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Lawrence Taylor

April 12, 2023

For other people named Lawrence Taylor, see Lawrence Taylor (disambiguation).

Lawrence Julius Taylor (born February 4, 1959), nicknamed "L.T.", is an American former professional football player who spent his entire career as an outside linebacker for the New York Giants (1981–1993) in the National Football League (NFL). He is widely regarded as the greatest defensive player of all time.[1][2][3]

Lawrence Taylor
Taylor in 2009
No. 56
Position:Outside linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1959-02-04) February 4, 1959 (age 64)
Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:237 lb (108 kg)
Career information
High school:Lafayette
(Williamsburg, Virginia)
College:North Carolina (1977–1980)
NFL Draft:1981 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR
Pro Football Hall of Fame

After an All-American career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1978–1981), Taylor was drafted by the Giants as the second overall selection in the 1981 NFL Draft. Although controversy surrounded the selection due to Taylor's contract demands, the two sides quickly resolved the issue. Taylor was named both the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1981 and the only NFL player to win the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in his rookie season. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Taylor was a disruptive force at outside linebacker, and is credited with changing defensive game plans, defensive pass rushing schemes, offensive line blocking schemes, and offensive formations used in the NFL. Taylor produced double-digit sacks each season from 1984 through 1990, including a career-high of 20.5 in 1986. He also won a record three AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards (a record now tied by J. J. Watt and Aaron Donald), and was named the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP) for his performance during the 1986 season. Taylor is one of only two defensive players in the history of the NFL (the other one being Alan Page in 1971) to have ever won the NFL MVP award, and no defensive player has won since him. He was named First-team All-Pro in eight of his first ten seasons, and Second-team All-Pro in the other two. Taylor was a key member of the Giants' defense, nicknamed "The Big Blue Wrecking Crew", that led New York to victories in Super Bowls XXI and XXV. During the 1980s, Taylor, fellow linebackers Carl Banks, Gary Reasons, Brad Van Pelt, Brian Kelley, Pepper Johnson, and Hall of Famer Harry Carson gave the Giants linebacking corps a reputation as one of the best in the NFL. He is widely regarded as the best defensive player of his generation, and is often considered to be the greatest defensive player of all time.[4][5]

Taylor has lived a controversial lifestyle, during and after his playing career. He was known for his on-game persona, and at one point inadvertently caused a compound fracture of the right leg of quarterback Joe Theismann. [6] He admitted to using drugs such as cocaine as early as his second year in the NFL, and was suspended for 30 days in 1988 by the league for failing drug tests. His drug abuse escalated after his retirement, and he was jailed three times for attempted drug possession. From 1998 to 2009, Taylor lived a sober, drug-free life. He worked as a color commentator on sporting events after his retirement, and pursued a career as an actor. His personal life came under public scrutiny in 2010 when he was arrested for having sex with a 16-year-old girl. After he pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct and patronizing a prostitute, Taylor was registered as a low-risk sex offender.[7]

Early life

Lawrence Taylor was the first of three sons born to Clarence and Iris Taylor in Williamsburg, Virginia. His father worked as a dispatcher at the Newport News shipyards, while his mother was a schoolteacher.[8] Referred to as Lonnie by his family,[9] Taylor was a mischievous youth. His mother said that "[h]e was a challenging child. Where the other two boys would ask for permission to do stuff, Lonnie ... would just do it, and when you found out about it, he would give you a big story."[9] Taylor concentrated on baseball as a youth, in which he played the position of catcher,[10] and only began playing football at the advanced age of fifteen.[8] He did not play organized high school football until the following year (eleventh grade),[11] and was not heavily recruited coming out of high school.[12]

College

After graduating from Lafayette High School in 1977,[13] Taylor attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a team captain,[14] and wore No. 98. Originally recruited as a defensive lineman, Taylor switched to linebacker before the 1979 season.[15] He had 16 sacks in his final year there (1980),[16] and set numerous defensive records. He was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American and the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year in 1980.[8] While there the coaching staff marveled at his intense, reckless style of play. "As a freshman playing on special teams, he'd jump a good six or seven feet in the air to block a punt, then land on the back of his neck", said North Carolina assistant coach Bobby Cale. "He was reckless, just reckless."[16] UNC later retired Taylor's jersey.[17][failed verification]

NFL career

1981 NFL Draft and training camp

In the 1981 NFL Draft, Taylor was drafted by the NFL's New York Giants in the first round as the 2nd pick overall.[18] In a poll of NFL General Managers (GMs) taken before the draft 26 of the league's 28 GMs said if they had the first selection they would select Taylor.[19] One of the two GMs who said they would not take Taylor was Bum Phillips, who had just been hired as coach and general manager by the New Orleans Saints. As fate would have it for Taylor, the Saints were also the team who had the first pick in the draft.[19] Giants GM George Young predicted before the draft that he would be better than NFL legends such as Dick Butkus: "Taylor is the best college linebacker I've ever seen. Sure, I saw Dick Butkus play. There's no doubt in my mind about Taylor. He's bigger and stronger than Butkus was. On the blitz, he's devastating."[19]

On draft day, Phillips made good on his promise not to draft Taylor and the Saints instead selected Heisman Trophy-winning halfback George Rogers with the first pick, leaving the Giants with the decision of whether to select Taylor. To the raucous approval of the crowd in attendance at the draft (which was held in New York City), the Giants selected him.[20] Privately, Taylor was hesitant about playing for New York as he had hoped to be drafted by the Dallas Cowboys, and was unimpressed with a tour of Giants Stadium he was taken on, after the draft.[21] Publicly, however, he expressed excitement about the opportunity to play in the city.[22] Taylor changed his stance after he was drafted as Harry Carson made a point to reach out to him, and Taylor said he "talked to some players and coaches" and "got things straightened out."[20][21] One of the factors that the Giants said they considered in selecting Taylor was his solid reputation. "He was the cleanest player in the draft. By that I mean there was no rap on him", said head coach Ray Perkins. "Great potential as a linebacker, a fine young man, free of injuries."[23] Taylor chose to wear number 56 because he was a fan of Cowboys linebacker Thomas Henderson.[24] As it would turn out, Taylor would have the longer and more successful career while Rogers, although successful in his own right with several 1,000-yard rushing seasons and two Pro Bowl selections, was injury-prone and forced to retire following the 1987 season with the Washington Redskins.

Taylor's talent was evident from the start of training camp. Reports came out of the Giants training compound of the exploits of the new phenom.[16][25] Taylor's teammates took to calling him Superman and joked that his locker should be replaced with a phone booth.[16] Phil Simms, the team's quarterback, said, "on the pass rush, he's an animal. He's either going to run around you or over you. With his quickness, he's full speed after two steps."[22] Taylor made his NFL exhibition debut on August 8, 1981, recording 2 sacks in the Giants' 23–7 win over the Chicago Bears.[26] Before the season word spread around the league about Taylor.[23][27] Years after facing him in an exhibition game, Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Terry Bradshaw recalled, "[h]e dang-near killed me, I just kept saying, 'Who is this guy?' He kept coming from my blind side and just ripped my ribs to pieces."[28]

Taylor developed what has been termed a "love-hate relationship" with Bill Parcells who was the team's defensive coordinator when he was drafted, and would later become their head coach.[29] Parcells often rode players in the hopes of driving them to better performance. Taylor did not appreciate this approach, and early on told Parcells, "I've had enough. You either cut me or trade me but get the fuck off my back."[30] Parcells kept on Taylor, but privately told some veterans, "I like that LT. That motherfucker's got a mean streak."[29]

Early career: 1981–1985

Taylor made his NFL regular season debut on September 6, 1981, in a 24–10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Aside from incurring a penalty for a late hit on Eagles running back Perry Harrington, Taylor played a nondescript game.[23] In a game versus the St. Louis Cardinals later in the season, Taylor rushed and sacked the passer when he was supposed to drop into coverage. When told by Parcells that was not what he was assigned to do on that play, and that what he did was not in the playbook,[29] Taylor responded "Well, we better put it in on Monday, because that play's a dandy."[31] He recorded 9.5 sacks in 1981,[32] and his rookie season is considered one of the best in NFL history.[33][34] He was named 1981's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, making him as of 2023 the only rookie to win an Offensive or Defensive Player of the Year award.[35] Taylor's arrival helped the Giants defense reduce their points allowed from 425 points in 1980 to 257 in 1981.[33] They finished the season 9–7, up five games from the previous season, and advanced to the NFL divisional playoffs, where they lost 38–24 to the eventual Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers.[36] The San Francisco win was due partly to a new tactic 49ers coach Bill Walsh used to slow Taylor. Walsh assigned guard John Ayers, the team's best blocker, to block Taylor and, although Taylor still recorded a sack and three tackles, he was not as effective as normal.[37] In contrast to his on-field success Taylor was already developing a reputation for recklessness off the field; after nearly getting killed during the season when his speeding resulted in a car crash, Young told the team's trainer he would be surprised if the linebacker lived past the age of 30, and the Giants insured Taylor's life for $2 million.[29]

The 1982 NFL season, which was shortened to nine regular season games by a players strike, included one of the more memorable plays of Taylor's career. In the nationally televised Thanksgiving Day game against the Detroit Lions, the teams were tied 6–6 early in the fourth quarter, when the Lions drove deep into New York territory. Lions quarterback Gary Danielson dropped back to pass and threw the ball out to his left toward the sidelines. Taylor ran in front of the intended receiver, intercepted the pass, and returned it 97 yards for a touchdown.[38] This play was indicative of Taylor's unusual combination, even for a linebacker, of power with speed. He was again named Defensive Player of the Year.[39]

After the 1982 season, Perkins became head coach of the University of Alabama and the Giants hired Parcells to replace him. In the coming years this change proved crucial to the Giants and Taylor. Leading up to the 1983 season, Taylor engaged in a training camp holdout that lasted three weeks and ended when he came back to the team under his old contract with three games left in the preseason.[40]

Although Taylor recorded nine sacks and made the All-Pro team for the third consecutive season in 1983,[32] the Giants struggled. The team went 3–12–1,[41] and Parcells received heavy criticism from fans and the media. Taylor was forced to play inside linebacker for part of the season, a position which allowed him fewer pass rushing opportunities, when Carson was injured.[42] Despite this change, Taylor made the 1983 All-Pro Team at both outside linebacker and inside linebacker, becoming the first first-team All-Pro in NFL History selected for two positions in the same year. Frustrated by the losing, Taylor began acting out by arriving late for meetings, and not participating in conditioning drills in practice.[43] After the season, Taylor was involved in a fight for his services between the Giants and the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League.[44] Taylor was given a $1 million interest-free, 25-year loan by Generals owner Donald Trump on December 14, 1983, with the provision that he begin playing in the USFL in 1988.[44] Taylor regretted the decision, and less than a month later attempted to renege. His agent was able to negotiate by meeting with Trump personally and then the Giants which resulted in allowing Taylor to go with the Giants. Taylor got a 6-year, $6.55 million package that also included a $1 million interest-free loan. The main results of these negotiations were threefold: 1) Taylor returned the $1 million to Trump, 2) the Giants paid Trump $750,000 over the next five seasons, and 3) the Giants gave Taylor a new six-year, $6.2 million contract.[44][45]

