4460 Longhill Road Williamsburg, Virginia 23188, United States
Lawrence Taylor graduated from Lafayette High School in 1977.
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States
Lawrence Taylor studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
1992
Lawrence Taylor in action during the 1992 season against the LA Raiders.
1992
3911 Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90037, United States
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants battles a Los Angeles Rams lineman during a 38-17 Rams victory on October 18, 1992, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.
1992
Lawrence Taylor and Carl Banks in action, making tackle versus Los Angeles Raiders.
1992
Close-up of New York Giants' Lawrence Taylor on sidelines during game versus San Francisco 49ers.
1992
3911 Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90037, United States
Lawrence Taylor during a 38-17 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on October 18, 1992 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.
1993
1 MetLife Stadium Dr, East Rutherford, NJ 07073, United States
Linebacker Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants sacks quarterback Craig Erickson of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Giants Stadium on September 12, 1993 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
1993
East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States
Lawrence Taylor rushes the quarterback in the Giants 21-10 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the Meadowlands.
1994
602 Jamestown Ave San Francisco, California, United States
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants in action during the Giants 44-3 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the 1993 NFC Divisional Playoff Game on January 15, 1994 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California.
3911 Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90037, United States
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants works against the Los Angeles Raiders during a game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.
3911 Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90037, United States
New York Giants' linebacker Lawrence Taylor relaxes before their 13-10 win over the Los Angeles Raiders at the Los Angeles Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.
2000 E Gene Autry Way, Anaheim, CA 92806, United States
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants looks on during a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California.
2000 E Gene Autry Way, Anaheim, CA 92806, United States
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants moves down the field during a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California.
New York Giants' linebacker Lawrence Taylor lines up against the cowboys offensive line during 34-28 Dallas victory.
Close-up of New York Giants' Lawrence Taylor during a game versus San Francisco 49ers.
New York Giants' Lawrence Taylor sits alone on the bench.
1410 Museum Campus Dr, Chicago, IL 60605, United States
Linebacker Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants in action against offensive tackle Jay Leeuwenburg of the Chicago Bears circa early 1990's during an NFL football game at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.
1 MetLife Stadium Dr, East Rutherford, NJ 07073, United States
Linebacker Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants gets blocked by tight end Butch Rolle of the Phoenix Cardinals circa 1992 during an NFL football game at Giant Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Defensive tackle Leonard Marshall of the New York Giants has his jersey pulled back over his shoulder pads by teammate Lawrence Taylor during an NFL football game circa 1984.
Green Bay Packers' quarterback Brett Favre is pressured by Lawrence Taylor during an NFL football game.
2000 E Gene Autry Way, Anaheim, CA 92806, United States
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants makes a tackle against the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium circa 1992 in Anaheim, California.
2000 E Gene Autry Way, Anaheim, CA 92806, United States
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants prepares for a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium circa 1992 in Anaheim, California.
2000 E Gene Autry Way, Anaheim, CA 92806, United States
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants prepares for a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium circa 1992 in Anaheim, California.
2000 E Gene Autry Way, Anaheim, CA 92806, United States
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants prepares for a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium circa 1992 in Anaheim, California.
2400 East Capitol St NE, Washington, DC 20003, United States
Linebacker Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants and Washington Redskins' quarterback Mark Rypien look on during a game at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.
New York Giants' Lawrence Taylor on the bench.
1 MetLife Stadium Dr, East Rutherford, NJ 07073, United States
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants looks on from the sideline during a National Football League game at Giants Stadium circa 1993 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
1986
Lawrence Taylor, named to the all-time Super Bowl team, holds the trophy the 1986 Giants won in Super Bowl XXI.
1986
Bert Bell Award
1986
Lawrence Taylor, named to the all-time Super Bowl team, holds the trophy the 1986 Giants won in Super Bowl XXI.
1986
Bert Bell Award
1992
Lawrence Taylor in action during the 1992 season against the LA Raiders.
