Junior Seau

Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau Jr. (; SAY-ow; January 19, 1969 – May 2, 2012) was an American professional football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the San Diego Chargers for most of his career, he is regarded as one of the greatest linebackers of all time. Seau played college football for the USC Trojans, earning All-American honors and winning Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year in 1989. He was selected fifth overall in the 1990 NFL draft by the Chargers, where he spent his first 13 seasons. During his San Diego tenure, he received 12 consecutive Pro Bowl and six first-team All-Pro selections. Seau also led the league in solo tackles in 1994 en route to the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XXIX. After being traded from the Chargers, Seau was a member of the Miami Dolphins for three seasons. He played his last four seasons with the New England Patriots, where he was a member of the 2007 team that won all 16 regular season games and appeared in Super Bowl XLII. Three years after his retirement, Seau committed suicide in 2012. Seau was later diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disease found in other deceased NFL players, drawing further scrutiny towards the health of football athletes. He was posthumously inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.