The celebrities have come out for the North Carolina football debut of Bill Belichick.
From Michael Jordan to Randy Moss, former college and NFL stars from all sports joined the festivities on Monday, Sept. 1 for the Tar Heels‘ matchup against TCU. One of the former stars in attendance was former Tar Heel Lawrence Taylor.
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Taylor was a star at North Carolina from 1977-80 before embarking on a 13-year Pro Football Hall of Fame career with the New York Giants. Taylor was widely regarded as one of the best defensive players ever, and helped the Giants win two Super Bowls. He finished his career with 1,088 total tackles, 142 sacks, nine interceptions and two defensive touchdowns.
REQUIRED READING: North Carolina-TCU live updates, highlights: Bill Belichick, Tar Heels trailing
Here’s what you need to know about why Taylor was in attendance for Belichick’s debut in the UNC-TCU game:
Where did Lawrence Taylor go to college?
Taylor attended North Carolina for college from 1977 to 1980. He transitioned from defensive line to linebacker during his career at Chapel Hill.
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He led the 1980 ACC champion UNC team to an 11-1 record. That team was the last Tar Heel to win the conference. Taylor recorded a program-record 16 sacks during the season and finished with 69 total tackles, three fumbles forced and three fumble recoveries, a season in which he was the ACC Player of the Year and a unanimous All-America selection
Taylor finished his Tar Heels career with 21 sacks.
As a result, he became the second overall pick in the 1981 NFL Draft by the Giants. Belichick was a linebacker and special teams coach for New York at the time of Taylor’s drafting, and later became defensive coordinator in 1985. Taylor and Belichick were both with the Giants from 1981 through 1990.
Where is Lawrence Taylor from?
Taylor was born in Williamsburg, Virginia, and he attended high school locally at Lafayette High. He did not begin playing football until he was 15 years old, and started playing organized football in 11th grade.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lawrence Taylor college: UNC great watching Bill Belichick debut