The Giants' record rebounded to 9–7 in 1984,[46] and Taylor had his fourth All-Pro season.[32] He got off to a quick start, recording four sacks in a September game. In the playoffs the Giants defeated the Los Angeles Rams 16–13, but lost 21–10 to the eventual champion 49ers.[47]

In contrast to the previous season the Giants headed into the 1985 season with a sense of optimism after their successful 1984 campaign and a 5–0 pre-season record.[48] The Giants went 10–6, and Taylor spearheaded a defense that led the NFL in sacks with 68.[49] Taylor had 13. One of the more memorable plays of his career occurred during this season. On a Monday Night Football game against the Redskins, Taylor's sack of Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann inadvertently resulted in a compound fracture of Theismann's right leg.[50] After the sack, a distraught Taylor screamed for paramedics to attend to Theismann. Although this sack ended Theismann's career, Theismann has never blamed Taylor for the injury. Taylor says he has never seen video of the play and never wants to.[51] During the first round of the playoffs, the Giants defeated the defending champion 49ers 17–3, but lost to the eventual champion Chicago Bears in the second round 21–0.[52]

Mid-career and championships: 1986–1990

In 1986, Taylor had one of the most successful seasons by a defensive player in the history of the NFL. He recorded a league-leading 20.5 sacks and became one of just two defensive players to win the NFL Most Valuable Player award and the only defensive player to be the unanimous selection for MVP.[53][54][55] He also was named Defensive Player of the Year for the third time. The Giants finished the season 14–2 and outscored San Francisco and Washington by a combined score of 66–3 in the NFC playoffs.[56] He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated alone the week leading up to Super Bowl XXI with a warning from the magazine to the Denver Broncos regarding Taylor.[57] The Giants overcame a slow start in Super Bowl XXI to defeat Denver 39–20.[56] Taylor made a key touchdown preventing tackle on a goal line play in the first half, stopping Broncos quarterback John Elway as he sprinted out on a rollout.

With the Super Bowl win, Taylor capped off an unprecedented start to his career. After six years, he had been named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award (1981), NFL Defensive Player of the Year a record three times (1981, 1982, 1986), First-team All-Pro six times,[32] become the first defensive player in NFL history unanimously voted the league's MVP (1986), and led his team to a championship (1986). After the win, however, Taylor felt let down rather than elated. Taylor said:[58]

When the Super Bowl was over ... Everyone was so excited, but by then I felt deflated. I'd won every award, had my best season, finally won the Super Bowl. I was on top of the world right? So what could be next? Nothing. The thrill is the chase to get to the top. Every day the excitement builds and builds and builds, and then when you're finally there and the game is over ... And then, nothing.

The Giants appeared to have a bright future coming off their 1986 championship season as they were one of the younger teams in the league. They struggled the next season however, falling to 6–9 in the strike-shortened 1987 season.[59] Taylor caused strife in the locker room when he broke the picket line after early struggles by the team. He explained his decision by saying "The Giants are losing. And I'm losing $60,000 a week."[60] He finished the season as the team leader in sacks with 12 in 12 games played,[59] but missed a game due to a hamstring injury, ending his consecutive games played streak at 106.[61]

The Giants looked to rebound to their championship ways in 1988 but the start of the season was marred by controversy surrounding Taylor. He tested positive for cocaine and was suspended by the league for thirty days, as it was his second violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy. The first result in 1987 had been kept private and was not known to the public at the time. He was kept away from the press during this period and checked himself into rehab in early September.[62] Taylor's over-the-edge lifestyle was becoming an increasing concern for fans and team officials. This was especially true given the eventual career paths of talented players like Hollywood Henderson and others whose drug problems derailed their careers. The Giants went 2–2 in the games Taylor missed. When Taylor returned he was his usual dominant self as he led the team in sacks again, with 15.5 in 12 games played.[63] The season also contained some of the more memorable moments of Taylor's career. In a crucial late-season game with playoff implications against the New Orleans Saints, Taylor played through a torn pectoral muscle to record seven tackles, three sacks, and two forced fumbles.[32][64] Taylor's presence in the lineup was important as the Giants' offense was having trouble mounting drives, and was dominated in time of possession.[65] Television cameras repeatedly cut to the sidelines to show him in extreme physical pain as he was being attended to by the Giants staff. Taylor had already developed a reputation for playing through pain; in a 1983 game against the Eagles the team's training staff had to hide his helmet to prevent the injured Taylor from returning to the field.[66] Taylor's shoulder was so injured that he had to wear a harness to keep it in its place.[32] The Giants held on for a 13–12 win, and Parcells later called Taylor's performance "[t]he greatest game I ever saw."[67] However, the Giants narrowly missed the playoffs in 1988 at 10–6 by losing tie-breakers with the Eagles in their division and the Rams for the Wild card.[63]

In 1989, Taylor recorded 15 sacks.[39] He was forced to play the latter portion of the season with a fractured tibia, suffered in a 34–24 loss to the 49ers in week 12, which caused him to sit out the second half of several games.[68] Despite his off-the-field problems, Taylor remained popular among his teammates and was voted defensive co-captain along with Carl Banks.[69] The two filled the defensive captain's spot vacated by the retired Harry Carson.[69] The retirement of the nine-time Pro Bowler Carson, broke up the Giants linebacker corps of Carson, Reasons, Banks, and Taylor, which spearheaded the team's defense nicknamed the "Big Blue Wrecking Crew" in the 1980s. The Giants went 12–4,[70] and advanced to the playoffs. In an exciting, down-to-the-wire game, the Rams eliminated the Giants 19–13 in the first round, despite Taylor's two sacks and one forced fumble.[71]

Taylor held out of training camp before the 1990 season, demanding a new contract with a salary of $2 million per year.[72] Talks dragged into September with neither side budging, and as the season approached Taylor received fines at the rate of $2,500 a day.[73] He signed a three-year $5 million contract (making him the highest paid defensive player in the league[74]) just four days before the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite sitting out training camp and the preseason, Taylor recorded three sacks and a forced fumble against the Eagles.[75] He finished with 10.5 sacks and earned his 10th Pro Bowl in as many years, although the season marked the first time in Taylor's career that he was not selected First-team All-Pro.[32] The Giants started out 10–0 and finished with a 13–3 record. In the playoffs, the Giants defeated the Bears 31–3,[76] and faced the rival 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. The Giants won 15–13,[76] after Taylor beat two successive blocks by 49ers tight end Brent Jones and fullback Tom Rathman to get into the 49ers offensive backfield to be in position to recover a key fumble forced by nose tackle Erik Howard late in the game to set up Matt Bahr's game-winning field goal. In Super Bowl XXV, they played the Buffalo Bills and won one of the more entertaining Super Bowls in history, 20-19,[76] after Buffalo's Scott Norwood missed a potential game-winning field goal in the closing seconds of the game.[77]

Final years and decline: 1991–1993

Following the 1990 season, Parcells, with whom Taylor had become very close,[78] retired, and the team was taken over by Ray Handley.[79] 1991 marked a steep decline in Taylor's production. It became the first season in his career in which he failed to make the Pro Bowl squad, after setting a then record by making it in his first ten years in the league. Taylor finished with 7 sacks in 14 games[39] and the Giants defense, while still respectable, was no longer one of the top units in the league.

Taylor rebounded in the early stages of what many thought would be his final season in 1992. Through close to nine games, Taylor was on pace for 10 sacks and the Giants were 5–4.[80] However, a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in a game on November 8, 1992, against Green Bay[81] sidelined him for the final seven games, during which the team went 1–6.[82] Before the injury Taylor had missed only four games due to injury in his 12-year career.[81] Throughout the 1992 season, and the ensuing offseason, Taylor was noncommittal about his future, alternately saying he might retire, then later hinting he wanted a longer-term contract.[83]

Taylor returned for the 1993 season enticed by the chance to play with a new coach (Dan Reeves),[84] and determined not to end his career due to an injury. The Giants had a resurgent season in 1993. They finished 11–5, and competed for the top NFC playoff seed.[85] Taylor finished with 6 sacks,[85] and the Giants defense led the NFL in fewest points allowed.[86] They defeated the Minnesota Vikings 17–10 in the opening round of the playoffs.[85] The next week on January 15, 1994, in what would be Taylor's final game, the Giants were beaten 44–3 by the San Francisco 49ers.[85] As the game came to a conclusion, television cameras drew in close on Taylor who was crying. He announced his retirement at the post-game press conference saying, "I think it's time for me to retire. I've done everything I can do. I've been to Super Bowls. I've been to playoffs. I've done things that other people haven't been able to do in this game before. After 13 years, it's time for me to go."[87]

Taylor ended his career with 1,089 tackles, 132.5 sacks (not counting the 9.5 sacks he recorded as a rookie because sacks did not become an official statistic until 1982), nine interceptions, 134 return yards, two touchdowns, 33 forced fumbles, 11 fumble recoveries, and 34 fumble return yards.[32]

Legacy

Lawrence Taylor, defensively, has had as big an impact as any player I've ever seen. He changed the way defense is played, the way pass-rushing is played, the way linebackers play and the way offenses block linebackers.[16][88]

— John Madden

Taylor is considered one of the best players to ever play in the NFL, and has been ranked as the top defensive player in league history by some news outlets, media members, former players and coaches.[16][19][89] He has also been described as one of the most "feared" and "intimidating" players in NFL history.[16][90] Taylor's explosive speed and power is credited with changing the position of outside linebacker from a "read and react" type of position to a more attacking, aggressive position.[91]

Washington Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs developed the two tight end offense and the position of H-back to prevent Taylor from blitzing into the backfield unhindered.[53][92] "We had to try in some way have a special game plan just for Lawrence Taylor. Now you didn't do that very often in this league but I think he's one person that we learned the lesson the hard way. We lost ball games."[53][88] His skills changed the way offensive coaches blocked linebackers. In the late '70s and early '80s, a blitzing linebacker was picked up by a running back. However, these players were no match for Taylor.[93] The tactic employed by San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh in the 1982 playoffs, using an offensive guard to block Taylor, was copied around the league. However, this left a hole in pass protection that a blitzing middle linebacker could exploit. Later, Walsh and other coaches began using offensive tackles to block Taylor. Later it became common for offensive linemen to pick up blitzing linebackers. In addition to the changes in offensive schemes Taylor influenced, he also introduced new defensive techniques to the game such as chopping the ball out of the quarterback's hands rather than tackling him.[94]

Drug and lifestyle problems

For me, crazy as it seems, there is a real relationship between wild, reckless abandon off the field and being that way on the field.

