Redskins safety Sean Taylor passed away on Nov. 27, 2007, as a result of an injury from a shooting at his home. He was 24 years old.

Taylor was the son of Pedro Taylor and Donna Junor. His long-time girlfriend’s name was Jackie Garcia. He is survived by his young daughter, also named Jackie.

As a player, Taylor was regarded as the prototype NFL free safety, blessed with the quickness of a cover cornerback and the size of a strong-side linebacker. He had a rare combination of size, speed, strength and agility, and was a hard hitter.

Height: 6-2
Weight: 212
College: Miami (Fla.)
Born: 04/01/1983
Years Pro: 4

On Nov. 30, 2007, the Redskins announced the establishment of a trust fund to benefit Taylor’s daughter Jackie.

The Sean Taylor Memorial Trust Fund has been fully endorsed by Jackie Garcia, mother of Sean’s daughter, and will guarantee the support and education of their only dependant. The team and owner Daniel M. Snyder have dedicated a minimum of $500,000 to the fund.

Donations to The Sean Taylor Memorial Trust Fund may be made to:

The Sean Taylor Memorial Trust Fund
c/o The Washington Redskins
21300 Redskins Park Drive
Ashburn, VA 20147

All profits from the sale of Sean Taylor jerseys and other merchandise at Official Redskins Stores and the Redskins Online Store will be contributed to the fund. Taylor’s No. 21 jerseys, tee-shirts, hats, memorial ribbon car magnets, and rally towels distributed at the Redskins-Bills game are available.

 Taylor’s Memory Lives On At Pro Bowl -- Feb. 8, 2008
 Taylor ’21’ Decal Prevalent In Playoffs -- Jan. 18, 2008
Taylor Named to ’07 All-Pro Second Team -- Jan. 10, 2008
In Playoff Clincher, Thoughts Never Far From Taylor -- Dec. 31, 2007
Taylor Honored Posthumously With ’08 Pro Bowl Nod -- Dec. 18, 2007
Taylor’s Legacy Will Live On At ’08 Pro Bowl -- Dec. 18, 2007
Taylor Honored By Quarterback Club -- Dec. 13, 2007
At Funeral, Redskins Bid a Final Farewell to Taylor -- Dec. 3, 2007
Remembering Sean Taylor’s Finest Moment -- Dec. 2, 2007
An Emotional Day: Fans Honor Taylor At Stadium -- Dec. 2, 2007
Redskins, League Reaction to Taylor’s Passing -- Nov. 29
Portis, Moss Reflect on Their Friend -- Nov. 29
Williams Had a Unique Bond With Taylor -- Nov. 29
In Football, Taylor Had Unlimited Potential -- Nov. 28
In Countless Emails, Fans Reflect on Sean Taylor -- Nov. 27
Fans Pay Their Respects At Redskins Park -- Nov. 27
Taylor’s Personality Was Shining Through -- Nov. 27
Tragic News: Taylor Passes Away At Age 24 -- Nov. 27
Somber Portis Talks About Taylor -- Nov. 26
Williams: ’I Just Want Sean To be All Right’ -- Nov. 26
Teammates’ Reaction: ’Prayers’ For Taylor -- Nov. 26
Taylor Seriously Injured In Miami Shooting -- Nov. 26

Other NFL Sites:

NFLPlayers.com: Taylor Was Truly Special -- Nov. 30
HoustonTexans.com: Kubiak, Players Reflect On Sean Taylor -- Nov. 28
DallasCowboys.com: Cowboys Saddened By Passing of Taylor -- Nov. 27
PhiladelphiaEagles.com: Reid Reflects On Passing Of Taylor -- Nov. 27
NewYorkJets.com: Sean Taylor’s Death ’Hard to Fathom’ -- Nov. 27
 

Sean Taylor’s Redskins Career
Sean Taylor At University of Miami
Team, Fans Reflect On Sean Taylor
Fan Tribute At FedExField

