All photos by Kevin Kinnear. 

The world knew him as one of the greatest linebackers to ever play football. What some may not know is that Junior Seau was also a ukulele player and enthusiast.

Frequent FJ contributor and photographer Kevin Kinnear was one of Seau’s friends. The pair shared a passion for handmade ukuleles and surfboards. On January 3, 2012, Kinnear took these shots of Seau trying out some of the latest ukes of San Diego’s Pepe Romero, Jr. at his Oceanside, California home. 

Romero says Seau was in great spirits and talked about how he had just purchased ukes for all of his nieces and nephews over Christmas. According to Romero, one of the things Seau said he loved about the uke was that “it gives you everything you put into it.” 

RIP Junior.