On Oct. 10, 1994, the New York football Giants retire Lawrence Taylor's no. 56 jersey.
Taylor was the No. 2 overall pick out of North Carolina when the New York Giants took him in the first round of the 1981 NFL Draft.
Taylor would have an immediate impact on the game, and the position of linebackers, as he was named the AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1981.
Taylor would rack up 10 Pro Bowl appearances over his career, with 10 All-Pro selections as well. He was a three-time AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year, a two-time UPI NFC Defensive Player of the Year, a one time AP NFL MVP in 1986 as well being named the PFWA NFL MVP, NEA NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and Bert Bell Award winner in 1986. That same year he led the NFL in sacks, with 20.5 sacks.
Taylor would help the Giants to two Super Bowl wins in Super Bowl XXI (21) and XXB (25).
Taylor would finish his career with 1,088 tackles, 132.5 sacks, 11 fumble recoveries and nine interceptions in 184 games with 180 starts. He also scored two touchdowns in his career, both off of interceptions. If you include the unofficial total of 9.5 sacks from his rookie year his total would be 142. *Sacks were not an official stat category until 1982.*
Taylor was named to the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team, the NFL 75 Anniversary All-Time Team and was ranked No. 3 by the Top 100: NFL’s Greatest Players.
Taylor was nominated to the New York Giants Ring of Honor in 2010.
Outside of football Taylor was the main event at WrestleMania XI (11) defeating Bam Bam Bigelow.
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