Originally from Oceanside, California, Seau played college football for the USC Trojans. He was chosen by the San Diego Chargers (now the Los Angeles Chargers) as the fifth overall pick of the 1990 NFL Draft. Seau started for 13 seasons for the Chargers and led them to Super Bowl XXIX before being traded to the Miami Dolphins where he spent three years, and spent his last four seasons with the New England Patriots. Following his retirement, he was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame and the team retired his number 55.