Junior Seau

Junior Seau

Seau with the Patriots in 2008
No. 55
Position:	Linebacker
Personal information
Date of birth:	(1969-01-19)January 19, 1969
Place of birth:	San Diego, California
Date of death:	May 2, 2012(2012-05-02) (aged 43)
Place of death:	Oceanside, California
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school:	Oceanside (CA)
College:	USC
NFL Draft:	1990 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5
Career history
San Diego Chargers (1990–2002) Miami Dolphins (2003–2005) New England Patriots (2006–2009)
Career highlights and awards
12× Pro Bowl (1991–2002) 8× First-team All-Pro (1991–1996, 1998, 2000) 2× Second-team All-Pro (1997, 1999) NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1992) AFC Player of the Year (1994) 2× AFC Defensive Player of the Year (1992, 1998) 4× NFL Alumni NFL Linebacker of the year (1992–1994, 2000) 3× NFLPA AFC Linebacker of the year (1992–1994) Walter Payton Man of the Year (1994) NFL 1990s All-Decade Team San Diego Chargers #55 retired San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame San Diego Chargers 50th Anniversary Team San Diego Chargers 40th Anniversary Team Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee (2015)
Career NFL statistics
Tackles: 1,849 Sacks: 56.5 Interceptions: 18 Forced fumbles: 11 Sacks: 56.5 Player stats at NFL.com
Pro Football Hall of Fame

Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau Jr. (/ˈseɪ.aʊ/; SAY-ow; January 19, 1969 – May 2, 2012) was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). Known for his passionate playing style, he was a 10-time All-Pro, 12-time Pro Bowl selection, and named to the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team. He was elected posthumously to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

Originally from Oceanside, California, Seau played college football at the University of Southern California (USC). He was chosen by the San Diego Chargers as the fifth overall pick of the 1990 NFL Draft. Seau started for 13 seasons for the Chargers before being traded to the Miami Dolphins where he spent three years, and spent his last four seasons with the New England Patriots.

Seau retired from pro football after the 2009 season. A standout on San Diego's only Super Bowl team, he was later inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame and the team retired his number 55. Seau died by suicide with a gunshot wound to the chest in 2012 at the age of 43. Later studies by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) concluded that Seau suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a type of chronic brain damage that has also been found in other deceased former NFL players.