Safety First: Redskins Draft Taylor At No. 5 -- April 24
Taylor Q&A: ’I Can’t Wait to Get Started’ -- April 24
Gibbs: Taylor a ’Good Fit’ With Redskins -- April 24
Taylor Impresses In First Mini-Camp -- April 30, 2004
Taylor Q&A: ’I’m Catching On’ -- June 6, 2004
Redskins, Taylor Agree to Terms On Rookie Contract -- July 27, 2004
Taylor Looks Ready For New Challenge In NFL -- July 27, 2004
In Preseason, Taylor’s Making An Impact -- Aug. 22, 2004
Taylor Continues NFL Adjustment -- Sept. 27, 2004
Taylor Records First NFL Start -- Sept. 16, 2004
Taylor Eager to See Ravens’ Reed -- Oct. 6, 2004
Taylor Q&A: ’Secondary is Working As One’ -- Oct. 14, 2004
Taylor Still a Force On the Field -- Aug. 16, 2005
Taylor Makes Debut At Wide Receiver -- Sept. 11, 2005
Taylor: ’Intimidation Factor’ On Defense -- Dec. 13, 2005
Taylor Q&A: ’I Expect Us to Think Like Winners -- Dec. 29, 2005
This Time, Taylor’s Play Sealed The Deal -- Jan. 2, 2006
Taylor’s Situation Moves Toward a Conclusion -- June 1, 2006
Taylor’s Back--And Getting His Kicks, Too -- June 16, 2006
For Taylor, a Challenging 2006 Season -- Jan. 29, 2007
Taylor a Late Addition to Pro Bowl Roster -- Feb. 5, 2007
With Pro Bowl Berth, Taylor Joins Redskins Elite -- Feb. 7, 2007
Taylor’s a Hit At Pro Bowl -- Feb. 10, 2007
 Taylor Joins Redskins For OTAs -- May 15, 2007
Leaner Taylor Takes a New Approach -- Aug. 17, 2007
With Five Picks, Taylor’s On a Roll -- Oct. 25, 2007
 

2007: Taylor played free safety opposite promising rookie LaRon Landry and recorded 46 tackles (34 solo) and five interceptions. He also had one forced fumble and eight passes defended.

• In Week 3 vs. the New York Giants, Taylor recorded five tackles and one interception off of Eli Manning.

   

• In Week 5 vs. Detroit, Taylor recorded three tackles and two pass deflections. His interception of Jon Kitna in the fourth quarter helped set up a field goal. In addition, he recorded one special teams tackle.

   

• At Green Bay in Week 6, Taylor intercepted Brett Favre twice, both in the second half. He recorded four tackles.

   

• In Week 7 vs. Arizona, he intercepted Kurt Warner in the first quarter and returned it 48 yards, a career long. He had four tackles and one pass deflection.

   

• In Week 10 vs. Philadelphia, Taylor recorded four tackles. He left the game in the second half with a knee injury.

2006: Taylor was named to his first Pro Bowl following a season in which he led the Redskins’ defense in tackles with 129 (89 solo). He started 16 games and also logged one interception, three forced fumbles and 17 special teams tackles.

• Led the defense in tackles in Week 2 at Dallas with nine, and also had one forced fumble.

   

• In Week 9 vs. Dallas, he logged nine tackles. He also recovered a blocked field goal by Troy Vincent with six seconds remaining in the game and returned it 30 yards to set up a game-winning field goal.

   

• In Week 11 at Tampa Bay, he led the defense with 10 tackles (seven solo) and one forced fumble. He also logged two special teams tackles.

   

• Against Carolina in Week 12, Taylor recorded six tackles, one interception and one special teams tackle. He tackled Panthers’ wide receiver Drew Carter short of a first down on a fourth-down play in the fourth quarter. He collected the interception on the Panthers’ last offensive possession.

   

• In Week 14 vs. Philadelphia, he recorded five tackles and three special teams tackles.

• Recorded his first interception of the season in Week 7 vs. San Francisco. He returned it 32 yards.

   

• In Week 13 vs. St. Louis, he had six tackles (five solo) and one sack of Ryan Fitzpatrick for an 8-yard loss. Taylor also led the Redskins’ special teams units with three tackles.

