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    Ten Years Later, Memories of Sean Taylor Still Live Large

    On Nov. 27, 2007, former Gulliver, University of Miami, and Washington Redskins superstar Sean Taylor was shot and later passed away. Just over 10 years after his death, those who knew Taylor still vividly remember his passion for the game he loved.

    “Sean played the game of football full speed,” said Taylor’s former Gulliver coach John McCloskey. “He was very physical and always was around the football. On offense we obviously put the ball in his hands as much as we could because of his talents running and catching the football.”

    But it wasn’t just on the field. Taylor was popular off the field because of his character.

    “He was a really nice, polite, and respectable young man. Again, this had to do with how he was raised by his parents. He had no problem making and keeping friends. People were naturally drawn to him,” McCloskey added.

    After helping lead Gulliver to a State Championship, Taylor attended the University of Miami, where he became a major part of some of the best Miami Hurricane teams.

    Taylor was then drafted fifth overall in the 2004 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins, and as just a young 24 year- old, was quickly turning into one of the game’s best safeties before his life was cut short.

    “It’s hard to even be sad about the situation now,” said Running Back and former Washington Redskins teammate Clinton Portis in an interview with NBC Washington. “Obviously you lost a great friend, but to me, we had so many great memories and so many good times, that they overshadowed the sadness of losing [him].”

    Taylor, Portis, and Santana Moss all played for the University of Miami before playing together on the Washington Redskins. The three athletes were close
    to one another. A decade later, Portis and Moss still remember the football player Taylor was on the field, but also the man he was off of it.

    “When it happened for me, it was hard. I handled it differently than anybody passing. It made me realize you can’t take stuff for granted,” Moss remembered in the same NBC Washington interview. “To look now, to look back on those years and say it’s 10 years later, it’s crazy.”

    Gulliver has since honored and remembered Sean Taylor by naming the school’s football field “Sean Taylor Memorial Field.”

    “Ten years later, I can tell you that I miss Sean’s presence and personality,” McCloskey added. “He frequently came back to Gulliver to visit and support the school during his NFL playing days. His daughter Jackie is currently in the Middle School with me so I have a daily reminder of Sean. In Jackie I see a lot of Sean: similar personality and demeanor, strong drive and determination. She’s special in my heart because Sean is special in my heart. They both make me a better person each day.”

    Memories of one of the game’s most impactful safeties will live on in the hearts of Taylor’s friends, family, and fans for the rest of their lives.

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      Geremy HannahNov 28, 2020 at 12:01 pm

      I remember Sean and I were late to practice one day and Coach Mac and Coach Lawrence made us crab ? the entire field after practice ❤️?.. Class of 2000

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