Jackie Taylor to Wear No. 21 for UNC Volleyball as Tribute to Father, NFL Icon Sean
June 27, 2024
Jackie Taylor, daughter of NFL star Sean Taylor, will honor her late father by wearing No. 21 for North Carolina's volleyball team.
The Tar Heels announced Taylor will wear the same number her father used for the final three seasons of his playing career.
Carolina Volleyball @UNCVolleyballLike father, like daughter 🤝<br><br>Freshman Jackie Taylor will wear No. 21 as a Tar Heel, honoring her dad, Sean Taylor 💙 2️⃣1️⃣ 💙<br><br>📸: Seattle Times<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoHeels?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoHeels</a> <a href="https://t.co/HTQBwozTvb">pic.twitter.com/HTQBwozTvb</a>
Jackie was born in May 2006, a few months after her father finished his second season in the NFL with Washington.
Sean died on Nov. 27, 2007, at the age of 24. He was shot in the leg when a group of people broke into his house. The bullet damaged his femoral artery, which resulted in significant blood loss.
Eric Rivera, who prosecutors said fired the gun, was sentenced to more than 57 years in prison by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Dennis Murphy in 2014.
Jackie and Garcia Haley, Jackie's mom and Taylor's girlfriend at the time, were in the bedroom of the house when the incident occurred. They were not injured.
A total of five men were charged in the incident. Three of them were convicted in separate trials. The other two agreed to plea deals that included prison sentences.
Jackie has been honoring her father throughout her athletic career. She wore No. 1 for the Gulliver Prep high school volleyball team. Sean wore the same number for the football team when he attended Gulliver Prep.
"My biggest thing has always been just making sure his name stays alive," Jackie told ESPN's John Keim in November. "It's never felt like a burden, but it's just felt like a part of me to connect with him."
Jackie led the Raiders to their first Florida state championship during her senior year. She finished with 26 kills, 6.5 blocks and four digs in the four-set win over Bishop Moore in the Class 4A championship match.
Sean Taylor was the No. 5 overall pick by Washington in the 2004 NFL draft. He originally wore No. 36 during his rookie season before switching to 21 in 2005.
Washington retired Taylor's No. 21 in October 2021. He was posthumously inducted into the team's ring of honor in 2008.