— Taylor, in 1987[95]

Taylor began using illicit drugs during his professional rookie season, 1981–1982.[96] He would pass the NFL's drug tests, however, by routinely obtaining his teammates' urine to submit as his own urine samples.[90]

As his drug habit escalated, he would spend up to thousands of dollars a day on "coke and women."[90] His first wife, Linda, once had to pick him up from a crack house.[97] And he once attended a team meeting still handcuffed from the night before by some "ladies that were trying out some new equipment", but "just didn't happen to have the key" he would recall.[90]

In 1987, he finally tested positive for cocaine, and admitted to using it. The next year, 1988, he failed a second drug test, whereupon the NFL suspended him for 30 days. With that, he abstained from drugs until his 1993 retirement, as a third failed drug test would end his career.[90] Yet he would later recall that in retiring, "I saw blow as the only bright spot in my future."[98]

During 1995, he went through drug rehab twice. But over the next three years, he was arrested twice, via undercover police officers, for attempts to buy cocaine.[99] Meanwhile, he associated mainly with drug users, and his home usually had white sheets over its windows.[90] "I had gotten really bad. I mean my place was almost like a crack house," Taylor would later explain.[90]

Post-NFL life

We're not in the '80s. We're not in the '90s anymore. You have to govern yourself accordingly.

— Taylor, 2012[100]

Investments

In Taylor's final year in the NFL, he started a company called All-Pro Products. The company went public at $5 a share, and tripled in value during its first month. The stock price reached $16.50 a share, at which point Taylor's stake had an estimated value of over $10 million.[101] The company ceased production shortly thereafter however, and Taylor, who never sold his stock, lost several hundred thousand dollars. He had been defrauded by several members of the penny stock firm Hanover Sterling & Company, who had short sold the company's stock, making it worthless.[102] The Securities and Exchange Commission ruled that two traders had manipulated the price of the stock,[103] which skyrocketed while the company was losing over $900,000. Taylor has also had self-inflicted financial problems; in 1997 he pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return in 1990, and in 2000 he was "sentenced to three months of house arrest, five years of probation, and 500 hours of community service for tax evasion."[104]

 
Taylor on the golf course in 2007

Television pundit

After his career ended, Taylor worked in several regular television jobs. He first worked as a football analyst for the now defunct TNT Sunday Night Football.[64] In a one-off show, Taylor also appeared as a wrestler in the World Wrestling Federation, defeating Bam Bam Bigelow in the main event of WrestleMania XI.[64] He also worked as a color commentator on an amateur fighting program entitled Toughman on the FX channel.[105] On September 4, 1995, the Giants retired Phil Simms' jersey during halftime of a game against the Cowboys (Taylor had his number retired the year before). Simms celebrated the moment by throwing an impromptu ceremonial pass to Taylor. Simms recalled, "[a]ll of a sudden it kind of hit me, I've put Lawrence in a really tough spot; national TV, he's got dress shoes and a sports jacket on, and he's had a few beers and he's going to run down the field and I'm going to throw him a pass."[106] Simms motioned for Taylor to run a long pattern and after 30–40 yards threw him the pass. Taylor later said the situation made him more nervous than any play of his career, "I'm saying to myself (as the pass is being thrown), 'If I drop this pass, I got to run my black ass all the way back to Upper Saddle River because there ain't no way I'm going to be able to stay in that stadium'."[106] Taylor caught the pass, however, and the capacity crowd in attendance cheered in approval.[107]

Movies & video games

Taylor pursued a career in acting, appearing in the Oliver Stone movie Any Given Sunday where he played a character much like himself. He appeared as himself in the HBO series The Sopranos and the film The Waterboy. He also had a role in the 2000 version of Shaft. Taylor voiced the steroid-riddled, possibly insane former football player B.J. Smith in the video game, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. The character poked fun at his fearsome, drug-fueled public image. He also added his voice to the video game Blitz: The League and its sequel, which were partially based on his life in the NFL.[108] He also acted in the 2000 Christian film Mercy Streets with Eric Roberts and Stacy Keach, and the 2003 prison movie In Hell with Jean-Claude Van Damme.[109]

Hall of Fame induction

In 1999, when Taylor became eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, there were some concerns his hard-partying lifestyle and drug abuse would hurt his candidacy.[110] These concerns proved to be ill-founded, however, as he was voted in on the first ballot. His son Lawrence Taylor Jr. gave his introduction speech at the induction ceremony.[111] Taylor's ex-wife, his three children, and his parents were in attendance and during his induction speech Taylor acknowledged them saying, "thank you for putting up with me for all those years."[111] He also credited former Giants owner Wellington Mara for being supportive of him saying, "[h]e probably cared more about me as a person than he really should have."[111]

Autobiography

In 2004 Taylor released an autobiography, LT: Over the Edge.[90] Taylor often spoke of his NFL years, which he played with reckless abandon, and the drug-abusing stages of his life as the "L.T." periods of his life. He described "L.T." as an adrenaline junkie who lived life on a thrill ride. Taylor said in 2003 that "L. T. died a long time ago, and I don't miss him at all ... all that's left is Lawrence Taylor."[112]

Advertising and television

 
Taylor signing autographs at a collectors show in Houston in January 2014

Taylor re-emerged into the public eye in July 2006, after appearing on the cover of a Sports Illustrated issue dedicated to former athletes and sport figures. In the magazine, Taylor credited his hobby of golf with helping him get over his previous hard-partying ways and drug filled lifestyle.[113] He co-founded eXfuze, a network marketing company based in West Palm Beach, Florida. Along with former NFL players, such as Eric Dickerson and Seth Joyner, he was a spokesman for Seven+, the flagship multi-botanical drink produced by the company.[114] His son Brandon signed a national letter to play with the Purdue Boilermakers.[115] Taylor was a contestant on the 8th season of Dancing with the Stars,[116] partnered with Edyta Śliwińska. He was eliminated in the seventh week on the April 21, 2009, show.[117]

Run-ins with the law

In 2009, Taylor started having troubles in his personal life again. On November 8, he was arrested in Miami-Dade County, Florida for leaving the scene of an accident after striking another vehicle with his Cadillac Escalade.[104] He had already committed the same offense in 1996 when he totaled his Lexus in a one-car accident and left the scene, saying he did not think the law required the reporting of a single driver incident.[118] He was released on a $500 bond, and the other driver later sued him, seeking $15,000.[119][120]

In May 2010, Taylor was arrested for raping a 16-year-old girl at a Holiday Inn located in Montebello, New York.[121] He was charged with felony third-degree statutory rape, for allegedly engaging in sexual intercourse with someone under 17.[122] He was also charged with third-degree patronization for allegedly paying the underage girl $300 to have sex with him.[123] The girl told investigators that her pimp commanded her to tell Taylor that she was 19, which Taylor corroborated. The pimp, 36-year old Rasheed Davis, was charged with federal child sex trafficking.[124][125] The girl was represented by celebrity attorney Gloria Allred when Taylor pleaded guilty on March 22, 2011, and was sentenced to six years probation as part of a plea agreement, in which he pleaded guilty to the misdemeanors of sexual misconduct and patronizing a prostitute. He also registered as a low-risk, level-one sex offender.[126][127] On October 26, 2012, a court rejected the victim's claims that Taylor assaulted her.[128]

As of 2016, Taylor resides in Pembroke Pines, Florida.[112] On June 9, 2016, Taylor's wife was arrested for domestic violence in Florida after she threw "an unknown object" and struck Taylor in the back of the head.[129]

In May 2017, Taylor put up for auction the Vince Lombardi mini statue he had won for the Super Bowl XXV win.[130] The next month, he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol following a September 2, 2016 crash into a stopped police car in Palm Beach County, Florida. The two breathalyzer tests taken five hours after the crash measured Taylor's blood-alcohol level at .082 and .084, above the Florida legal limit of .080.[131]

NFL career statistics

Legend
AP NFL MVP & DPOTY
NFL Defensive Player of the Year
Team won the Super Bowl
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season

Year Team Games Sacks Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Int Yds TD FF FR Yds TD
1981 NYG 16 16 9.5* 1 1 0 5 1 4 0
1982 NYG 9 8 7.5 1 97 1 3 0 0 0
1983 NYG 16 16 9.0 2 10 0 4 2 3 0
1984 NYG 16 16 11.5 1 –1 0 7 0 0 0
1985 NYG 16 16 13.0 0 0 0 7 2 25 0
1986 NYG 16 16 20.5 0 0 0 3 0 0 0
1987 NYG 12 11 12.0 3 16 0 5 0 0 0
1988 NYG 12 12 15.5 0 0 0 5 1 0 0
1989 NYG 16 15 15.0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0
1990 NYG 16 16 10.5 1 11 1 4 1 0 0
1991 NYG 14 14 7.0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0
1992 NYG 9 9 5.0 0 0 0 2 1 2 0
1993 NYG 16 15 6.0 0 0 0 4 1 0 0
Career[32][39] 184 180 132.5† 9 134 2 56 11 34 0

* Unofficial statistic (sacks did not become an official statistic until 1982); however, this number is stated on Taylor's Pro Football Hall of Fame bio[32] and is considered to be accurate.
[132]
† Including the 9.5 Taylor unofficially recorded as a rookie, his total is 142.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "NFL Power Rankings: Top 50 Greatest Defensive Players In NFL History". BleacherReport.com.
  2. ^ "The Top-20 Defensive Players in NFL History". thegruelingtruth.com. February 26, 2022.
  3. ^ "Top 10 defensive players ever". NFL.com.
  4. ^ "Top 10 defensive players ever". NFL.com. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  5. ^ Mori, Dan. "NFL Power Rankings: Top 50 Greatest Defensive Players In NFL History". Bleacher Report. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  6. ^ Taylor, Lawrence; Serby, Steve (2004). LT over the edge : tackling quarterbacks, drugs, and a world beyond football. New York: HarperTorch. ISBN 0-06-103149-6. OCLC 56520144.
  7. ^ "Lawrence Taylor sentenced to six years' probation". Los Angeles Times. March 22, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
  8. ^ a b c Harris, Nolte, and Kirsch. pg.449
  9. ^ a b Taylor and Serby. pg. 5
  10. ^ Taylor and Falkner. pg.7
  11. ^ Lawrence Taylor, britannica.com, accessed March 29, 2007.
  12. ^ Taylor and Serby. pg. 17
  13. ^ Shampoe. pg. 65
  14. ^ North Carolina Football All-Time Letterman December 16, 2018, at the Wayback Machine (PDF), cstv.com, accessed February 26, 2007.
  15. ^ Powell. pg. 80
  16. ^ a b c d e f g Whitley, David. L.T. was reckless, magnificent, espn.com, accessed January 29, 2007.
  17. ^ Knight Ridder. Peppers is drawing comparisons to Taylor., April 16, 2002, available online via accessmylibrary.com, accessed February 17, 2007.[permanent dead link]
    *, Pro Football Weekly, March 20, 2002, accessed February 17, 2007.
  18. ^ "1981 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
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  21. ^ a b Pervin. pg. 98
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  45. ^ Eskenazi, Gerald. pg. 46. — Trump later stated that in the event of the USFL folding (which occurred in 1985), he would have held on to Taylor's rights to employment: "I'd put him in a doorman's uniform and have him work at one of my buildings." (ibid)
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  89. ^ Smith and Moritz. Note: The Sporting News has Taylor ranked fourth behind only offensive players Jim Brown, Jerry Rice, and Joe Montana. See . Archived from the original on December 11, 2007. Retrieved January 30, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link), for a link to the top three players hit the "back" button on the bottom of the page.
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    * Barall, Andy. Jim Brown Should Be No. 1, but What About Most Underrated?, The New York Times, November 5, 2010, accessed November 23, 2010.
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Sources

