Jackie, the daughter of Sean Taylor, will play volleyball for UNC with her late father’s number

Prior to his untimely death in a 2007 home invasion at the age of 24, Sean Taylor played in the NFL for three seasons wearing the No. 21.

The daughter of NFL player Sean Taylor intends to honor her father’s legacy each time she puts on her volleyball uniform.

Jackie Taylor, the daughter of Sean Taylor, has chosen to wear her father’s number, 21, which the University of North Carolina volleyball team announced on Thursday, June 27 through a post on X (previously known as Twitter).

According to the article, Freshman Jackie Taylor will wear No. 21 as a Tar Heel in honor of her father, Sean Taylor.

Sean wore the number for three of his four seasons with the Washington Wizards until he was tragically killed in a home invasion in 2007 at the age of 24. At the time, Jacke was just eighteen months old. According to Yahoo! Sports, no Washington player has worn the number since.

As a fresh face on the team, Jackie received great recognition from UNC head coach Mike Schall.

In a statement posted on the team website, he added, “Playing the middle blocker position is difficult, and Jackie’s ability to learn quickly from her outstanding coaches has been important to her development.” “Her entire family has been an integral part of her success, and we are excited to officially welcome them all to the Carolina Family.”

Jackie, who was named the No. 3 recruit in Florida and won the 2022 Gulliver Award for Female Athlete of the Year, had already paid tribute to her father at Gulliver Prep, her alma mater. According to Yahoo! Sports, she was wearing No. 1, the same number he wore while playing football for the school.

On April 1st, Jackie celebrated her father’s birthday by giving him a tribute. The collegiate volleyball star posted a picture of herself and Sean as babies on Instagram.

“Dad, happy birthday from heaven! Your legacy and spirit continue to guide and inspire me every day from my heart. Cheers to you, Dad, and the enduring influence you have had on me! I’ll always hold you in high regard. I will always love you! She captioned the photo, “#21❤️👼🏽🪽.”