Ex-Dolphin Davie/Cooper coach earns Broward Hall of Fame honor
Jason Taylor enjoyed an illustrious career with the Miami Dolphins, and this past summer he was rewarded for all his achievements in the sport with induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Now a head coach in the Davie/Cooper City organization that is part of the American Youth Football League, Taylor was again recognized as the newest inductee into the Broward County Sports Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale.
The 43-year-old from Weston mentors 12-Under Division gridders and also works as a volunteer assistant coach at St. Thomas Aquinas High School.
His accomplishments go even further as he started the Jason Taylor Foundation in 2004 and has contributed more than $6 million in programs and services to benefit area youth.
“This is great,” said Taylor, who was joined by former Miami Marlins outfielder Cliff Floyd and four coaches — Darryl Burrows, Sally Hansell, Glenn Kaye and Kenneth Key — who made their mark in the county working with high school athletes.
“Any time you get honored for what you did playing the game of football is amazing,” Taylor said. “There are so many people who are worthy of it. The amount of athletes who come out of this area and do the things that they do is humbling.”
Taylor, a former National Football League Defensive Player of the Year and sixtime Pro Bowl selection, dedicates his foundation to building a better future for the children of South Florida. He was also the NFL Man of the Year in 2007.
“Cliff is a guy I have followed for years,” Taylor said. “He is a tremendous guy and been very supportive of what we have done with the foundation for years.”
Taylor has a newfound respect for coaches at both the youth and high school level as he tries to balance both for the first time this season.
“It is amazing the amount of work that goes into it,” Taylor said. “The hours and the worries, the preparation…regardless of how big your program is, it is a major dedication.
“I need to call my high school coach and tell him that I really, really appreciate what he did for me,” Taylor continued. “You think people just show up and organize a practice, show up on game day and play the game, [but] there is so much more that goes into it and I am learning that and really enjoying that.”
He enjoys working within the Colts’ program. The Cooper City Cowboys and Davie Broncos youth football teams merged this year to create the Colts and Taylor’s team earned a playoff berth.
“I love it. The best part about it is that I get to be around my kids,” added Taylor, whose oldest son Isaiah is a freshman on the junior varsity team at St. Thomas Aquinas and his younger son Mason plays for the Colts. “It is great to be there, be hands on, be around, be involved.”
He said his football journey has been well worth it, but he added that if there was one thing he wished he could do all over again is enjoy the process more.
“There are a lot of great things about this game of football,” he said. “The teamwork, the camaraderie, the patience, adaptability, responsibility…there are so many words and adjectives that you can use to describe what the game does, but it is a long journey.”
Sportscom5@aol.com — Jason Taylor, NFL Hall of Famer, Broward County Sports Hall of Fame inductee