  • Danyluk, Tom. Super '70s, Chicago: Mad Uke Publishing. 2005 ISBN 0-9770383-0-0
  • Eskenazi, Gerald. A Sports-Writer's Life: From the Desk of a New York Times Reporter, Columbia: University of Missouri Press. 2004 ISBN 0-8262-1510-6
  • Frostino, Nino. Right on the Numbers, British Columbia: Trafford Publishing. 2004 ISBN 1-4120-3305-5
  • Gutman, Bill. Parcells: A Biography, New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers. 2001 ISBN 0-7867-0934-0
  • Harris, Othello, Nolte, Claire Elaine, and Kirsch, George B. Encyclopedia of Ethnicity and Sports in the United States, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2000 ISBN 0-313-29911-0
  • Lupica, Mike. LT, New York, New York Media, LLC December 24–31, 1990 issue, ISSN 0028-7369 (available online)
  • Montana, Joe, and Weiner, Richard. Joe Montana's Art and Magic of Quarterbacking: The Secrets of the Game from One of the All-Time Best, Ontario: Owl Books, 1998 ISBN 0-8050-4278-4
  • Neft, David S., Cohen, Richard M., and Korch, Rick. The Complete History of Professional Football from 1892 to the Present. New York: St. Martin's Press. 1994 ISBN 0-312-11435-4
  • Pervin, Lawrence A. Football's New York Giants: A History. McFarland 2009 ISBN 0-7864-4268-9
  • Powell, Adam. University of North Carolina Football, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. 2006 ISBN 0-7385-4288-1
  • Russo, Christopher, & Allen, St. John. The Mad Dog Hall of Fame: The Ultimate Top-Ten Rankings of the Best in Sports. Broadway 2007 ISBN 0-7679-2372-3
  • Schwartz, Paul. Tales from the New York Giants Sideline, Illinois: Sports Publishing LLC. 2004 ISBN 1-58261-758-9
  • Shampoe, Clay. The Virginia Sports Hall Of Fame: Honoring Champions Of The Commonwealth, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. 2005 ISBN 0-7385-1776-3
  • Rand, Jonathan. Riddell Presents the Gridiron's Greatest Linebackers, Illinois: Sports Publishing LLC. 2003 ISBN 1-58261-625-6
  • Smith, Ron and Moritz, Carl. The Sporting News Selects Football's 100 Greatest Players: A Celebration of the 20th Century's Best, Missouri: Sporting News Publishing Co. 1999 ISBN 0-89204-624-4
  • Sprechman, Jordan and Shannon, Bill. This Day in New York Sports, Illinois: Sports Publishing LLC. 1998 ISBN 1-57167-254-0
  • Taylor, Lawrence and Falkner, David. LT: Living on the Edge New York: Random House. 1987 ISBN 0-8129-1703-0
  • Taylor, Lawrence and Serby, Steve. LT: Over the Edge Tackling Quarterbacks, Drugs, and a World Beyond Football. New York: HarperCollins. 2003 ISBN 0-06-018551-1
  • Taylor, Lawrence. Taylor (Icons of the NFL). New York: Rugged Land. 2006 ISBN 1-59071-082-7
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  • Ziegel, Vic. Giants in the Earth. New York Media, LLC Vol. 16, No. 40 October 10, 1983 ISSN 0028-7369 (available online)

External links

  • Official website  
  • Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
  • Lawrence Taylor at the Pro Football Hall of Fame
  • Video NFL Top 100 Players #3 on YouTube
  • Lawrence Taylor at Curlie
  • Lawrence Taylor at IMDb
  • Lawrence Taylor's profile at Cagematch.net, Internet Wrestling Database

