Ike Taylor Ivan " Ike " Taylor ( born May 5 , 1980 ) is an American football defensive back for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and was drafted by the Steelers in the fourth round ( 125th overall ) in the 2003 NFL Draft . Early life . Taylor was born in Gretna , Louisiana , which is located just across the Mississippi river from New Orleans . As a child , he moved with his mother , Cora , to Raleigh , North Carolina , but he returned to Louisiana as a seventh - grader to live with his uncle and aunt , Herman and Judy Francois , in Harvey , Louisiana . He attended Marion Abramson Senior High School in New Orleans where he played football and basketball . In high school he played running back , defensive end , cornerback and placekicker . College career . Taylor attended college at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where he majored in psychology , but he was academically ineligible to play football his first two years . He joined the football team as a walk on in 2001 , earning a scholarship prior to the season . In his first season he played tailback and special teams and returned kicks . Prior to his senior season , Taylor asked to be moved to cornerback . He started the season at the right cornerback spot and recorded 46 tackle s , eight passes defensed and two forced fumbles . In four games , he did not allow an opponent to catch a ball . Among his college teammates was Charles Tillman who was drafted by the Chicago Bears . Professional career . Despite his inexperience and lack of consistent play in college , the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Taylor in the fourth round ( 125th overall ) in the 2003 NFL Draft . The selection was made based primarily on Taylor ' s rare combination of size and speed — leading up to the draft , he was timed as fast as 4 . 18 seconds in the 40 - yard dash . However , most NFL coaches and general managers still failed to see his potential . In his first two years in the league , Taylor was used primarily on special teams , though he saw spot duty at defensive back . In his third season ( ) Taylor moved into the starting lineup at left cornerback . He started 15 regular season games and all four of the team ' s playoff games , including the Super Bowl . During the he had a key interception in the second quarter of the . The turnover led to a touchdown which opened a 24 – 3 lead en route to a 34 – 17 win over the Denver Broncos . In the Super Bowl , Taylor recorded a team high seven tackles and also had two passes defensed and a crucial interception at the Steelers five - yard line which helped the Steelers to secure a 21 – 10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks . Taylor was rewarded for his performance prior to the 2006 season with a contract extension valued at $ 22 . 5 million over four years ( with $ 6 . 4 million guaranteed ) . The contract made Taylor the highest paid cornerback in franchise history and would tie him to the Steelers through . Taylor ' s play regressed in and he was stripped of his starting role after game 10 ; he was not re - inserted into the starting lineup until the final game of the season , and then only due to an injury to Deshea Townsend . He re - committed himself in the off - season and regained his spot at left cornerback for under the new regime of head coach Mike Tomlin , who replaced Bill Cowher . In a first round loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the , Taylor recorded his third consecutive post - season game with an interception , which set a team record . Taylor won the NFL ' s Defensive Player of the Week award for his performance against the Seahawks in the fifth week of . In the game he had six solo tackles , three passes defensed and a goal - line interception to halt a Seahawks drive at the end of the first half . He started all 16 regular season games that season . The following year , he would help defeat the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII to earn his second Super Bowl ring . In the final week of the season , Taylor made a helmet - to - helmet tackle on Miami Dolphins quarterback Pat White which rendered White temporarily unable to move . White had to be carted off the field , but he did not appear to sustain any long - term damage from the hit . The primary knock against Taylor ' s skill - set is that does not catch enough interceptions — he ' s never recorded more than three in a season . He ' s worked with the team ' s receivers to address this deficiency since at least the team ' s 2008 training camp . However , he ' s yet to show much improvement , recording only a single interception in each of the and seasons . Personal information . Taylor makes his off - season home in his native New Orleans . He trains with Tom Shaw in his Speed , Power , Agility , Reaction and Quickness ( SPARQ ) Training Program , primarily at Disney ' s Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando , Florida . Each summer since 2005 Taylor has run the FaceMeIke Football Camp in New Orleans for local youth .