In the 1990s, the San Diego Chargers had a good share of excitement and energy within their team, and that was a big product of Junior Seau. One of the best linebackers to ever laced a boot, Seau exudes passion and explosiveness that was infectious. In a career that spans two decades, Seau dominated through the NFL and became one of the most beloved players in the league. And while his life will end in a tragedy, his legacy will remain as an unquestionable Hall of Famer.

Seau attended the University of Southern California where he will play for the Trojans for three years as a linebacker. In 1989, Seau will be named as a unanimous All-American.

Seau will forgo his junior season at USC and elected to go pro in 1990. In the 1990 NFL Draft, in what is considered a storybook moment, Seau will be drafted 5th overall by his hometown team the San Diego Chargers. In his rookie year, Seau will show a glimpse of what a dominant force in the NFL he will be, playing all 16 games while starting 15 of them, tallying 85 total tackles and sacking the quarterback once.

Seau played the game with passion and intensity that will earn him the nickname “The Tasmanian Devil”. A natural force of nature on the field, along with his energetic antics, Seau will eventually be one of the faces of the San Diego Chargers in the 90s.

The 1991 season will be the start of a decade long stretch of defensive brilliance for Seau. For the year, he will increase his tackle records from last year to 129 and will bring the quarterback down 7 times. Seau will earn the first of his 12 consecutive Pro-Bowl selection for the season.

In 1992, Seau will be named First-Team All-Pro for the first time and will make it to six consecutive years to earn such honors. In the same year, he will also be recognized as one of the top players in the league as he will win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors, leading the San Diego Chargers defense to be ranked 4th overall in the league.

The 1994 season would be Seau's best year to date. Seau will log in a league-leading 127 solo tackles to go along with 5.5 quarterback sacks while playing all 16 games for the Chargers. The Chargers will finish with an 11-5 record that year on their way to an AFC West Division crown. In the AFC Divisional round, the Chargers will defeat Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins in a close 22-21 win. Then, in the AFC Championship game, Seau will tally 16 tackles and will upset the 12-4 Pittsburgh Steelers holding them to 13 points on their way to the Super Bowl, where they will be cut short of a championship by Steve Young and the San Francisco 49ers.

Seau would continue to play and dominate for the Chargers defense for 8 more years, recording totals of 718 total tackles, 48 of those tackles will result in a loss, and a combined 29 sacks, while also adding to it 8 forced fumbles and 11 interceptions, Sadly, he will never reach the playoffs with San Diego during this tenure.

In 2003, the San Diego Chargers traded Junior Seau to the Miami Dolphins for a conditional draft choice. A Week 7 game between the Dolphins and the Bolts would have been a homecoming game for Seau, but due to blazing wildfires happening in South California, the game was moved to Phoenix, Az., in what would be, in Seau's own words, the hardest game he played.

Due to injuries that he will suffer during the seasons, Seau will only play a combined 13 games for the last two seasons with the Dolphins. He will be released by Miami in 2006. In the same year, Seau announced his retirement from the NFL.

Four days later, Seau will unretire and will sign with the New England Patriots.

For the 2006 season, he will start 10 out of his 11 games played and will total 69 tackles and a sack before breaking his arm in a game against the Chicago Bears in Week 12. Seau will re-sign with the Patriots and will be a key contributor in the 2007 season, on their way to an undefeated season, and will once again step foot into the Super Bowl. Sadly, the Lombardi Trophy will still be elusive for Seau as the Patriots will be stunned by the New York Giants.

Seau will be playing until his age 40 season before permanently retiring in 2010.

In a tragic turn of events, Junior Seau will be found dead in his house in an apparent suicide attempt. Seau's death will spark conversations amongst football about former players who have suffered from CTE and how the league has taken care of them. Even as he passed, Seau continue to leave a lasting mark in the league.

Junior Seau will be posthumously be elected in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015, being the first Polynesian and Samoan player to be inducted. He will amass 12 Pro Bowls, 10 All-Pro teams, a Defensive Player and a Walter Payton Man of the Year award. Seau was also voted to the NFL All-Decade Team 1990s and the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time team for his outstanding play.

Junior Seau leaves an enduring legacy and an embodiment of what hard work, passion, and energy means not only to a team, but to the rest of the NFL.

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