ORLANDO, Fla. -- Just the mention of Jason Taylor’s name at the Pro Bowl last month brought an immediate reaction from Miami Dolphins Pro Bowl defensive end Cameron Wake.
“Legend,” Wake said. “Jason Taylor, you have to be here for 45-50 minutes on just him alone just to get to the basics of his greatness. You’d have to sit down and do a monologue on him.”
The glow in Wake’s eyes told the story. During the interview, the 34-year-old Dolphins sack leader temporarily went back to his days as an unproven rookie from the CFL in 2009, as opposed to the five-time Pro Bowler that Wake eventually became, in part due to Taylor’s tutelage.
Wake believes Taylor is “an obvious choice” for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and on Saturday night, it became official.
Taylor was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, attaining 80 percent approval from the 48-person Selection Committee.
“When I think of the words professional, football player, defensive end, Miami Dolphin, when you think of any of those words, it’s Jason Taylor,” Wake said. “There’s so many adjectives that he’s completely synonymous with and personifies. And for me, being lucky enough to literally come in as a rookie and him being the guy to model yourself after and look at and learn from, I can’t imagine who else you would rather have in that situation.
“There’s so much wisdom he passed on to me. Not only football and things he’s done on the field, but in life in general.”
Taylor has remained humble in recent interviews since getting the nomination last year. He reminded the public about the wiry third-round pick in 1997 from the University of Akron who wasn’t expected to become a dominant force. Taylor said it was his goal his rookie year just to make the practice squad, although that is likely a bit of a stretch.
However, Taylor did much better than that. His body of work matches up with anyone who ever played at his position. Taylor is seventh all time with 139.5 sacks; he forced 46 career fumbles, made six Pro Bowls and played 15 seasons.
“It’s one of those situations where you feel like sometimes you don’t really belong in that conversation,” Taylor said in a recent interview with SiriusXM Radio. “You know, when I came in the league I played with guys like Dan Marino, and they just seemed like they were in such a different league than you. A different stratosphere. And having the chance to be around a bunch of Hall of Famers, not only from the Dolphins side, but the Jets and then guys that I’ve played against and guys I’ve become friends with since, you always feel like it’s that different fraternity of guys that really paved the way and did it at a different level. And so I never really put myself in their boat, so to speak. I’ve never really put myself in their league. It’s really, really cool to be mentioned with those guys.”
Wake, one of Taylor’s star pupils, said he regularly communicates with Taylor about football and life in general.
What is the single best piece of advice Taylor has provided?
“He used to say, ‘I hate losing more than I love winning,’” Wake said. “The first time I heard him say it, I felt it kind of resonated with me, because that’s exactly how I felt. You’ve probably heard me repeat it a few times, and it’s true. If that’s the truth, then what are you going to do to make sure that you win and make sure you don’t lose, whether it’s taking care of your body, studying, working hard in the offseason. That is the essence of who he is -- a true competitor.”
Taylor also is one of the most active former athletes in the community through the Jason Taylor Foundation, which was established in July 2004 and helps sick and underprivileged youth in South Florida. Taylor has devoted much of his time post-retirement to improving the quality of life, education and experiences for young people who may not otherwise have a chance to do so on their own.
"The easy thing to do with JT is focus on the image: the Hollywood look, the superstar friends, 'Dancing With the Stars,' etcetera," said Seth Levit, who runs the foundation with Taylor. "But when you understand how he grew up, the things he's seen in his life and the values he holds highest, you realize that he's just a blue-collar guy. He's far more comfortable changing the battery in his car than he is giving a keynote speech, even though he'll deliver that speech like it's second nature.
"The last hurricane we had here? JT was the first guy to call me to see if I needed help prepping my house. Within an hour, he was on a ladder with a power drill, hanging shutters. That's just who he is."
Both Levit and Wake added that Taylor's strong character has carried over to his post-retirement mission. Taylor's foundation has committed approximately $5 million to services and programs in South Florida.
“To be honest, that’s probably more instrumental and impactful than hitting quarterbacks and doing the things he did on the field,” Wake said. “He’s giving back all the time to the community, and the reality is that is what’s going to change people’s lives.”