Junior Seau

Junior Seau
	Seau with the Patriots in 2008
No. 55
Position:	Linebacker
Personal information
Born:	January 19, 1969; San Diego, California, U.S.
Died:	May 2, 2012 (aged 43); Oceanside, California, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school:	Oceanside
College:	USC (1987–1989)
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
	NFL Man of the Year (1994); 6× First-team All-Pro (1992–1994, 1996, 1998, 2000); 3× Second-team All-Pro (1995, 1997, 1999); 12× Pro Bowl (1991–2002); NFL solo tackles co-leader (1994); NFL 1990s All-Decade Team; NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team; Los Angeles Chargers Hall of Fame; Los Angeles Chargers No. 55 retired; Second-team All-American (1989); Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year (1989); First-team All-Pac-10 (1989);
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:
Total tackles:	1,847
Sacks:	56.5
Interceptions:	18
Interception yards:	238
Forced fumbles:	11
Fumble recoveries:	18
Defensive touchdowns:	1
	Player stats at PFR
	Pro Football Hall of Fame

Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau Jr. (/ˈseɪ.aʊ/; SAY-ow; January 19, 1969 – May 2, 2012) was an American professional football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL), mostly with the San Diego Chargers. Known for his passionate play,^[1]^[2] he was a six-time first-team All-Pro, twelve-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 San Diego, California, Seau played college football for the USC Trojans, earning All-American honors in 1989. He was selected by the Chargers with the fifth overall pick of the 1990 NFL draft. Seau played for the Chargers for 13 seasons and led them to Super Bowl XXIX before being traded to the Miami Dolphins where he spent three years, and spent his last four seasons with the New England Patriots. After his retirement, his No. 55 was retired by the Chargers and he was inducted into their Hall of Fame.

Seau committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest in 2012 at age 43. Later studies by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) concluded that Seau had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disease that has also been found in other deceased former NFL players.^[3]^[4] It is believed to be caused by repetitive head trauma, and can lead to conditions such as dementia, rage, and depression.^[4]

^ Cite error: The named reference williamson was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference acee_05022012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Fainaru-Wada, Mark; Avila, Jim; Fainaru, Steve (January 9, 2013). "Doctors: Junior Seau's brain had CTE". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 13, 2013.
^ ^a ^b Einbinder, Nicole (September 21, 2017). "Aaron Hernandez Found To Have Had "Severe" Case of CTE". Frontline. Public Broadcasting Station. Archived from the original on September 26, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2017.