April 12, 2023
lawrence, taylor, other, people, named, disambiguation, lawrence, julius, taylor, born, february, 1959, nicknamed, american, former, professional, football, player, spent, entire, career, outside, linebacker, york, giants, 1981, 1993, national, football, leagu. For other people named Lawrence Taylor see Lawrence Taylor disambiguation Lawrence Julius Taylor born February 4 1959 nicknamed L T is an American former professional football player who spent his entire career as an outside linebacker for the New York Giants 1981 1993 in the National Football League NFL He is widely regarded as the greatest defensive player of all time 1 2 3 Lawrence TaylorTaylor in 2009No 56Position Outside linebackerPersonal informationBorn 1959 02 04 February 4 1959 age 64 Williamsburg Virginia U S Height 6 ft 3 in 1 91 m Weight 237 lb 108 kg Career informationHigh school Lafayette Williamsburg Virginia College North Carolina 1977 1980 NFL Draft 1981 Round 1 Pick 2Career historyNew York Giants 1981 1993 Career highlights and awards2 Super Bowl champion XXI XXV NFL Most Valuable Player 1986 3 NFL Defensive Player of the Year 1981 1982 1986 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year 1981 8 First team All Pro 1981 1986 1988 1989 2 Second team All Pro 1987 1990 10 Pro Bowl 1981 1990 NFL sacks leader 1986 NFL 1980s All Decade Team NFL 75th Anniversary All Time Team NFL 100th Anniversary All Time Team New York Giants Ring of Honor New York Giants No 56 retired 2 NFC Player of the Year 1983 1986 Bert Bell Award 1986 PFWA All Rookie Team 1981 Unanimous All American 1980 ACC Player of the Year 1980 North Carolina Tar Heels Jersey No 98 honoredCareer NFL statisticsTackles 1 089Sacks 142Forced fumbles 54Interceptions 9Player stats at NFL com PFRPro Football Hall of FameAfter an All American career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 1978 1981 Taylor was drafted by the Giants as the second overall selection in the 1981 NFL Draft Although controversy surrounded the selection due to Taylor s contract demands the two sides quickly resolved the issue Taylor was named both the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1981 and the only NFL player to win the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in his rookie season Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s Taylor was a disruptive force at outside linebacker and is credited with changing defensive game plans defensive pass rushing schemes offensive line blocking schemes and offensive formations used in the NFL Taylor produced double digit sacks each season from 1984 through 1990 including a career high of 20 5 in 1986 He also won a record three AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards a record now tied by J J Watt and Aaron Donald and was named the league s Most Valuable Player MVP for his performance during the 1986 season Taylor is one of only two defensive players in the history of the NFL the other one being Alan Page in 1971 to have ever won the NFL MVP award and no defensive player has won since him He was named First team All Pro in eight of his first ten seasons and Second team All Pro in the other two Taylor was a key member of the Giants defense nicknamed The Big Blue Wrecking Crew that led New York to victories in Super Bowls XXI and XXV During the 1980s Taylor fellow linebackers Carl Banks Gary Reasons Brad Van Pelt Brian Kelley Pepper Johnson and Hall of Famer Harry Carson gave the Giants linebacking corps a reputation as one of the best in the NFL He is widely regarded as the best defensive player of his generation and is often considered to be the greatest defensive player of all time 4 5 Taylor has lived a controversial lifestyle during and after his playing career He was known for his on game persona and at one point inadvertently caused a compound fracture of the right leg of quarterback Joe Theismann 6 He admitted to using drugs such as cocaine as early as his second year in the NFL and was suspended for 30 days in 1988 by the league for failing drug tests His drug abuse escalated after his retirement and he was jailed three times for attempted drug possession From 1998 to 2009 Taylor lived a sober drug free life He worked as a color commentator on sporting events after his retirement and pursued a career as an actor His personal life came under public scrutiny in 2010 when he was arrested for having sex with a 16 year old girl After he pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct and patronizing a prostitute Taylor was registered as a low risk sex offender 7 Contents 1 Early life 2 College 3 NFL career 3 1 1981 NFL Draft and training camp 3 2 Early career 1981 1985 3 3 Mid career and championships 1986 1990 3 4 Final years and decline 1991 1993 4 Legacy 5 Drug and lifestyle problems 6 Post NFL life 6 1 Investments 6 2 Television pundit 6 3 Movies amp video games 6 4 Hall of Fame induction 6 5 Autobiography 6 6 Advertising and television 6 7 Run ins with the law 7 NFL career statistics 7 1 Regular season 8 See also 9 Notes 10 Sources 11 External linksEarly life EditLawrence Taylor was the first of three sons born to Clarence and Iris Taylor in Williamsburg Virginia His father worked as a dispatcher at the Newport News shipyards while his mother was a schoolteacher 8 Referred to as Lonnie by his family 9 Taylor was a mischievous youth His mother said that h e was a challenging child Where the other two boys would ask for permission to do stuff Lonnie would just do it and when you found out about it he would give you a big story 9 Taylor concentrated on baseball as a youth in which he played the position of catcher 10 and only began playing football at the advanced age of fifteen 8 He did not play organized high school football until the following year eleventh grade 11 and was not heavily recruited coming out of high school 12 College EditAfter graduating from Lafayette High School in 1977 13 Taylor attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a team captain 14 and wore No 98 Originally recruited as a defensive lineman Taylor switched to linebacker before the 1979 season 15 He had 16 sacks in his final year there 1980 16 and set numerous defensive records He was recognized as a consensus first team All American and the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year in 1980 8 While there the coaching staff marveled at his intense reckless style of play As a freshman playing on special teams he d jump a good six or seven feet in the air to block a punt then land on the back of his neck said North Carolina assistant coach Bobby Cale He was reckless just reckless 16 UNC later retired Taylor s jersey 17 failed verification NFL career Edit1981 NFL Draft and training camp Edit In the 1981 NFL Draft Taylor was drafted by the NFL s New York Giants in the first round as the 2nd pick overall 18 In a poll of NFL General Managers GMs taken before the draft 26 of the league s 28 GMs said if they had the first selection they would select Taylor 19 One of the two GMs who said they would not take Taylor was Bum Phillips who had just been hired as coach and general manager by the New Orleans Saints As fate would have it for Taylor the Saints were also the team who had the first pick in the draft 19 Giants GM George Young predicted before the draft that he would be better than NFL legends such as Dick Butkus Taylor is the best college linebacker I ve ever seen Sure I saw Dick Butkus play There s no doubt in my mind about Taylor He s bigger and stronger than Butkus was On the blitz he s devastating 19 On draft day Phillips made good on his promise not to draft Taylor and the Saints instead selected Heisman Trophy winning halfback George Rogers with the first pick leaving the Giants with the decision of whether to select Taylor To the raucous approval of the crowd in attendance at the draft which was held in New York City the Giants selected him 20 Privately Taylor was hesitant about playing for New York as he had hoped to be drafted by the Dallas Cowboys and was unimpressed with a tour of Giants Stadium he was taken on after the draft 21 Publicly however he expressed excitement about the opportunity to play in the city 22 Taylor changed his stance after he was drafted as Harry Carson made a point to reach out to him and Taylor said he talked to some players and coaches and got things straightened out 20 21 One of the factors that the Giants said they considered in selecting Taylor was his solid reputation He was the cleanest player in the draft By that I mean there was no rap on him said head coach Ray Perkins Great potential as a linebacker a fine young man free of injuries 23 Taylor chose to wear number 56 because he was a fan of Cowboys linebacker Thomas Henderson 24 As it would turn out Taylor would have the longer and more successful career while Rogers although successful in his own right with several 1 000 yard rushing seasons and two Pro Bowl selections was injury prone and forced to retire following the 1987 season with the Washington Redskins Taylor s talent was evident from the start of training camp Reports came out of the Giants training compound of the exploits of the new phenom 16 25 Taylor s teammates took to calling him Superman and joked that his locker should be replaced with a phone booth 16 Phil Simms the team s quarterback said on the pass rush he s an animal He s either going to run around you or over you With his quickness he s full speed after two steps 22 Taylor made his NFL exhibition debut on August 8 1981 recording 2 sacks in the Giants 23 7 win over the Chicago Bears 26 Before the season word spread around the league about Taylor 23 27 Years after facing him in an exhibition game Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Terry Bradshaw recalled h e dang near killed me I just kept saying Who is this guy He kept coming from my blind side and just ripped my ribs to pieces 28 Taylor developed what has been termed a love hate relationship with Bill Parcells who was the team s defensive coordinator when he was drafted and would later become their head coach 29 Parcells often rode players in the hopes of driving them to better performance Taylor did not appreciate this approach and early on told Parcells I ve had enough You either cut me or trade me but get the fuck off my back 30 Parcells kept on Taylor but privately told some veterans I like that LT That motherfucker s got a mean streak 29 Early career 1981 1985 Edit Taylor made his NFL regular season debut on September 6 1981 in a 24 10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles Aside from incurring a penalty for a late hit on Eagles running back Perry Harrington Taylor played a nondescript game 23 In a game versus the St Louis Cardinals later in the season Taylor rushed and sacked the passer when he was supposed to drop into coverage When told by Parcells that was not what he was assigned to do on that play and that what he did was not in the playbook 29 Taylor responded Well we better put it in on Monday because that play s a dandy 31 He recorded 9 5 sacks in 1981 32 and his rookie season is considered one of the best in NFL history 33 34 He was named 1981 s NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year making him as of 2023 update the only rookie to win an Offensive or Defensive Player of the Year award 35 Taylor s arrival helped the Giants defense reduce their points allowed from 425 points in 1980 to 257 in 1981 33 They finished the season 9 7 up five games from the previous season and advanced to the NFL divisional playoffs where they lost 38 24 to the eventual Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers 36 The San Francisco win was due partly to a new tactic 49ers coach Bill Walsh used to slow Taylor Walsh assigned guard John Ayers the team s best blocker to block Taylor and although Taylor still recorded a sack and three tackles he was not as effective as normal 37 In contrast to his on field success Taylor was already developing a reputation for recklessness off the field after nearly getting killed during the season when his speeding resulted in a car crash Young told the team s trainer he would be surprised if the linebacker lived past the age of 30 and the Giants insured Taylor s life for 2 million 29 The 1982 NFL season which was shortened to nine regular season games by a players strike included one of the more memorable plays of Taylor s career In the nationally televised Thanksgiving Day game against the Detroit Lions the teams were tied 6 6 early in the fourth quarter when the Lions drove deep into New York territory Lions quarterback Gary Danielson dropped back to pass and threw the ball out to his left toward the sidelines Taylor ran in front of the intended receiver intercepted the pass and returned it 97 yards for a touchdown 38 This play was indicative of Taylor s unusual combination even for a linebacker of power with speed He was again named Defensive Player of the Year 39 After the 1982 season Perkins became head coach of the University of Alabama and the Giants hired Parcells to replace him In the coming years this change proved crucial to the Giants and Taylor Leading up to the 1983 season Taylor engaged in a training camp holdout that lasted three weeks and ended when he came back to the team under his old contract with three games left in the preseason 40 Although Taylor recorded nine sacks and made the All Pro team for the third consecutive season in 1983 32 the Giants struggled The team went 3 12 1 41 and Parcells received heavy criticism from fans and the media Taylor was forced to play inside linebacker for part of the season a position which allowed him fewer pass rushing opportunities when Carson was injured 42 Despite this change Taylor made the 1983 All Pro Team at both outside linebacker and inside linebacker becoming the first first team All Pro in NFL