1992
3911 Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90037, United States
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants battles a Los Angeles Rams lineman during a 38-17 Rams victory on October 18, 1992, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.
1992
Lawrence Taylor and Carl Banks in action, making tackle versus Los Angeles Raiders.
1992
Close-up of New York Giants' Lawrence Taylor on sidelines during game versus San Francisco 49ers.
1992
3911 Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90037, United States
Lawrence Taylor during a 38-17 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on October 18, 1992 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.
1993
1 MetLife Stadium Dr, East Rutherford, NJ 07073, United States
Linebacker Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants sacks quarterback Craig Erickson of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Giants Stadium on September 12, 1993 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
1993
East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States
Lawrence Taylor rushes the quarterback in the Giants 21-10 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the Meadowlands.
1994
602 Jamestown Ave San Francisco, California, United States
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants in action during the Giants 44-3 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the 1993 NFC Divisional Playoff Game on January 15, 1994 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California.
4460 Longhill Road Williamsburg, Virginia 23188, United States
Lawrence Taylor graduated from Lafayette High School in 1977.
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States
Lawrence Taylor studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
3911 Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90037, United States
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants works against the Los Angeles Raiders during a game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.
3911 Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90037, United States
New York Giants' linebacker Lawrence Taylor relaxes before their 13-10 win over the Los Angeles Raiders at the Los Angeles Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.
2000 E Gene Autry Way, Anaheim, CA 92806, United States
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants looks on during a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California.
2000 E Gene Autry Way, Anaheim, CA 92806, United States
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants moves down the field during a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California.
New York Giants' linebacker Lawrence Taylor lines up against the cowboys offensive line during 34-28 Dallas victory.
Close-up of New York Giants' Lawrence Taylor during a game versus San Francisco 49ers.
New York Giants' Lawrence Taylor sits alone on the bench.
1410 Museum Campus Dr, Chicago, IL 60605, United States
Linebacker Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants in action against offensive tackle Jay Leeuwenburg of the Chicago Bears circa early 1990's during an NFL football game at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.
1 MetLife Stadium Dr, East Rutherford, NJ 07073, United States
Linebacker Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants gets blocked by tight end Butch Rolle of the Phoenix Cardinals circa 1992 during an NFL football game at Giant Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Defensive tackle Leonard Marshall of the New York Giants has his jersey pulled back over his shoulder pads by teammate Lawrence Taylor during an NFL football game circa 1984.
Green Bay Packers' quarterback Brett Favre is pressured by Lawrence Taylor during an NFL football game.
2000 E Gene Autry Way, Anaheim, CA 92806, United States
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants makes a tackle against the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium circa 1992 in Anaheim, California.
2000 E Gene Autry Way, Anaheim, CA 92806, United States
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants prepares for a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium circa 1992 in Anaheim, California.
2000 E Gene Autry Way, Anaheim, CA 92806, United States
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants prepares for a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium circa 1992 in Anaheim, California.
2000 E Gene Autry Way, Anaheim, CA 92806, United States
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants prepares for a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium circa 1992 in Anaheim, California.
2400 East Capitol St NE, Washington, DC 20003, United States
Linebacker Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants and Washington Redskins' quarterback Mark Rypien look on during a game at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.
New York Giants' Lawrence Taylor on the bench.
1 MetLife Stadium Dr, East Rutherford, NJ 07073, United States
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants looks on from the sideline during a National Football League game at Giants Stadium circa 1993 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Lynette Taylor, Taylor's spouse
Lawrence Taylor Junior, Taylor's son
Michael Jordan
(LT: Over the Edge is a smash-mouth memoir by one of the g...)
LT: Over the Edge is a smash-mouth memoir by one of the game's greatest players, an unsparing look at the giant of all Giants whose struggle with a cocaine habit was the only thing in his life he couldn't tackle with ease.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060185511/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i0
2001
(An oddball mama's boy from Louisiana, Bobby only wanted m...)
