Sean Taylor

Sean Michael Maurice Taylor (April 1, 1983 – November 27, 2007) was an American football player who was a free safety for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. He played college football for the University of Miami, was a member of the Hurricanes' 2001 BCS National Championship team, and earned unanimous All-American honors. The Washington Redskins chose Taylor with the fifth overall pick of the 2004 NFL Draft. Due to his ferocious hits, several of his Redskins teammates nicknamed him "Meast," a portmanteau word from the expression "half man, half beast." Taylor died at the age of 24 on November 27, 2007, from critical injuries from a gunshot by intruders at his Miami area home. His death led to an outpouring of national support and sympathy, especially in the Washington, D.C. area, where Taylor had been a fan favorite as a Redskin, and the Miami area, where Taylor had starred for the Miami Hurricanes, after leading Gulliver Prep to a Florida state high school championship and setting a state record for most touchdowns in a season. Tight end Chris Cooley, tackle Chris Samuels, and long snapper Ethan Albright honored Taylor at the 2008 Pro Bowl by wearing his number 21 rather than their usual numbers. To honor Taylor in the first game following his death, the Redskins defense lined up ten players on the field against the Buffalo Bills leaving Taylor's traditional position of free safety vacant for the first defensive play. 2Early years Sean Taylor was born in Florida to Pedro Taylor, a policeman, and Donna Junor. He spent his early years growing up with his great-grandmother Aulga Clarke in Homestead, Florida and later moved to his father's home at the age of 11. He grew up in a low-income neighborhood in Miami, on a street lined with candy-colored house