Taylor, Lawrence 1959–

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Lawrence Taylor 1959–

Former professional football player

At a Glance…

Became a First-Round Draft Choice

Named Most Valuable Player

Twilight of a Sterling Career

A Long Strange Trip

Sources

During the 1980s, Lawrence Taylor was one of the NFL’s most dominant players. As an extremely gifted linebacker, he led the New York Giants to two Super Bowl victories. Despite his accomplishments on the football field, Taylor was plagued by financial problems and an addiction to cocaine. However, these problems did not diminish his remarkable accomplishments in the NFL. In 1999, he was inducted into professional football’s Hall of Fame.

Taylor was born on February 4, 1959 in Williamsburg, Virginia, one of Clarence and Iris Taylor’s three sons. His father worked in 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 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. Taylor told Michael Shapiro of the New York Times about his attitude in college, “It was party time in college. I was bad. I used to go downtown and get into fights all the time. I was trying to be a hoodlum in college, going to frat houses and destroying everything. I had a reputation in Chapel Hill that nobody messed with L.T I kind of liked that[00fe]Then I learned another way to get respect from people. That’s what it’s all about, getting respect.” 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 Tarheels 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.

At a Glance…

Born Lawrence Julius Taylor, February 4, 1959, in Williamsburg, VA; son of Clarence and Iris Taylor. Education: attended the University of North Carolina.

Career: Played football at the University of North Carolina, 1977–80; drafted second overall by the New York Giants, 1981; starting linebacker for the New York Giants, 1981–92; retired from the NFL, 1993.

Awards: First team All-American and the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, l980; NFL Rookie of the Year, 1981; Pro Bowl selection, 1981–90; NFL Defensive Player of the Year, 1981, 1982, 1986; NFL’s Most Valuable Player, 1986; member of the NFL’s All 1980’s team, 1990; named to NFL’s 75th Anniversary Team, 1994; elected on the first ballot to the NFL’s Hall of Fame, 1999.

Addresses: Home —Upper Saddle River, NJ; Business —c\o The Pro Football Hall of Fame, 2121 George Halas Drive NW, Canton, OH 44708.

During Taylor’s final season at North Carolina in 1980, the team won its first seven games enroute to an 11–1 record. The Tarheels won the ACC title, and Taylor was named a first team All-American and the ACC Player of the Year. Taylor racked up 55 solo tackles and 16 sacks. After playing in the East-West Shrine Game, Taylor withdrew from North Carolina to prepare for the NFL draft.

Became a First-Round Draft Choice

On April 28, 1981, Taylor was the second player picked in the first round by the New York Giants. The Giants general manager, George Young, told Michael Katz of the New York Times about the decision to draft Taylor, “It was not a difficult decision to make. You can’t pass up a guy who you think will be a Pro Bowler for ten years. You can’t tell yourself that you need help at another position.” Taylor 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. He was named Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and was a unanimous choice for the All-Pro team.

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. He was again named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the 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. Following the 1985 season, he gained notoriety for a different reason. Sportscaster Howard Cosell broke the story that Taylor was addicted to cocaine and had spent time in a rehabilitation center. Taylor confirmed the rumors, but then refused to speak to the media about the subject.

Named Most Valuable Player

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. Those efforts earned him a unanimous selection as the NFL’s Most Valuable Player, a spot on the All-NFL team, and a sixth consecutive start in the Pro Bowl. Despite these achievements, Taylor told Frank Litsky of the New York Times that his years as a football player were taking their toll, “I’m a guy who’s starting to get old, not as old as some but a lot older than others. I’m a lot slower than I used to be. I get tired easier … It’s not distressing. I compensate with other things. I’m a little smarter than I used to be. I try to use that to my advantage.”

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.

Twilight of a Sterling Career

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 were 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.

A Long Strange Trip

After retiring from the NFL, Taylor started his own company, All Pro Products, Inc. The company went public at 5 a share, and financial observers watched in amazement as the company tripled in value during the first month of its existence. 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.

Unfortunately, Taylor’s life seemed to spiral out of control. In May of 1996, Taylor was in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for a celebrity golf tournament when he was arrested for trying to buy 100 worth of crack cocaine from an undercover police officer. Taylor received 60 hours of community service, checked into another rehab center, and was made to undergo random drug tests. He also received three summons for traffic violations, pleaded guilty to filing a false income tax return, and was questioned by a state-grand jury about his ties to organized crime. In an article by New York Times reporter Mike Freeman, Taylor was quoted as saying, “My whole life seems like it’s in the toilet. Well, it’s going to be in the toilet now … I ought to kill myself.”

In May of 1998, Taylor was arrested for failing to pay child support. He was released after spending 12 hours in jail and paying 4, 429 in back child support. In addition to paying 12,000 a year for the care of his daughter, Wendy, Taylor paid 50,000 a year to his former wife Deborah and their three children, and another 12,000 a year to a fifth child. All of these support payments could not be maintained on Taylor’s 50,000 to 100,000 yearly income. His lawyer, Michael T. Melani, told David M. Herszenhorn of the New York Times, “His current financial situation has deteriorated substantially since his days as a football player. We will be making a request to reduce (his support payments) to a sum that he could afford. He’s struggling and he’s doing everything he can to take care of his obligations. Like everybody else, he was very embarrassed.” Along with these financial problems, Taylor was arrested in St. Petersburg, Florida at a charity golf tournament for trying to buy 50 of crack cocaine from an undercover police officer. Although Taylor insisted that he was framed, he entered a drug rehabilitation center and declared bankruptcy to prevent foreclosure on his mansion in Upper Saddle River, NJ.

In the midst of his financial and legal troubles, Taylor was listed among the 76 candidates eligible for the NFL Hall of Fame. It was feared that many voters would overlook the accomplishments of his stellar NFL career and reject him because of his personal problems. However, Taylor was voted into the Hall of Fame in January of 1999. In a 1994 article in the New York Times, Taylor’s former coach Bill Parcells summed up Taylor’s career, “This sounds corny, but I think he was the consummate team player. He was very easy to coach because all you had to do was show him where the competition was. He wasn’t selfish statistically. If we didn’t win, he felt like he had failed no matter what he did. When people talk about who was the best outside linebacker, they’re not going to put him in a group with seven or eight others. The bus station is full of guys who were going to be the next Lawrence Taylor.”