An oddball mama's boy from Louisiana, Bobby only wanted more than anything to quench the thirst of the athletes who treat him like dirt! When Bobby is allowed to play with them, he unleashes the hardest hitter ever to roam the gridiron!
https://www.amazon.com/Waterboy-Adam-Sandler/dp/B0063UKTDO
1998
(Oliver Stone scores the ultimate football movie! This pow...)
Oliver Stone scores the ultimate football movie! This powerful action drama puts you on the field with the players, on the sidelines with the coach and in the box with the team owners.
https://www.amazon.com/Any-Given-Sunday-Al-Pacino/dp/B000NNFLPS
1999
(Estranged twin brothers - one a con man, the other an Epi...)
Estranged twin brothers - one a con man, the other an Episcopal deacon - accidentally switch places... and find God in the process.
https://www.amazon.com/Mercy-Streets-Eric-Roberts/dp/B002H6NVO2
2000
(Inside the most corrupt prison in Europe's Eastern Block,...)
Inside the most corrupt prison in Europe's Eastern Block, the warden pits prisoners against each other in fights to the death. The newest contender is Kyle LeBlanc, serving a life sentence for killing his wife's murderer. His savage rage may be what saves his life.
https://www.amazon.com/Hell-Jean-Claude-Van-Damme/dp/B00A2ZO248
2003
sports commentator athlete Football player
Taylor was born on February 4, 1959 in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States, one of Clarence and Iris Taylor's three sons. His father worked as a truck driver at the shipyards in Newport News, and his mother worked odd jobs to earn extra money for the family.
Taylor grew up playing baseball and singing in the choir at his church. His first experience with football came during his sophomore year in high school. After almost quitting the team in his junior year, he found himself in the starting lineup midway through the season. During his senior season, Taylor became a star at defensive end and at the tight end position. Although he was not heavily recruited by universities with notable football programs, Taylor accepted a scholarship to the University of North Carolina after his graduation from Lafayette High School in 1977.
In his first year at North Carolina, Taylor played exclusively on special teams. The team compiled an 8-3-1 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Off the field, Taylor was called "The Monster" because of his reputation for wild behavior. During his sophomore year, he was hampered by injuries and finished the season with only eight tackles. He soon discovered that it was more important to earn respect on the football field rather than for his outlandish behavior off the field. As a junior, Taylor was a key part of a team that finished 8-3-1 and made an appearance in the Gator Bowl. The Tar Heels defeated Michigan, 17-15, and Taylor made the play of the game by sacking Michigan quarterback John Wangler to stop a key drive. He finished the year with 80 solo tackles and five sacks.
Taylor was picked in the first round by the New York Giants on April 28, 1981. He joined a team that already had a solid linebacking core. The Giants signed the rookie to a big contract and changed their whole defensive scheme to accommodate a player who had never played a single down in the NFL. Taylor quickly dispelled any doubts about his abilities with his dominating play during his first practice as a Giant. In his first season, the Giants made the playoffs for the first time in 18 years and won their wildcard playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Taylor led the team with 133 tackles and 9.5 sacks.
Taylor's second NFL season got off to a rocky start. He injured his foot during the preseason, and then the NFL players went on strike. After the players' strike was resolved, Taylor regained his form and was named to the Pro Bowl for the second straight year. After such an impressive second season, Taylor held out for more money before his third season. He missed most of the preseason and returned only after the Giants management promised to talk about a new contract after the season. Late in 1983, Taylor signed a deal with the New Jersey Generals of the now-defunct United States Football League (USFL). The Giants were forced to buy out Taylor's USFL contract and offer their star linebacker a substantial raise, or risk having him bolt to the rival league. During the mid-1980s, the Giants steadily improved as Taylor became the most dominant player in the game.
In 1986, the Giants defense led the team on a 12 game winning streak and a first-place finish in the NFC East. In the first round of the playoffs, the Giants crushed the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 49-3 and then blanked the Washington Redskins, 17-0. The Giants went on to face the AFC-champion Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. During the second half, the Giants blew the game open and cruised to a 39-20 victory and the NFL Championship. In 1986, Taylor had set a Giants record by compiling 105 tackles, 20 1\2 sacks, and three forced fumbles.
