From Wikipedia:
Early Life
Taylor was born in Miami, Florida. He was the son of Pedro Taylor, the police chief of the Florida City Police Department, and Donna Junor. At the age of three, his parents divorced, and he was raised predominantly by his father and stepmother, Josephine Taylor, in the Richmond Heights area in southern Miami-Dade County.
High School
Taylor played high school football at Gulliver Preparatory School in Pinecrest, Florida, a suburb of Miami, where he helped Gulliver win the Florida Class 2A State Championship in 2000. At Gulliver, he was a star on both sides of the ball, playing running back (on offense) and defensive back and linebacker (on defense).
In 2000, Taylor rushed for 1,300 yards and a state-record 44 touchdowns. On two separate occasions, Taylor rushed for more than 400 yards during Gulliver’s state playoff run. He also racked up more than 200 tackles during the 2000 season and accounted for four touchdowns (two receiving, one rushing) in the state title game victory over Marianna.
Taylor was considered the No. 1 prospect in Miami-Dade County by the Miami Herald and rated the nation’s No. 1 skill athlete and an All-American by SuperPrep. He 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.
Taylor began his high school football career at 6A Miami Killian Senior HS, but left to Gulliver 2A where he could play both offense and defense. He is honored at Gulliver by a plaque which is located in the academy's cafeteria.
College
University of Miami
2001 season
Taylor was recruited by the University of Miami, then one of the premiere college football programs in the nation. Taylor enrolled there in 2001 and, that year, he was one of just four true freshmen to play for Miami in the 2001 national championship season. He carved a niche for himself in Miami's secondary in nickel and dime defensive schemes. In 2001, Taylor was named "Big East Special Teams Player" of the Week for his performance against the University of Pittsburgh.[6]
2002 season
In 2002, Taylor was a second-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 4 passes, forced one fumbles, blocked one 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 (2 solo) and intercepted 2 passes in the Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State University.
2003 season
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 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 (0.98) with 10, tying the record for interceptions in a season with former Hurricane standout Bennie Blades. He finished first in total tackles with 77 (57 solos). He intercepted two passes in Miami's impressive 28-14 win over the University of Pittsburgh, playing a key role as the Hurricanes limited All-American receiver Larry Fitzgerald to two receptions for 13 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 University, and a 44-yard scoring runback against Rutgers University. His three TD returns of interceptions is a Miami single-season record.
NFL
Washington Redskins
Following his 2004 selection by the Redskins, Taylor signed a seven-year, $18 million contract with the team.[6]
2004 rookie season
On the field during the 2004 season, Taylor was successful, emerging as the Redskins' starting free safety by the third game of his rookie season. For the season, he had the team's second most interceptions, with four. In addition to his four interceptions, Taylor had 89 tackles, two forced fumbles and one sack. He started for the Redskins in 13 of the season's 16 games.
Taylor's short NFL career, however, was overshadowed somewhat by controversy. He fired two of his agents, walked out of a mandatory NFL rookie symposium for which he was fined, and was accused of spitting on Cincinnati Bengals player, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who later called Taylor "a punk", during a 2004 game at FedEx Field. However, after an investigation, the NFL found nothing to substantiate the spitting allegation.
2005 season
Taylor continued his effective play in the 2005 season, finishing with 70 tackles, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble returned for a touchdown. In this year he became recognized as one of the hardest hitters in the NFL.
Taylor, along with fellow University of Miami and Redskins' teammate Clinton Portis, was fined $5,000 in the home game against the Philadelphia Eagles for violating the NFL dress code by wearing socks that did not match the Redskins' standard uniform. Portis was fined even more for additional infractions.
Taylor had ups and downs during a January 7, 2006 wild card game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Although he scored a touchdown that proved to be the Redskins' margin of victory, he was ejected after spitting at running back Michael Pittman. He was subsequently fined $17,000, the amount of his game check.
2006 season
The 2006 season was arguably the most inconsistent of Taylor's career. He finished the year leading the Redskins' defense with 129 tackles, 1 interception and 3 forced fumbles. However, Taylor missed numerous tackles in his attempts to tackle the ball carrier and was exposed in coverage on several occasions[8]. This was largely due to his defensive assignment, being forced to cover slot recievers, aid in double coverage, and make tackles near the line of scrimmage to help a struggling Redskins rush defense[9].
Taylor had his best game of the season in week 12 against the Carolina Panthers[10]. Though he played well all game, his presence was felt most sharply in the final minutes, making a key 4th-down tackle and intercepting a Jake Delhomme pass to seal the victory. He earned NFL Defensive Player of the Week honors following the game.
Even while playing on a struggling Redskins defensive unit, Taylor's impact on the field was recognized when he was named a first alternate to the NFC's 2007 Pro Bowl team. When the first choice for safety, Brian Dawkins of the Philadelphia Eagles, chose not to play in the Pro Bowl due to an injury, Taylor was named to the vacated spot, marking his first and only Pro Bowl appearance.
2007 season
The 2007 season started out in what looked like to be another Pro Bowl caliber season. Before Taylor's death on November 27, 2007, he held a tie for interceptions in the National Football Conference with 5. Taylor also had 42 tackles and 1 forced fumble. Taylor was sidelined due to injury for the last two weeks of his playing career (Weeks 11 and 12 of the season).
Shooting Details
On November 26, 2007, at 1:45 a.m. EST, Taylor was shot in the upper leg by an armed intruder at his Palmetto Bay, Florida home, critically wounding him by severing his femoral artery. His long-term girlfriend Jackie Garcia, niece of actor Andy Garcia,[5] hid under the bedsheets while their 18-month-old daughter, Jackie, laid in her crib. Garcia then tried to call police from the house phone line, but could not get through, possibly because that line had been cut. She proceeded to call 911 from her cell phone, which delayed response time.[6][15]
Taylor was airlifted to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where he underwent surgery. He emerged from surgery about 12:30 p.m. He had lost a significant amount of blood and remained unconscious and in a coma. His doctors speculated that he may have suffered brain damage due to the blood loss, and an unnamed Redskins source reported that Taylor's heart stopped twice during the emergency surgery.[6]
On November 27 at 3:30 a.m., Taylor died at the hospital.[2] The news was released to the media by Richard Sharpstein, a family friend, who learned the news from Taylor's father around 5:30 a.m.[16]
Police investigation
No immediate motive or suspects in the killing have yet been released, and no arrests have been made. Following Taylor's murder, it was revealed that the November 27 intrusion was actually the second break-in at Taylor's Palmetto Bay home. Two weeks earlier, on November 18, the house had been burgularized in Taylor's absence. The burglar from the November 18 incident did not take anything of great value, but did ransack the house and leave a knife on Taylor's bed.