   

• In Week 14 at Arizona, Taylor recorded six tackles, one interception of Kurt Warner, a forced fumble and two special teams tackles. He made the key defensive stop of the game when he tackled running back J.J. Arrington on a fourth down play to solidify the victory.

   

• In Week 17 at Philadelphia, Taylor tied for a team-high 11 tackles (seven solo). He also scooped up a fumble (forced by Phillip Daniels) and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown. It was Taylor’s first career TD score.

   

• In the Redskins’ 17-10 Wild Card win over Tampa Bay on Jan. 7, 2006, Taylor recorded seven tackles (three solo). He also recovered a fumble by teammate Marcus Washington, who moments earlier had recovered a fumble by running back Carnell Williams, and returned it 51 yards for a touchdown, giving the Redskins a 14-0 lead. Taylor was later ejected from the game after an incident with a Buccaneers player.

2004: Taylor had a stellar rookie campaign. He started 13 games and recorded 89 tackles (62 solo) with four interceptions, one sack and two forced fumbles.

• Taylor made his first career start in Week 3 vs. Dallas.

   

• He had his breakthrough game in Week 7 at Chicago, recording six tackles and a sack. His first career interception came in the fourth quarter on the Bears’ final drive and sealed a Redskins win.

   

• In Week 10 vs. Cincinnati, he recorded a career-high 10 tackles and one interception.

   

• In Week 11 at Philadelphia, he recorded eight tackles and one interception.

College/Personal:

• During his final year at Miami, Taylor produced a historic season that culminated with a plethora of honors and awards. He was a named a consensus first-team All-American, the Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year and was 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 per game (0.83) with 10, tying the record for interceptions in a season at Miami. He finished third in total tackles with 77 (57 solos).

   

• Taylor produced a team-best 13 pass breakups along with seven tackles for losses, one quarterback sack and two quarterback hurries. He was also a force on special teams, having blocked a punt, taken back four punts for a total of 52 yards (13.0 avg.) and returned three kickoffs for 86 yards (28.7 avg.), including a 68-yard return against Florida.

   

• 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. His three TD returns of interceptions is a Miami single-season record.

   

• He picked off 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 three receptions for 26 yards.

   

• He earned Big East Defensive Player of the Week honors for his play against Florida State (Oct. 11).

   

• In 2002, Taylor was a first-team All-BIG EAST selection by the league’s head coaches in his first season as a starter. He finished third on the team in tackles with 85 (53 solos), broke up 15 passes, intercepted four passes, forced one fumble, blocked a kick and returned a punt for a touchdown.

   

• He led all defensive backs in tackles, interceptions and passes broken up and had a career-high 11 tackles (two solos) and intercepted two passes in the Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State.

   

• Taylor was named Big East Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against Pittsburgh.

   

• In 2001, he was one of just four true freshmen to play for Miami in the 2001 national championship season, carving a niche for himself in Miami’s secondary in nickel and dime coverage packages.

   

• Taylor played in 10 games, making an impact on special teams, posting 26 tackles, 20 of which were unassisted.

   

• Taylor played at Gulliver Prep in Miami and was finished as the No. 7 prospect in Dade County by the Miami Herald. He was also rated the nation’s No. 18 skill athlete by SuperPrep and was a SuperPrep All-American.

   

• He was the No. 23 overall prospect in Florida, regardless of position, by SuperPrep and was an Orlando Sentinel Super Southern Team selection. He was listed as the No. 1 athlete on the Florida Times-Union Super 75 list.

   

• Taylor accounted for three touchdowns (two receiving, one rushing) in the state title game victory over Marianna. He helped lead Gulliver to the Florida Class 2A State Championship in 2000.

   

• A star on both sides of the ball in 2000, Taylor rushed for 1,300 yards and a state-record 44 touchdowns. He played running back, defensive back and linebacker at Gulliver.

   

• He rushed for more than 200 yards twice during Gulliver’s state playoff run and racked up more than 100 tackles during the 2000 season.