Washington Redskins and former Hurricanes standout safety Sean Michael Taylor died on Nov. 27, 2007, after being shot in his Palmetto Bay home by an intruder.
Taylor was a remarkable athlete who will be remembered as part of the Hurricane family.
Sean Michael Taylor was born on April 1, 1983.
Taylor was nicknamed “Meast” by his teammates, specifically Marcus Washington, as they saw him as half-man, half-beast.
Taylor played high school football at Gulliver Preparatory School in Florida, where he led his team to the 2000 Florida Class 2A State Championship. He amassed 1,300 rushing yards, 44 touchdowns and 200 tackles that season.
Taylor was considered the nation’s No. 1 skill athlete and an All-American by SuperPrep.
Taylor enrolled at the University of Miami in 2001.
Taylor was one of four freshmen to play for Miami in the 2001 National Championship game.
In 2002, Taylor was named to the All-Big East second team.
In 2003, Taylor was named to the All-American first team, was honored as the Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year and was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award.
Taylor was the fifth overall selection, by the Washington Redskins, in the 2004 National Football League Draft.
By the third game of the 2004 NFL season, Taylor became the starting free safety for the Washington Redskins.
Taylor was named to the 2007 NFL Pro-Bowl, representing the National Football Conference (NFC).
Taylor passed away on Nov. 27, 2007.
The Washington Redskins have painted “21,” Taylor’s jersey number, in a grassy area leading into Redskins Park. They also plan to paint his number outside the Redskins Hall of Fame store.
Pravin Patel may be contacted at p.patel7@umiami.edu.