Bryan Pata
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| Date of birth | August 12, 1984 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Miami, Florida |
| Date of death | November 7, 2006 (aged 22) |
| Place of death | Miami, Florida |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | DL |
| College | University of Miami |
| High school | North Miami High School/Miami Central High School |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 2003–2006 | Miami Hurricanes |
Bryan Sidney Pata (August 12, 1984 – November 7, 2006) was an American football defensive lineman for the Miami Hurricanes and was majoring in criminology. After leaving a football practice during his fourth year at the school, Pata was murdered.
Pata played three seasons at North Miami High School before moving on to Miami Central High School. He was named to SuperPrep's All-America team, and rated as the nation's 26th-best defensive lineman by that magazine. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also named him as one of the top 100 players in the South.
He chose to attend the University of Miami after also considering Rutgers University, the University of Florida and the University of Oklahoma.
Pata was in his fourth year with the Hurricanes and was expected to be selected in the 2007 NFL Draft. He appeared in 41 games, making 23 starts. Pata played primarily defensive tackle in his last season, totaling 13 tackles and two sacks. He had been placed on the watch list for the Hendricks Award, awarded to college football's top defensive end.
On November 7, 2006 Pata was shot and killed outside his apartment complex after leaving team practice earlier that day. The shooting was ruled by police to be a homicide. He was 22. The case remains unsolved.
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