Sean Taylor’s brother clinches win for Rice on anniversary of his passing

Every year on Nov. 27, the collective sports world comes together to remember the life of Sean Taylor, who was tragically killed trying to defend his family during a botched burglary at his home in Miami in 2007.

Earlier in the season, the Washington Football Team honored Taylor by retiring his jersey during halftime of Week 6. The former two-time Pro Bowler became just the third player in franchise history to receive that honor.

This time, though, it was time for Taylor’s family to honor his legacy.

On Saturday, the anniversary of Taylor’s death, Taylor’s younger brother, Gabe, channeled his inner Sean Taylor and snatched the game-clinching interception for Rice in its 35-31 win over Conference USA rival Louisiana Tech.

Check this out.

Sean Taylor’s brother, Gabe, clinched a win for Rice on the anniversary of his passing on Saturday.

Come on, Louisiana Tech. You should know better than to attempt a Hail Mary with a Taylor looming in the back-end of the secondary.

On a more serious note, did this send chills down anyone else’s spine? You simply couldn’t have scripted a better ending.

While the elder Taylor is more recognized for laying down monster hits in the secondary, his ball-hawking ability was equally mesmerizing. Over three-plus seasons (55 games) in the NFL, Taylor racked up 12 interceptions

In all honesty, “ball-hawk” or “hard-hitting safety” doesn’t begin to describe the type of impact Taylor had on a weekly basis. He was a playmaker, period. And seems to have passed that trait down to his little bother.

For starters, his INT helped the Owls snap a five-game losing streak to the Bulldogs. The freshman now ranks second on the team with three picks. He also earned Conference USA Player of the Week honors and the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award for notching 10 tackles and a forced fumble vs UAB in October.

For the season, Taylor started all 12 games for Rice, racking up 56 tackles, five pass breakups, three INTs and one forced fumble.

Not too shabby for a freshman.

What made the moment all the more special? It came just a few hours after Washington announced plans to build a Sean Taylor Memorial at FedEX Field. The franchise intends on revealing the memorial in 2022.

In addition, Washington will launch the Sean Taylor Memorial Project on April 1 (his birthday) in partnership with Taylor’s family.

This weekend was supposed to be for mourning. Thanks to Gabe Taylor, though, the sports world and Washington community can’t help but celebrate.

Like we said earlier: Chills.