History selected for two positions in the same year Frustrated by the losing Taylor began acting out by arriving late for meetings and not participating in conditioning drills in practice 43 After the season Taylor was involved in a fight for his services between the Giants and the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League 44 Taylor was given a 1 million interest free 25 year loan by Generals owner Donald Trump on December 14 1983 with the provision that he begin playing in the USFL in 1988 44 Taylor regretted the decision and less than a month later attempted to renege His agent was able to negotiate by meeting with Trump personally and then the Giants which resulted in allowing Taylor to go with the Giants Taylor got a 6 year 6 55 million package that also included a 1 million interest free loan The main results of these negotiations were threefold 1 Taylor returned the 1 million to Trump 2 the Giants paid Trump 750 000 over the next five seasons and 3 the Giants gave Taylor a new six year 6 2 million contract 44 45 The Giants record rebounded to 9 7 in 1984 46 and Taylor had his fourth All Pro season 32 He got off to a quick start recording four sacks in a September game In the playoffs the Giants defeated the Los Angeles Rams 16 13 but lost 21 10 to the eventual champion 49ers 47 In contrast to the previous season the Giants headed into the 1985 season with a sense of optimism after their successful 1984 campaign and a 5 0 pre season record 48 The Giants went 10 6 and Taylor spearheaded a defense that led the NFL in sacks with 68 49 Taylor had 13 One of the more memorable plays of his career occurred during this season On a Monday Night Football game against the Redskins Taylor s sack of Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann inadvertently resulted in a compound fracture of Theismann s right leg 50 After the sack a distraught Taylor screamed for paramedics to attend to Theismann Although this sack ended Theismann s career Theismann has never blamed Taylor for the injury Taylor says he has never seen video of the play and never wants to 51 During the first round of the playoffs the Giants defeated the defending champion 49ers 17 3 but lost to the eventual champion Chicago Bears in the second round 21 0 52 Mid career and championships 1986 1990 Edit In 1986 Taylor had one of the most successful seasons by a defensive player in the history of the NFL He recorded a league leading 20 5 sacks and became one of just two defensive players to win the NFL Most Valuable Player award and the only defensive player to be the unanimous selection for MVP 53 54 55 He also was named Defensive Player of the Year for the third time The Giants finished the season 14 2 and outscored San Francisco and Washington by a combined score of 66 3 in the NFC playoffs 56 He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated alone the week leading up to Super Bowl XXI with a warning from the magazine to the Denver Broncos regarding Taylor 57 The Giants overcame a slow start in Super Bowl XXI to defeat Denver 39 20 56 Taylor made a key touchdown preventing tackle on a goal line play in the first half stopping Broncos quarterback John Elway as he sprinted out on a rollout With the Super Bowl win Taylor capped off an unprecedented start to his career After six years he had been named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award 1981 NFL Defensive Player of the Year a record three times 1981 1982 1986 First team All Pro six times 32 become the first defensive player in NFL history unanimously voted the league s MVP 1986 and led his team to a championship 1986 After the win however Taylor felt let down rather than elated Taylor said 58 When the Super Bowl was over Everyone was so excited but by then I felt deflated I d won every award had my best season finally won the Super Bowl I was on top of the world right So what could be next Nothing The thrill is the chase to get to the top Every day the excitement builds and builds and builds and then when you re finally there and the game is over And then nothing The Giants appeared to have a bright future coming off their 1986 championship season as they were one of the younger teams in the league They struggled the next season however falling to 6 9 in the strike shortened 1987 season 59 Taylor caused strife in the locker room when he broke the picket line after early struggles by the team He explained his decision by saying The Giants are losing And I m losing 60 000 a week 60 He finished the season as the team leader in sacks with 12 in 12 games played 59 but missed a game due to a hamstring injury ending his consecutive games played streak at 106 61 The Giants looked to rebound to their championship ways in 1988 but the start of the season was marred by controversy surrounding Taylor He tested positive for cocaine and was suspended by the league for thirty days as it was his second violation of the NFL s substance abuse policy The first result in 1987 had been kept private and was not known to the public at the time He was kept away from the press during this period and checked himself into rehab in early September 62 Taylor s over the edge lifestyle was becoming an increasing concern for fans and team officials This was especially true given the eventual career paths of talented players like Hollywood Henderson and others whose drug problems derailed their careers The Giants went 2 2 in the games Taylor missed When Taylor returned he was his usual dominant self as he led the team in sacks again with 15 5 in 12 games played 63 The season also contained some of the more memorable moments of Taylor s career In a crucial late season game with playoff implications against the New Orleans Saints Taylor played through a torn pectoral muscle to record seven tackles three sacks and two forced fumbles 32 64 Taylor s presence in the lineup was important as the Giants offense was having trouble mounting drives and was dominated in time of possession 65 Television cameras repeatedly cut to the sidelines to show him in extreme physical pain as he was being attended to by the Giants staff Taylor had already developed a reputation for playing through pain in a 1983 game against the Eagles the team s training staff had to hide his helmet to prevent the injured Taylor from returning to the field 66 Taylor s shoulder was so injured that he had to wear a harness to keep it in its place 32 The Giants held on for a 13 12 win and Parcells later called Taylor s performance t he greatest game I ever saw 67 However the Giants narrowly missed the playoffs in 1988 at 10 6 by losing tie breakers with the Eagles in their division and the Rams for the Wild card 63 In 1989 Taylor recorded 15 sacks 39 He was forced to play the latter portion of the season with a fractured tibia suffered in a 34 24 loss to the 49ers in week 12 which caused him to sit out the second half of several games 68 Despite his off the field problems Taylor remained popular among his teammates and was voted defensive co captain along with Carl Banks 69 The two filled the defensive captain s spot vacated by the retired Harry Carson 69 The retirement of the nine time Pro Bowler Carson broke up the Giants linebacker corps of Carson Reasons Banks and Taylor which spearheaded the team s defense nicknamed the Big Blue Wrecking Crew in the 1980s The Giants went 12 4 70 and advanced to the playoffs In an exciting down to the wire game the Rams eliminated the Giants 19 13 in the first round despite Taylor s two sacks and one forced fumble 71 Taylor held out of training camp before the 1990 season demanding a new contract with a salary of 2 million per year 72 Talks dragged into September with neither side budging and as the season approached Taylor received fines at the rate of 2 500 a day 73 He signed a three year 5 million contract making him the highest paid defensive player in the league 74 just four days before the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles Despite sitting out training camp and the preseason Taylor recorded three sacks and a forced fumble against the Eagles 75 He finished with 10 5 sacks and earned his 10th Pro Bowl in as many years although the season marked the first time in Taylor s career that he was not selected First team All Pro 32 The Giants started out 10 0 and finished with a 13 3 record In the playoffs the Giants defeated the Bears 31 3 76 and faced the rival 49ers in the NFC Championship Game The Giants won 15 13 76 after Taylor beat two successive blocks by 49ers tight end Brent Jones and fullback Tom Rathman to get into the 49ers offensive backfield to be in position to recover a key fumble forced by nose tackle Erik Howard late in the game to set up Matt Bahr s game winning field goal In Super Bowl XXV they played the Buffalo Bills and won one of the more entertaining Super Bowls in history 20 19 76 after Buffalo s Scott Norwood missed a potential game winning field goal in the closing seconds of the game 77 Final years and decline 1991 1993 Edit Following the 1990 season Parcells with whom Taylor had become very close 78 retired and the team was taken over by Ray Handley 79 1991 marked a steep decline in Taylor s production It became the first season in his career in which he failed to make the Pro Bowl squad after setting a then record by making it in his first ten years in the league Taylor finished with 7 sacks in 14 games 39 and the Giants defense while still respectable was no longer one of the top units in the league Taylor rebounded in the early stages of what many thought would be his final season in 1992 Through close to nine games Taylor was on pace for 10 sacks and the Giants were 5 4 80 However a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in a game on November 8 1992 against Green Bay 81 sidelined him for the final seven games during which the team went 1 6 82 Before the injury Taylor had missed only four games due to injury in his 12 year career 81 Throughout the 1992 season and the ensuing offseason Taylor was noncommittal about his future alternately saying he might retire then later hinting he wanted a longer term contract 83 Taylor returned for the 1993 season enticed by the chance to play with a new coach Dan Reeves 84 and determined not to end his career due to an injury The Giants had a resurgent season in 1993 They finished 11 5 and competed for the top NFC playoff seed 85 Taylor finished with 6 sacks 85 and the Giants defense led the NFL in fewest points allowed 86 They defeated the Minnesota Vikings 17 10 in the opening round of the playoffs 85 The next week on January 15 1994 in what would be Taylor s final game the Giants were beaten 44 3 by the San Francisco 49ers 85 As the game came to a conclusion television cameras drew in close on Taylor who was crying He announced his retirement at the post game press conference saying I think it s time for me to retire I ve done everything I can do I ve been to Super Bowls I ve been to playoffs I ve done things that other people haven t been able to do in this game before After 13 years it s time for me to go 87 Taylor ended his career with 1 089 tackles 132 5 sacks not counting the 9 5 sacks he recorded as a rookie because sacks did not become an official statistic until 1982 nine interceptions 134 return yards two touchdowns 33 forced fumbles 11 fumble recoveries and 34 fumble return yards 32 Legacy EditLawrence Taylor defensively has had as big an impact as any player I ve ever seen He changed the way defense is played the way pass rushing is played the way linebackers play and the way offenses block linebackers 16 88 John Madden Taylor is considered one of the best players to ever play in the NFL and has been ranked as the top defensive player in league history by some news outlets media members former players and coaches 16 19 89 He has also been described as one of the most feared and intimidating players in NFL history 16 90 Taylor s explosive speed and power is credited with changing the position of outside linebacker from a read and react type of position to a more attacking aggressive position 91 Washington Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs developed the two tight end offense and the position of H back to prevent Taylor from blitzing into the backfield unhindered 53 92 We had to try in some way have a special game plan just for Lawrence Taylor Now you didn t do that very often in this league but I think he s one person that we learned the lesson the hard way We lost ball games 53 88 His skills changed the way offensive coaches blocked linebackers In the late 70s and early 80s a blitzing linebacker was picked up by a running back However these players were no match for Taylor 93 The tactic employed by San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh in the 1982 playoffs using an offensive guard to block Taylor was copied around the league However this left a hole in pass protection that a blitzing middle linebacker could exploit Later Walsh and other coaches began using offensive tackles to block Taylor Later it became common for offensive linemen to pick up blitzing linebackers In addition to the changes in offensive schemes Taylor influenced he also introduced new defensive techniques to the game such as chopping the ball out of the quarterback s hands rather than tackling him 94 Drug and lifestyle problems EditFor me crazy as it seems there is a real relationship between wild reckless abandon off the field and being that way on the field Taylor in 1987 95 Taylor began using illicit drugs during his professional rookie season 1981 1982 96 He would pass the NFL s drug tests however by routinely obtaining his teammates urine to submit as his own urine samples 90 As his drug habit escalated he would spend up to thousands of dollars a day on coke and women 90 His first wife Linda once had to pick