Bryan Sidney Pata (August 12, 1984 – November 7, 2006) was an American football defensive lineman for the Miami Hurricanes and was majoring in criminology. 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.

Career

Pata played three seasons at North Miami High School before moving on to Miami Central High School. He was named to Super Prep's All-America team, and rated as the nation's 26th-best defensive lineman by that magazine. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also named him as one of the top 100 players in the South. He chose to attend the University of Miami after also considering Rutgers University, the University of Florida and the University of Oklahoma. Pata was in his fourth year with the Hurricanes and was expected to be selected in the 2007 NFL draft. He appeared in 41 games during his college career, making 23 starts. Pata played primarily defensive tackle in his last season, totaling 13 tackles and two sacks. He had been placed on the watch list for the Hendricks Award, awarded to college football's top defensive end.

Death

On November 7, 2006, Pata was shot and killed outside of his apartment complex in Kendall, Florida, after leaving team practice earlier that day. The Miami-Dade police ruled the shooting to be a homicide. Pata was 22 years old. The murder remained unsolved until August 19, 2021. Former Miami football teammate Rashaun Jones was arrested and charged with the murder of Pata.