Family, friends and fans mourn NFL star Junior Seau

By PhotoBlog

Luisa Seau, mother of former NFL football player Junior Seau, grieves in the driveway of her son's home, Wednesday, May 2, 2012, in Oceanside, Calif. Seau was found shot to death at his home Wednesday morning in what police said appeared to be a suicide. He was 43.Chris Carlson / AP

A van with family members of former NFL football star Junior Seau leave his home in Oceanside, Calif., Wednesday, May 2.Chris Carlson / AP

Jimmy Garcia constructs a make-shift memorial on the beach near the home of former NFL star Junior Seau in Oceanside.Chris Carlson / AP

San Diego Padres players bow their heads in a moment of silence for San Diego Chargers player Junior Seau before a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Petco Park in San Diego.Denis Poroy / Getty Images

San Diego Chargers football fan Paul Camacho wears the uniform of Junior Seau as he stands in front of the team's headquarters in San Diego.Gregory Bull / AP

ProFootballTalk remembers the lengthy and notable career of linebacker Junior Seau:

Seau wasn’t just a good player, he was a great player. Few if any in NFL history can match both the peak that Seau reached at his best, and the longevity that Seau achieved. He was named to 12 Pro Bowl teams and 10 All-Pro teams, was on the All-Decade team for the 1990s, is in the Chargers’ Hall of Fame and was in the NFL, in total, for 20 seasons.

The 1990 Chargers felt Seau’s impact as a rookie immediately, and by the mid-1990s, and especially when he led the Chargers to Super Bowl XXIX, he was universally recognized as one of the best defensive players in football. He began to slow down in his 30s, and after a 2002 season in which a nagging ankle injury limited his effectiveness, the Chargers decided it was time to move on. But Seau was a long way from ready to retire.