Lawrence Taylor

Lawrence Taylor

Active - 1998 - 2010  |   Born - Feb 4, 1959 in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States  |   Genres - Sports & Recreation, Comedy, Drama

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Biography by AllMovie

Linebacker for the New York Giants Lawrence Taylor has sometimes been called one of the best defensive football players in history. An All-American during his career at the University of North Carolina, Taylor was drafted by the Giants in 1981, and he went on to play for the team until 1993. During that time, Taylor wracked up a record that continues to endure. But even as Taylor was setting records on the field, he was also the center of ongoing controversies, with drama swirling over everything from his salary to his admitted cocaine use. After retiring, Taylor began regularly appearing as a commentator and analyst on sports shows and acted in movies like Any Given Sunday and The Waterboy. He eventually gave up the hard-partying lifestyle he'd come to be known for and picked up a hobby in golf, sometimes appearing in celebrity tournaments. In 2010 he played himself in the comedy When in Rome.

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Factsheet

  • Asked to play football at age 9, but his mother feared it was too dangerous and signed him up for baseball instead (he was an all-star four years in a row); finally began playing football at age 13.
  • Was the Giants' first-round draft pick (the second player overall) in 1981.
  • Named NFL's Rookie of the Year in 1981, Most Valuable Player in 1986, and Defensive Player of the Year in 1981, 1982 and 1986.
  • Spent entire football career (1981-93) playing for the New York Giants and helped them win Super Bowl championships in 1986 and 1990.
  • Surpassed his role as linebacker and is considered one of the greatest defensive players in the history of football.
  • Was the first player in history to be chosen for the Pro Bowl in 10 consecutive seasons. 
  • Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999.
  • Released autobiographies in 1987 (LT: Living on the Edge, written with David Faulkner) and 2004 (LT: Over the Edge: Tackling Quarterbacks, Drugs and a World Beyond Football, written with Steve Serby).
  • Competed in Season 8 of Dancing With the Stars.