St. Thomas welcomes Dolphins greats to staff
FORTLAUDERDALE— Roaming the football field Wednesdaymorning, Jason Taylor had an altogether different look than South Floridians are used to.
The soon-to-be Pro Football Hall-of-Famer bore no trace of teal and tangerine, hisNo. 99 Miami Dolphins jersey long gone.
Instead, hitting the field for his first practice as an assistant football coach at St. ThomasAquinas, Taylor was decked out in the Raiders’ navy and gold.
While Taylor instructed defensive linemen early Wednesday morning, his former Pro-Bowl teammate, Sam Madison, worked with St. Thomas’ spring crop of defensive backs.
Though they joined Roger Harriott’s staff just a month ago, the former Dolphins stars seem already part of the fabric of St. Thomas football as the storied program joined the rest of Florida’s high schools in kicking off the first week of spring practice. Taylor and Madison and the rest of the Aquinas coaching staff got their first on-field look at the players whowillmakeupnext fall’s three-time defending state champion Raiders.
Taylor and Madison both have sons who will be freshmen, and freshmen players, at St. Thomas High next year, but Taylor said that wasn’t his sole reason for joining the staff.
“It’s not just about following [my son] and being around his team,” said Taylor. “This is St. Thomas Aquinas. It means something. This program is known around the nation, rightfully so. There’s a lot of tradition here.”
Two of the most dominant defensive players in Dolphins’ history, the pair brings gaudy resumes to the alreadygildedFortLauderdale prep powerhouse. Taylor, 42, spent 13 seasons as a defensive endwith the Dolphins, racking up 131 sacks. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and won NFL defensive Player of theYear honors in 2006. Taylorwas elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year and will be enshrined Aug. 5 in Canton, Ohio.
Madison, 42, spent nine seasons with the Dolphins and made the Pro Bowl four straight times from 1999-2002. He later spent three seasons with theNew York Giants, where in 2007-08 he was part of the team’s Super Bowl roster. Madison finished his career with 38 interceptions.
Considering many of these Raiders grew up watching theduoin Miami, some likelywearing theNo. 99 in trademark aqua and coral, there were plenty of wide-eyed looks ofwonder when Taylor and Madison first came aboard. But Taylor said that initial awe wore off quickly.
“The initial take-a-coupleand autographs — that was there, but it quickly fades,” he said. “We’re all the same whenwe come out here.”
Taylor andMadison previously coached youth league football in Davie. Madison said his experience at St. Thomas has been great early on.
“We’re still doing something that we really love, which is coaching, being around football and giving these kids exactly what we want,” said Madison. “They’ve seen us in (NFL) positions on TV and they’ve played with us on the video games and now they can get that knowledge first-hand whilewe’re on the field and help them get better.”
While Taylor and Madison are new to high school coaching, Harriott said the transition has been very smooth for the former Pro Bowlers.
“They’ve been doing a great job with acclimating to our culture atSt. Thomas Aquinas,” said Harriott. “We’re extremely blessed and fortunate to have young men with their type of reputation to instruct and lead our players.”