Sean Taylor To Be Inducted Into UM Sports Hall Of Fame
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Sean Taylor was posthumously inducted into the University of Miami Sports Gall of Fame Thursday evening.
The former UM Safety was killed following a home invasion at his Palmetto Bay home in November 2007.
His father, Florida City Police Chief Pete Taylor, was at the induction ceremony at Jungle Island to accept the honor on his late son's behalf.
"It's a great honor for us to be here tonight and it's a great honor for Sean to be honored for his accomplishments as well as being a good teammate and a good student to this university," Taylor told CBS4's Lauren Pastrana.
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Sean Taylor was just 24 years old when he died.
Eric Rivera, who was 17 at the time, was arrested and charged, along with four other young men.
Rivera was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to 60 years in prison.
The day before the awards banquet, the fifth and final suspect, Timmy Lee Brown, took an 18-year plea deal.
"It's very rewarding to see that a case was put together very well and the outcome was met," Pete Taylor said.
After his UM days, Sean Taylor went on to play for the Washington Redskins as the 5th overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft.
He was inducted into the team's Ring of Fame in 2008, but his dad says he'd be just as thrilled by this latest achievement.
"He had a big smile so he'd be smiling and he had a big heart to say thank you," Pete Taylor said.
Other inductees included Taylor's teammate at UM, Jonathan Vilma, and Olympic track and field star Lauryn Williams.