After their Super Bowl victory, the Giants and their star linebacker seemed to go downhill. Taylor was hampered throughout most of the 1987 season by a hamstring injury. The NFL also experienced labor problems. Players were locked out, and two games were staffed by replacement players. The Giants finished the season with a disappointing 6-9 record. In 1988, Taylor was suspended for the first four games of the season when he tested positive for cocaine. After serving his suspension, Taylor returned to the lineup. However, the Giants missed the playoffs for the second year in a row. The team made the playoffs in 1989, but lost at home in the first round.
After three sub-par seasons, Taylor started the 1990 season by holding out for most of training camp. Five days before the Giants first regular season game, he signed a new contract and recorded five sacks in limited action during the season opener. The Giants went on to post an excellent 13-3 record. In the playoffs, the Giants routed the Chicago Bears, and then defeated the San Francisco 49ers to advance to Super Bowl XXV against the Buffalo Bills. The Giants completed their season with a stunning 20-19 championship victory over the favored Bills.
Coach Bill Parcells left the Giants following the 1990 season, and the team experienced a decline. Taylor had made up his mind to retire at the end of the 1992 season, but missed the last six weeks of the season with an Achilles tendon injury. He came back for one more season in 1993 and led his team to an 11-5 record and a playoff berth. Although the Giants lost to the 49ers in the playoffs, Taylor's list of accomplishments was notable. Over a 13-year career, Taylor recorded 132 1\2 sacks, and was a unanimous choice for the NFL's All-1980's team. He was also selected for the NFL's 75th Anniversary Team. Following the 1993 season, Taylor announced his retirement from the NFL.
After retiring from the NFL, Taylor started his own company, All Pro Products, Inc. The company went public at 5 a share. The stock price went up to 15.50 a share, but it turned out that the unbelievable growth of All Pro Products was illusory. The Securities and Exchange Commission found that two traders had manipulated the price of the stock, which skyrocketed despite the fact that the company lost over 900,000. In the end, Taylor lost several hundred thousand dollars and the company's stock, which was once valued at 10.8 million, was worth only pennies. Despite these financial struggles, Taylor stayed in the limelight by appearing in Wrestlemania XI. Taylor and several other NFL stars performed in a much-hyped bout with World Wrestling Federation bad-guy, Bam Bam Bigelow.
Taylor worked in several regular television jobs. He first worked as a football analyst for the now defunct TNT Sunday Night Football. He also worked as a color commentator on an amateur fighting program entitled Toughman on the FX channel.
Taylor also tried himself as an actor. He appeared in the Oliver Stone movie Any Given Sunday where he played a character much like himself; in the HBO series The Sopranos and the film The Waterboy. Taylor had a role in the 2000 version of Shaft. In the same year, he acted in the Christian film Mercy Streets with Eric Roberts and Stacy Keach. In 2003 Lawrence appeared in prison movie In Hell with Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Taylor is considered one of the best players to ever play in the NFL. He has been ranked as the top defensive player in league history by news outlets, media members, former players and coaches.
Lawrence is both the first and currently only NFL player to win the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in his rookie season. He also won three AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards 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 to have ever won the NFL MVP award.
He was named First-team All-Pro in nine of his first ten seasons. In 1999 Taylor became eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
(LT: Over the Edge is a smash-mouth memoir by one of the g...)
2001(An oddball mama's boy from Louisiana, Bobby only wanted m...)
1998(Oliver Stone scores the ultimate football movie! This pow...)
1999(Inside the most corrupt prison in Europe's Eastern Block,...)
2003(Estranged twin brothers - one a con man, the other an Epi...)
2000Lawrence carries out the annual Lawrence Taylor Throwback Celebrity Golf Weekend to benefit the charity Fore Life Inc. The program uses golf to teach at-risk kids to survive and succeed through forethought, responsibility, respect and the goal of striving for excellence.
