Lawrence Taylor

Lawrence Julius Taylor is a Hall of Fame former American football player. Taylor played his entire professional career as a linebacker for the New York Giants (1981–1993) in the National Football League (NFL).

After an All-American career at the Universty of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Taylor was drafted by the Giants. He was named 1981's The " NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year" by the Associated Press. He produced double-digit sacks seasons consecutively from 1986 through 1990.

Taylor won the 1986 NFL's "Most Valuable Player" award and is one of just two defensive players in history to receive that honor (former Minnesota Viking Alan Page is the other). Because of his dominance on the defensive side of the ball, Taylor is widely acknowledged as one of the most feared players to ever step onto the football field.

He helped lead the Giants to Super Bowl XXI and XXV victories. Taylor retired in 1993 with a career total of 142 sacks, and 10 Pro Bowl appearances. In 1999, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Hame.

He is perhaps best known for breaking Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann's leg during a 1985 Monday Night Football game, an injury that ended Theismann's career. Taylor has said that he has never seen the video clip of the play and never wants to.

Taylor once wrestled a match for the World Wrestling Federation against Bam Bam Bigelow. The match was the main event at Wrestlemania XI, which took place on April 2, 1995 in Hartford, Connecticut. Bigelow had shoved Taylor when he was at ringside for a prior event, and the match was soon thereafter signed. Taylor ended up winning the match, fittingly with several shoulder tackles.

Despite his success on the football field, his personal life has been marred by drug usage. In a November 2003 interview with the TV news magazine 60 Minutes, Taylor claimed that he hired prostitutes to opponents' hotel rooms the night before a game and that he spent thousands of dollars a day on narcotics.

As of 2004, Taylor has been trying to start a career in acting. He appeared in the Oliver Stone movie, Any Given Sunday. Taylor also aided his voice to the controversial video game, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. He also was a head coach in the 2004 Lingerie Bowl.