Bryan Sidney Pata (August 12, 1984 – November 7, 2006) was an American football defensive lineman for the Miami Hurricanes and was majoring in criminology.[2] After leaving a football practice during his fourth year at the school, Pata was murdered, a crime unsolved for 15 years, but eventually discovered to have possibly been committed by a Miami teammate.
 Pata's Miami team photo | |
| No. 95 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive lineman |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | August 12, 1984 Miami, Florida, US |
| Died: | November 7, 2006 (aged 22) Kendall, Florida, US[1] |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 272 lb (123 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
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| Bowl games | |
| High school |
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Career
editPata played three seasons at North Miami High School before moving on to Miami Central High School.[3] He was named to Super Prep's All-America team, and rated as the nation's 26th-best defensive lineman by that magazine.[2] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also named him as one of the top 100 players in the South.[4] He chose to attend the University of Miami after also considering Rutgers University, the University of Florida and the University of Oklahoma.[5][6]
Pata was in his fourth year with the Hurricanes and was expected to be selected in the 2007 NFL Draft.[7] He appeared in 41 games during his college career, making 23 starts.[5] Pata played primarily defensive tackle in his last season, totaling 13 tackles and two sacks.[5] He had been placed on the watch list for the Hendricks Award, awarded to college football's top defensive end.[8]
Death
editOn November 7, 2006, Pata was shot and killed outside of his apartment complex in Kendall, Florida,[1] after leaving team practice earlier that day.[9] The Miami-Dade police ruled the shooting to be a homicide.[1] Pata was 22 years old.[10] The murder remained unsolved until August 19, 2021. Former Miami football teammate Rashaun Jones was arrested and charged with the murder of Pata.[11][12][13]
See also
editReferences
editFurther reading
edit- Lavigne, Paula; Merrill, Elizabeth (November 6, 2020). "Death at The U: Who killed Bryan Pata?". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
- Navarro, Manny (November 7, 2007). "Remembering: The OB and Bryan Pata". eye on the u. Retrieved November 7, 2020 – via typepad.com.