Quotations:
"You try to stay within the rules for the sake of the game, but you can always turn up the intensity."
"Football is not a game for the weak of heart, because every day you've got a hundred reasons to take all those pads off and say, 'F-k it.'"
"And once you cross over into that world, no matter how strong you are, you have to pay the price."
"Hopefully the new breed of kids won't have to go through that hard lesson - my kids, my grandkids, my fans' kids, hopefully they won't have to go through it."
"I'll tell you, there were only a few games in my career where I was totally oblivious to everything around me, where I was in the zone."
"You can take a substance that works in your system, but then you take this over here that's not banned, and this over here that's not banned, but if you mix them together, you've got a banned substance in your system."
"I had everything working my way, strong as a bull. And still I ignored the rules of the game of life."
"Taking them out of the picture, so to speak, what football really is, the savagery, the core root of football, it doesn't change. It really puts the real in football."
"Most of the games don't let you focus too much on the cheerleaders, but I've been watching these girls."
"Steroids are for guys who want to cheat opponents."
"The NFL, and I've played a lot of years for them, and they have a lot of restrictions on their players, they have restrictions on their licensees, they have restrictions on everything."
"But every day I tell my story, and be comfortable with my story and be comfortable with what I've done, and what I did, and how I am today, it lessens the likelihood it will ever happen."
"Football is not part of that lifestyle anymore."
"First of all, a player has to know what is banned and what is not banned."
"If they play dirty, then you play dirty."
"There were probably about five games in my career where everything was moving in slow motion and you could be out there all day, totally in the zone, and you don't even know where you are on the field, everything is just totally blocked out."
"All you can do is put your story out there enough times and hope that a couple will understand that no matter what type of athlete you are - there were no athletes better than I was, there was no one who had more going for him than I did, there was no athlete stronger mentally than I was."
"When you get old, everything is hurting. When I get up in the morning, it sounds like I'm making popcorn."
"People get hurt all the time in the game of football, it's part of what we do."
"In football, you can always maim a person if you wanted to."
Taylor's life off the field was troubled both during and after his football career. He struggled with a cocaine addiction, and in 1988 he was suspended by the NFL for failing a drug test. Between 1996 and 1998 he was arrested three times on drug charges. In May 2010 he was arrested and charged with third-degree rape and solicitation of a prostitute after he allegedly had sexual relations with a 16-year-old girl at a hotel in Suffern. In January 2011 he pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct and patronizing a prostitute - both misdemeanor charges - and was sentenced to six years of probation.
Physical Characteristics: Lawrence Taylor is 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) tall and weighs 238 lb (108 kg).
Quotes from others about the person
John Madden: "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."
Bobby Cale: "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. He was reckless, just reckless."
Keith Byars: "In 30 or 40 years, I'm going to take out the tapes and show them to my grandkids. To show them I really played against Lawrence Taylor. The greatest. (He was then asked what he will tell his grandkids). That he was everything they said he was."
Joe Montana: "You saw hunger. Some guys were great at playing their position but didn't have that feeling inside and that was something that L.T. had with him every down of every game and he never lost it."
Howie Long: "All I can say about Lawrence Taylor is that he's the best defensive football player I've seen. I've said many times he's the best player I've seen in my era defensively. Everyone else is a pretender."
Steve Bartkowski: "I think that he was the greatest football player that I ever stepped on the field against. Nobody dictated what you could do offensively like L.T."
George Martin: "He is the Michael Jordan of football."
George Martin: "A transformation would take place when he'd put on his uniform. He would be transformed into this homicidal maniac."
Joe Gibbs: "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."
George Young: "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."
Lawrence Taylor married Deborah Belinda Taylor in 1981. They had three children together. The couple separated and divorced in 1996. In 2001 he married Maritza Cruz. Their marriage lasted until 2005. At present, he is married to Lynette Taylor. Lawrence Taylor also has four kids from other women born out of wedlock.