him up from a crack house 97 And he once attended a team meeting still handcuffed from the night before by some ladies that were trying out some new equipment but just didn t happen to have the key he would recall 90 In 1987 he finally tested positive for cocaine and admitted to using it The next year 1988 he failed a second drug test whereupon the NFL suspended him for 30 days With that he abstained from drugs until his 1993 retirement as a third failed drug test would end his career 90 Yet he would later recall that in retiring I saw blow as the only bright spot in my future 98 During 1995 he went through drug rehab twice But over the next three years he was arrested twice via undercover police officers for attempts to buy cocaine 99 Meanwhile he associated mainly with drug users and his home usually had white sheets over its windows 90 I had gotten really bad I mean my place was almost like a crack house Taylor would later explain 90 Post NFL life EditWe re not in the 80s We re not in the 90s anymore You have to govern yourself accordingly Taylor 2012 100 Investments Edit In Taylor s final year in the NFL he started a company called All Pro Products The company went public at 5 a share and tripled in value during its first month The stock price reached 16 50 a share at which point Taylor s stake had an estimated value of over 10 million 101 The company ceased production shortly thereafter however and Taylor who never sold his stock lost several hundred thousand dollars He had been defrauded by several members of the penny stock firm Hanover Sterling amp Company who had short sold the company s stock making it worthless 102 The Securities and Exchange Commission ruled that two traders had manipulated the price of the stock 103 which skyrocketed while the company was losing over 900 000 Taylor has also had self inflicted financial problems in 1997 he pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return in 1990 and in 2000 he was sentenced to three months of house arrest five years of probation and 500 hours of community service for tax evasion 104 Taylor on the golf course in 2007 Television pundit Edit After his career ended Taylor worked in several regular television jobs He first worked as a football analyst for the now defunct TNT Sunday Night Football 64 In a one off show Taylor also appeared as a wrestler in the World Wrestling Federation defeating Bam Bam Bigelow in the main event of WrestleMania XI 64 He also worked as a color commentator on an amateur fighting program entitled Toughman on the FX channel 105 On September 4 1995 the Giants retired Phil Simms jersey during halftime of a game against the Cowboys Taylor had his number retired the year before Simms celebrated the moment by throwing an impromptu ceremonial pass to Taylor Simms recalled a ll of a sudden it kind of hit me I ve put Lawrence in a really tough spot national TV he s got dress shoes and a sports jacket on and he s had a few beers and he s going to run down the field and I m going to throw him a pass 106 Simms motioned for Taylor to run a long pattern and after 30 40 yards threw him the pass Taylor later said the situation made him more nervous than any play of his career I m saying to myself as the pass is being thrown If I drop this pass I got to run my black ass all the way back to Upper Saddle River because there ain t no way I m going to be able to stay in that stadium 106 Taylor caught the pass however and the capacity crowd in attendance cheered in approval 107 Movies amp video games Edit Taylor pursued a career in acting appearing in the Oliver Stone movie Any Given Sunday where he played a character much like himself He appeared as himself in the HBO series The Sopranos and the film The Waterboy He also had a role in the 2000 version of Shaft Taylor voiced the steroid riddled possibly insane former football player B J Smith in the video game Grand Theft Auto Vice City The character poked fun at his fearsome drug fueled public image He also added his voice to the video game Blitz The League and its sequel which were partially based on his life in the NFL 108 He also acted in the 2000 Christian film Mercy Streets with Eric Roberts and Stacy Keach and the 2003 prison movie In Hell with Jean Claude Van Damme 109 Hall of Fame induction Edit In 1999 when Taylor became eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame there were some concerns his hard partying lifestyle and drug abuse would hurt his candidacy 110 These concerns proved to be ill founded however as he was voted in on the first ballot His son Lawrence Taylor Jr gave his introduction speech at the induction ceremony 111 Taylor s ex wife his three children and his parents were in attendance and during his induction speech Taylor acknowledged them saying thank you for putting up with me for all those years 111 He also credited former Giants owner Wellington Mara for being supportive of him saying h e probably cared more about me as a person than he really should have 111 Autobiography Edit In 2004 Taylor released an autobiography LT Over the Edge 90 Taylor often spoke of his NFL years which he played with reckless abandon and the drug abusing stages of his life as the L T periods of his life He described L T as an adrenaline junkie who lived life on a thrill ride Taylor said in 2003 that L T died a long time ago and I don t miss him at all all that s left is Lawrence Taylor 112 Advertising and television Edit Taylor signing autographs at a collectors show in Houston in January 2014 Taylor re emerged into the public eye in July 2006 after appearing on the cover of a Sports Illustrated issue dedicated to former athletes and sport figures In the magazine Taylor credited his hobby of golf with helping him get over his previous hard partying ways and drug filled lifestyle 113 He co founded eXfuze a network marketing company based in West Palm Beach Florida Along with former NFL players such as Eric Dickerson and Seth Joyner he was a spokesman for Seven the flagship multi botanical drink produced by the company 114 His son Brandon signed a national letter to play with the Purdue Boilermakers 115 Taylor was a contestant on the 8th season of Dancing with the Stars 116 partnered with Edyta Sliwinska He was eliminated in the seventh week on the April 21 2009 show 117 Run ins with the law Edit In 2009 Taylor started having troubles in his personal life again On November 8 he was arrested in Miami Dade County Florida for leaving the scene of an accident after striking another vehicle with his Cadillac Escalade 104 He had already committed the same offense in 1996 when he totaled his Lexus in a one car accident and left the scene saying he did not think the law required the reporting of a single driver incident 118 He was released on a 500 bond and the other driver later sued him seeking 15 000 119 120 In May 2010 Taylor was arrested for raping a 16 year old girl at a Holiday Inn located in Montebello New York 121 He was charged with felony third degree statutory rape for allegedly engaging in sexual intercourse with someone under 17 122 He was also charged with third degree patronization for allegedly paying the underage girl 300 to have sex with him 123 The girl told investigators that her pimp commanded her to tell Taylor that she was 19 which Taylor corroborated The pimp 36 year old Rasheed Davis was charged with federal child sex trafficking 124 125 The girl was represented by celebrity attorney Gloria Allred when Taylor pleaded guilty on March 22 2011 and was sentenced to six years probation as part of a plea agreement in which he pleaded guilty to the misdemeanors of sexual misconduct and patronizing a prostitute He also registered as a low risk level one sex offender 126 127 On October 26 2012 a court rejected the victim s claims that Taylor assaulted her 128 As of 2016 Taylor resides in Pembroke Pines Florida 112 On June 9 2016 Taylor s wife was arrested for domestic violence in Florida after she threw an unknown object and struck Taylor in the back of the head 129 In May 2017 Taylor put up for auction the Vince Lombardi mini statue he had won for the Super Bowl XXV win 130 The next month he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol following a September 2 2016 crash into a stopped police car in Palm Beach County Florida The two breathalyzer tests taken five hours after the crash measured Taylor s blood alcohol level at 082 and 084 above the Florida legal limit of 080 131 NFL career statistics EditLegendAP NFL MVP amp DPOTYNFL Defensive Player of the YearTeam won the Super BowlLed the leagueBold Career highRegular season Edit Year Team Games Sacks Interceptions FumblesGP GS Int Yds TD FF FR Yds TD1981 NYG 16 16 9 5 1 1 0 5 1 4 01982 NYG 9 8 7 5 1 97 1 3 0 0 01983 NYG 16 16 9 0 2 10 0 4 2 3 01984 NYG 16 16 11 5 1 1 0 7 0 0 01985 NYG 16 16 13 0 0 0 0 7 2 25 01986 NYG 16 16 20 5 0 0 0 3 0 0 01987 NYG 12 11 12 0 3 16 0 5 0 0 01988 NYG 12 12 15 5 0 0 0 5 1 0 01989 NYG 16 15 15 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 01990 NYG 16 16 10 5 1 11 1 4 1 0 01991 NYG 14 14 7 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 01992 NYG 9 9 5 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 01993 NYG 16 15 6 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 0Career 32 39 184 180 132 5 9 134 2 56 11 34 0 Unofficial statistic sacks did not become an official statistic until 1982 however this number is stated on Taylor s Pro Football Hall of Fame bio 32 and is considered to be accurate 132 Including the 9 5 Taylor unofficially recorded as a rookie his total is 142 See also EditHistory of the New York Giants 1979 1993 Notes Edit NFL Power Rankings Top 50 Greatest Defensive Players In NFL History BleacherReport com The Top 20 Defensive Players in NFL History thegruelingtruth com February 26 2022 Top 10 defensive players ever NFL com Top 10 defensive players ever NFL com Retrieved April 6 2021 Mori Dan NFL Power Rankings Top 50 Greatest Defensive Players In NFL History Bleacher Report Retrieved April 6 2021 Taylor Lawrence Serby Steve 2004 LT over the edge tackling quarterbacks drugs and a world beyond football New York HarperTorch ISBN 0 06 103149 6 OCLC 56520144 Lawrence Taylor sentenced to six years probation Los Angeles Times March 22 2011 Retrieved March 22 2011 a b c Harris Nolte and Kirsch pg 449 a b Taylor and Serby pg 5 Taylor and Falkner pg 7 Lawrence Taylor britannica com accessed March 29 2007 Taylor and Serby pg 17 Shampoe pg 65 North Carolina Football All Time Letterman Archived December 16 2018 at the Wayback Machine PDF cstv com accessed February 26 2007 Powell pg 80 a b c d e f g Whitley David L T was reckless magnificent espn com accessed January 29 2007 Knight Ridder Peppers is drawing comparisons to Taylor April 16 2002 available online via accessmylibrary com accessed February 17 2007 permanent dead link Q amp A with North Carolina DE Julius Peppers Pro Football Weekly March 20 2002 accessed February 17 2007 1981 NFL Draft Listing Pro Football Reference com Retrieved April 3 2019 a b c d Sansevere Bob Giants L T His mean streaks revolutionized NFL made him the best Knight Ridder January 8 1994 available at accessmylibrary com accessed February 17 2007 a b Anderson Dave By Sports of The Times N F L s Dangerous Trend The New York Times April 19 1981 accessed February 17 2007 a b Pervin pg 98 a b Litsky Frank Giants pick Taylor Jets pick runners The New York Times April 29 1981 accessed February 17 2007 a b c Anderson Dave Yellow Flag For a No 1 The New York Times September 7 1981 accessed June 17 2020 Harvey Randy It s Real Hollywood Ending for Transformed Henderson Los Angeles Times March 28 2000 accessed June 17 2020 Litsky Frank Linebacker s debut is eagerly anticipated The New York Times August 7 1981 accessed June 17 2020 Frank Litsky Giants sets sic back Bears 23 7 The New York Times August 9 1981 accessed June 17 2020 Danyluk pg 297 Associated Press The Michael Jordan of Football Archived December 6 2008 at the Wayback Machine Sports Illustrated January 30 1999 accessed February 17 2007 a b c d Pervin pg 99 Taylor and Serby pg 34 Taylor and Serby pg 41 a b c d e f g h i j Lawrence Taylor bio profootballhof com accessed February 2 2007 a b Merron Jeff LT best NFL rookie of all time espn com accessed June 17 2020 April 19 2007 Top 15 Rookie Impacts of the 30 years 1 Sports Illustrated accessed June 17 2020 NFL DPOY Archived December 31 2013 at the Wayback Machine CBS Sports accessed November 28 2010 1981 New York Giants Archived May 15 2011 at the Wayback Machine databasefootball com accessed February 17 2007 Johnson Roy S 49ers Coach s tactic helps nullify Taylor The New York Times January 4 1982 accessed June 17 2020 Rappoport Ken Last word on Young s comments Associated Press reprinted in Portsmouth Daily Times November 26 1982 accessed November 17 2010 a b c d Lawrence Taylor Archived May 1 2006 at the Wayback Machine databasefootball com accessed February 20 2007 Janofsky Michael Taylor Ends Holdout The New York Times August 13 1983 accessed June 17 2020 1983 New York Giants Archived February 8 2007 at the Wayback Machine databasefootball com accessed February 20 2007 Ziegel pg 82 Pervin pg 101 a b c Eskenazi Gerald Taylor buys out Generals pact The New York Times January 18 1984 accessed June 17 2020 Eskenazi Gerald pg 46 Trump later stated that in the event of the USFL folding which occurred in 1985 he would have held on to Taylor s rights to employment I d put him in a doorman s uniform and have him work at one of my buildings ibid 1984 New York Giants Archived April 9 2007 at the Wayback Machine databasefootball com accessed February 20 2007 1984 New York Giants Archived April 9 2007 at the Wayback Machine databasefootball com accessed February 18 2007 Litsky Frank Giants end Summer 5 0 Mowatt injured The New York Times August 31 1985 accessed June 17 