divisional Round. In the AFC Championship Game, Law had four combined tackles during a 6–20 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars to advance to the first Super Bowl of his career. On January 26, 1997, Law started in Super Bowl XXXI and made three combined tackles during a 35–21 loss against the Green Bay Packers.
1997
On January 31, 1997, New England Patriots' head coach Bill Parcells announced his resignation five days after losing in Super Bowl XXXI to accept the position as head coach for the rival New York Jets. His staff including Al Groh, Bill Belichick, and Romeo Crennel accompanied Parcells. On February 3, 1997, the New England Patriots hired San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator Pete Carroll to be their new head coach. The Patriots selected Chris Canty in the first round of the 1997 NFL draft following the departure of Ricky Reynolds. Throughout training camp, the Patriots held a competition to name the No. 2 starting cornerback alongside Law, in between Steve Israel, Chris Canty, and Jimmy Hitchcock. He was named a starting cornerback to begin the season and was paired with Jimmy Hitchcock.On October 12, 1997, Law recorded four solo tackles, set a season-high with three pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by Billy Joe Hobert to wide receiver Andre Reed before fumbling it out-of-bounds as the Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills 6–33. On December 7, 1997, Law set a season-high with nine solo tackles during a 26–20 victory at the Jacksonville Jaguars. He started in all 16 games throughout the 1997 NFL season for the first time in his career and made 77 combined tackles, 11 pass deflections, and three interceptions, and was credited with half a sack.
1998
The New England Patriots selected cornerback Tebucky Jones in the first round of the 1998 NFL draft. Defensive coordinator Steve Sidwell retained Law as the No. 1 starting cornerback and paired him with Chris Canty to begin the season following the departure of Jimmy Hitchcock.On September 13, 1998, Law recorded two solo tackles, made three pass deflections, intercepted two passes, and scored a touchdown on an interception by rookie Peyton Manning on a pass to tight end Marcus Pollard and returned it for a 59–yard touchdown during a 29–6 win against the Indianapolis Colts. The following week, he recorded six combined tackles, made two pass deflections, and sealed a 16–27 win against the Tennessee Oilers by intercepting a pass by Steve McNair to wide receiver Yancey Thigpen with 1:40 remaining in Week 3. On October 4, 1998, Law made four solo tackles, three pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by Danny Wuerffel to wide receiver Sean Dawkins during a 30–27 victory at the New Orleans Saints. It marked his third consecutive game with an interception. On October 25, 1997, he set a season-high with seven solo tackles, made two pass deflections, and picked off a pass attempt by Dan Marino to wide receiver O.J. McDuffie during a 12–9 overtime loss at the Miami Dolphins. Head coach Pete Carroll benched Chris Canty after nine-games and replaced him with Steve Israel. Opponents regularly targeted Canty with positive results to avoid challenging Law on the right side. On November 8, 1998, Law made four combined tackles, two pass deflections, and tied his season-high with two interceptions off passes by Chris Chandler as the Patriots lost 41–10 against the Atlanta Falcons. In Week 14, he recorded six solo tackles, set a career-high with seven pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by Kordell Stewart to wide receiver Charles Johnson during a 23–9 win at the Pittsburgh Steelers. On December 20, 1998, Law recorded four combined tackles, made one pass deflection, and set a career-high with his ninth interception of the season on a pass by Steve Young to wide receiver Terrell Owens as the Patriots defeated the San Francisco 49ers 20–23. He started in all 16 games for the second season in-a-row and recorded 70 combined tackles, 32 pass deflections, nine interceptions, and one touchdown. He became the first player in franchise history to lead the league in interceptions and was selected to the 1999 Pro Bowl, marking the first Pro Bowl selection of his career after four seasons and also marked the first of five Pro Bowl selections over his career.