Bryan Pata

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.

Bryan Pata
Pata's Miami team photo
No. 95
PositionDefensive lineman
Personal information
Born:(1984-08-12)August 12, 1984
Miami, Florida, US
Died:November 7, 2006(2006-11-07) (aged 22)
Kendall, Florida, US[1]
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight272 lb (123 kg)
Career history
College
Bowl games
High school

Career

Pata 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

On 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

References
  1. Degnan, Susan Miller (November 9, 2006). "Police tight-lipped on case". Miami Herald. p. 9D. Retrieved November 7, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  2. "Player Bio: Bryan Pata :: Football". Archived from the original on January 15, 2008. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
  3. Fonteboa, Pedro (October 13, 2002). "Miami central wins". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. p. 17D. Retrieved November 6, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  4. Bio at HurricaneSports.com Archived January 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Miami's Pata shot, killed after practice". The Oklahoman. Oklahoma City. November 8, 2006. p. 7C. Retrieved November 6, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  6. "Bryan Pata, 2003 Defensive tackle". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  7. Shipley, Amy (July 8, 2006). "Miami Player Dies After Shooting". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 15, 2007.
  8. "Adams On Hendricks Award Watch List". scout.com. June 21, 2006. Archived from the original on August 20, 2006. Retrieved December 15, 2007.
  9. Reynolds, Tim (November 8, 2006). "Miami Football Player Shot, Killed". AP. Retrieved September 28, 2018 – via washingtonpost.com.
  10. Conroy, Scott (November 7, 2006). "U. Of Miami Football Player Killed". AP. Retrieved September 28, 2018 – via CBS News.
  11. "Family Of Bryan Pata Still Hopeful His Killer Will Be Caught". CBS Broadcasting Inc. CBS4 Miami. March 21, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  12. Porter, Matt (November 7, 2016). "Remembering Bryan Pata: Miami Hurricane's death still unsolved after 10 years". GateHouse Media, LLC. Palm Beach Post. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  13. Ovalle, David; Miller Degnan, Susan (August 19, 2021). "Former player arrested, charged with 2006 murder of Miami Hurricanes star Bryan Pata". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on August 19, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.

Further reading
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