2020 Neft Cohen and Korch pg 807 LT remembers Theismann s brutal injury I ve seen a lot worse hits ESPN November 18 2016 Retrieved April 3 2019 LT remembers Theismann s brutal injury I ve seen a lot worse hits ESPN November 18 2016 Retrieved May 13 2021 1985 New York Giants Archived April 8 2007 at the Wayback Machine databasefootball com accessed February 18 2007 a b c Charles Nick Taylor made L T has a date with Canton destiny sportsillustrated cnn com August 12 1999 accessed January 29 2007 Note Taylor is still the only defensive player to win the award unanimously as of 2010 he is the last defensive player to win it Lawrence Taylor infoplease com accessed March 23 2007 Sprechman and Shannon pg 13 a b 1986 New York Giants Archived February 8 2007 at the Wayback Machine databasefootball com accessed February 22 2007 Sports Illustrated Volume 66 Issue 4 Archived June 12 2007 at the Wayback Machine sportsillustrated cnn com January 26 1987 accessed December 7 2021 Taylor and Serby pg 105 a b 1987 New York Giants Archived April 10 2007 at the Wayback Machine databasefootball com accessed February 18 2007 Araton Harvey Sports of The Times L T s Rush Helped Sack Phil Simms The New York Times October 11 1994 accessed November 2 2010 Pervin pgs 102 3 Harvin Al N F L Taylor Entering Rehabilitation The New York Times September 3 1988 accessed December 7 2021 a b 1988 New York Giants Archived February 8 2007 at the Wayback Machine databasefootball com accessed February 18 2007 a b c Schwartz Larry Taylor redefined the outside linebacker position espn com November 19 2003 accessed February 21 2007 Box score No vs NYG 11 27 1988 Archived December 23 2007 at the Wayback Machine databasefootball com accessed February 21 2007 Russo amp Allen pg 135 Gutman pg 132 Litsky Frank Taylor s Ankle Is Broken but He Feels Better The New York Times December 2 1989 accessed December 7 2021 Anderson Dave SPORTS OF THE TIMES Will L T Try to Play on a Broken Ankle The New York Times December 3 1989 accessed December 7 2021 Litsky Frank Despite Fracture Taylor Plays The New York Times December 4 1989 accessed December 7 2021 Anderson Dave SPORTS OF THE TIMES Aggravating Is Kind Word The New York Times December 4 1989 accessed December 7 2021 a b The New York Times Sports of The Times L T as in Leadership Thing September 18 1989 accessed December 7 2021 1989 New York Giants Archived April 10 2007 at the Wayback Machine databasefootball com accessed February 18 2007 Litsky Frank Rams Win Toss and Game as Giants Season Ends The New York Times January 8 1990 accessed December 7 2021 Anderson Dave Sports Of The Times Why L T Deserves 2 Million The New York Times July 22 1990 accessed December 7 2021 Litsky Frank Giants and Marshall Settle But Talks on Taylor Stall The New York Times September 1 1990 accessed December 7 2021 Taylor s Contract Makes him Highest Paid JET pg 46 September 24 1990 Litsky Frank FOOTBALL sic Marshall Struggles to Regain Job The New York Times September 15 1990 accessed December 7 2021 a b c 1990 New York Giants Archived February 7 2007 at the Wayback Machine databasefootball com accessed February 18 2007 Jan 27 1991 Giants beat Bills in Scott Norwood game Newsday Retrieved April 3 2019 Rosenberg Sid Lawrence Taylor interview Archived September 27 2007 at the Wayback Machine fhmonline com accessed February 23 2007 Parcells steps down Handley replaces him UPI Retrieved April 3 2019 1992 New York Giants Archived April 8 2007 at the Wayback Machine databasefootball com accessed February 20 2007 a b Anderson Dave Sports of the Times Life Without L T Begins and Giants Find It a Struggle The New York Times November 16 1992 accessed March 23 2008 1992 New York Giants Archived April 8 2007 at the Wayback Machine databasefootball com accessed February 18 2007 Eskenazi Gerald PRO FOOTBALL Giants Want Taylor for a Year He Wants More The New York Times March 31 1993 accessed December 7 2021 Murray Ken Giant steps Reeves directs team s ascent The Baltimore Sun Retrieved April 3 2019 a b c d 1993 New York Giants Archived February 5 2007 at the Wayback Machine databasefootball com accessed February 18 2007 1993 NFL Standings Stats and Awards Archived April 8 2007 at the Wayback Machine databasefootball com accessed March 15 2007 Anderson Dave Sports of The Times L T Decides It s Time For Me to Go The New York Times January 16 1994 accessed December 7 2021 a b Walsh pg 238 Smith and Moritz Note The Sporting News has Taylor ranked fourth behind only offensive players Jim Brown Jerry Rice and Joe Montana See here for web verification Archived from the original on December 11 2007 Retrieved January 30 2007 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint bot original URL status unknown link for a link to the top three players hit the back button on the bottom of the page Smith Stephen NFL s Top 100 Players of All Time Debate Archived July 30 2012 at archive today November 5 2010 accessed November 8 2010 Note This list made by the NFL Network ranks him third overall behind two offensive players Rice and Brown Best defensive player in NFL history espn com March 26 2007 accessed April 17 2007 Celizic Mike No way Rice is greatest player ever 42 year old might be best WR ever but Brown LT are best players msnbc com September 6 2005 accessed February 24 2007 Prisco Pete Year End Awards Can Tomlinson steal L T nickname Archived January 28 2007 at the Wayback Machine cbssportsline com January 3 2007 accessed April 17 2007 Does LT s conduct make him Hall of Fame worthy Archived December 6 2008 at the Wayback Machine sportsillustrated cnn com accessed January 29 2007 Barall Andy Jim Brown Should Be No 1 but What About Most Underrated The New York Times November 5 2010 accessed November 23 2010 Joyner K C Taylor s level of dominance not seen in today s game espn com March 27 2008 accessed June 17 2020 Taylor and Serby pgs 251 260 Props chapter includes quotes from players and coaches Feldman Bruce Ten who should be in espn com March 14 2007 accessed May 6 2007 a b c d e f g h L T Over The Edge CBS News accessed December 7 2021 End of Century ESPN com s Ten important innovations ESPN accessed June 17 2020 Frostino pg 204 Montana and Weiner pg 207 Kirwan Pat Summer reading The greatest game changers Archived July 10 2006 at the Wayback Machine NFL com July 7 2006 accessed May 7 2007 Rand pg ii The Polian Corner Archived October 22 2006 at the Wayback Machine colts com September 20 2006 accessed March 18 2007 Schwartz pg 142 Lawrence Taylor encarta msn com accessed January 29 2007 Archived October 31 2009 Taylor and Falkner p 189 Taylor and Serby p 89 Lupica p 82 Taylor and Serby p 161 Taylor ranked 40th best athlete espn com accessed May 3 2007 News Sports Jobs The Intermountain theintermountain com permanent dead link Norris Floyd S E C Says 3 Rigged Stock In Football Star s Company The New York Times September 23 1995 accessed December 7 2021 Henriques Diana B And They All Came Tumbling Down Short Seller Levels a Wall St Institution The New York Times April 18 1996 accessed December 7 2021 Ex football star Lawrence Taylor falls victim to stock fraud Securities and Exchange Commission fines Robert Catoggio and Ronan Garber Archived January 3 2009 at the Wayback Machine JET October 16 1995 accessed April 21 2007 a b Lawrence Taylor Timeline yahoosports com May 7 2010 accessed November 29 2010 Associated Press Strange A broadcaster who still plays Archived January 4 2009 at the Wayback Machine The Topeka Capital Journal available online via findarticles com July 16 1999 accessed April 11 2007 a b NFL Films NFL Network accessed April 22 2007 George Thomas ON PRO FOOTBALL The Giants Best Play Of the Dallas Game Was Simms to L T The New York Times September 5 1995 accessed December 7 2021 Thomas Vincent New video games hype bawdy off field antics Tampa Bay Times January 1 2006 accessed February 24 2007 Mercy Streets IMDb accessed November 29 2010 In Hell IMDb accessed November 29 2010 LT gets the OK Archived September 30 2007 at the Wayback Machine sportsillustrated cnn com January 30 1999 accessed May 3 2007 a b c Five for the ages Pro Football Hall of Fame inducts five more members sportsillustrated cnn com accessed February 17 2007 a b Anderson Dave PRO FOOTBALL Losing Himself to Find Himself The New York Times November 28 2003 accessed December 7 2021 Sports Illustrated Volume 105 issue 1 July 3 2006 All Stars Archived August 21 2008 at the Wayback Machine exfuse com accessed October 5 2010 Seventeen sign Letters of Intent class of 2009 numbers 20 in all Archived February 7 2009 at the Wayback Machine purduesports com February 2 2009 accessed October 6 2010 Dancing s Season Eight Cast Is Revealed PEOPLE TV Watch tvwatch com September 2 2009 accessed October 5 2010 Barrett Annie Dancing With the Stars recap Suited to a Tee Archived April 25 2009 at the Wayback Machine ew com April 21 2009 accessed October 5 2010 Jamieson Wendell LT Cited For Leaving Scene of Wreck permanent dead link New York Daily News May 18 1996 accessed November 29 2010 Maske Mark TMZ reports Lawrence Taylor busted Archived November 15 2009 at the Wayback Machine The Washington Post November 6 2009 accessed October 5 2010 Tribune News Services Ex Giants star Taylor sued over car crash chicagobreakingsports com May 20 2010 accessed November 29 2010 Zinser Lynn Lawrence Taylor Arrested After Rape AllegationThe New York Times May 6 2010 accessed October 5 2010 NFL Hall of Famer charged in rape case CNN com May 7 2010 accessed October 5 2010 Maske Mark Taylor arrested charged with rape Washington Post May 7 2010 Lawrence Taylor Child Prostitute Lied About Her Age TMZ HuffPost July 7 2010 Retrieved January 22 2023 Lawrence Taylor on 16 year old prostitute I don t card them ProFootballTalk March 23 2011 Retrieved January 22 2023 NFL Legend Lawrence Taylor Pleads Guilty to Sexual Misconduct Fox News January 13 2011 Fitzgerald Jim Lawrence Taylor Declared Low Risk Sex Offender Archived December 4 2011 at the Wayback Machine Huffington Post April 12 2011 accessed September 20 2011 Lawrence Taylor ex New York Giant wins teen sex case National Football League October 26 2012 Retrieved October 26 2012 Giants great Lawrence Taylor s wife busted for hitting his head New York Daily News June 9 2016 Archived from the original on March 7 2018 Retrieved June 15 2016 Rovell Darren May 2 2017 Lawrence Taylor puts mini Lombardi Trophy up for auction ESPN Retrieved January 12 2020 Gartland Dan June 19 2017 Lawrence Taylor pleads guilty to DUI after crashing into police car Sports Illustrated Retrieved January 12 2020 Year by year sack leaders Pro Football Reference com retrieved 9 22 15Sources EditDanyluk Tom Super 70s Chicago Mad Uke Publishing 2005 ISBN 0 9770383 0 0 Eskenazi Gerald A Sports Writer s Life From the Desk of a New York Times Reporter Columbia University of Missouri Press 2004 ISBN 0 8262 1510 6 Frostino Nino Right on the Numbers British Columbia Trafford Publishing 2004 ISBN 1 4120 3305 5 Gutman Bill Parcells A Biography New York Carroll amp Graf Publishers 2001 ISBN 0 7867 0934 0 Harris Othello Nolte Claire Elaine and Kirsch George B Encyclopedia of Ethnicity and Sports in the United States Connecticut Greenwood Press 2000 ISBN 0 313 29911 0 Lupica Mike LT New York New York Media LLC December 24 31 1990 issue ISSN 0028 7369 available online Montana Joe and Weiner Richard Joe Montana s Art and Magic of Quarterbacking The Secrets of the Game from One of the All Time Best Ontario Owl Books 1998 ISBN 0 8050 4278 4 Neft David S Cohen Richard M and Korch Rick The Complete History of Professional Football from 1892 to the Present New York St Martin s Press 1994 ISBN 0 312 11435 4 Pervin Lawrence A Football s New York Giants A History McFarland 2009 ISBN 0 7864 4268 9 Powell Adam University of North Carolina Football South Carolina Arcadia Publishing 2006 ISBN 0 7385 4288 1 Russo Christopher amp Allen St John The Mad Dog Hall of Fame The Ultimate Top Ten Rankings of the Best in Sports Broadway 2007 ISBN 0 7679 2372 3 Schwartz Paul Tales from the New York Giants Sideline Illinois Sports Publishing LLC 2004 ISBN 1 58261 758 9 Shampoe Clay The Virginia Sports Hall Of Fame Honoring Champions Of The Commonwealth South Carolina Arcadia Publishing 2005 ISBN 0 7385 1776 3 Rand Jonathan Riddell Presents the Gridiron s Greatest Linebackers Illinois Sports Publishing LLC 2003 ISBN 1 58261 625 6 Smith Ron and Moritz Carl The Sporting News Selects Football s 100 Greatest Players A Celebration of the 20th Century s Best Missouri Sporting News Publishing Co 1999 ISBN 0 89204 624 4 Sprechman Jordan and Shannon Bill This Day in New York Sports Illinois Sports Publishing LLC 1998 ISBN 1 57167 254 0 Taylor Lawrence and Falkner David LT Living on the Edge New York Random House 1987 ISBN 0 8129 1703 0 Taylor Lawrence and Serby Steve LT Over the Edge Tackling Quarterbacks Drugs and a World Beyond Football New York HarperCollins 2003 ISBN 0 06 018551 1 Taylor Lawrence Taylor Icons of the NFL New York Rugged Land 2006 ISBN 1 59071 082 7 Walsh Chris New York Giants Football Guide and Record Book Illinois Triumph Books 2009 ISBN 1 60078 189 6 Ziegel Vic Giants in the Earth New York Media LLC Vol 16 No 40 October 10 1983 ISSN 0028 7369 available online External links EditLawrence Taylor at Wikipedia s sister projects Media from Commons Quotations from Wikiquote Data from Wikidata Official website Career statistics and player information from NFL com Pro Football Reference Lawrence Taylor at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Video NFL Top 100 Players 3 on YouTube Lawrence Taylor at Curlie Lawrence Taylor at IMDb Lawrence Taylor s profile at Cagematch net Internet Wrestling Database Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lawrence Taylor amp oldid 1148512170, wikipedia, wiki, 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