by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
It was an emotional 90 minutes Monday when the Rotary Club of Jacksonville devoted its weekly meeting to recognizing the accomplishments of former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor.
“The club wanted to take this opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to Fred Taylor who has done so much more for Jacksonville than just play football,” commented Hank Coxe, a past president of the club who introduced Taylor. “Whenever I travel around the country, the subject of the Jaguars usually comes up and people always tell me how much they like Fred Taylor.”
It was also a time for some of Taylor’s oldest friends in the NFL to acknowledge his contributions not only to the team, but to the community as well.
Jaguars Executive Director of Football Operations Skip Richardson, who picked Taylor up at the airport when the team drafted him, said he would always look back on the 11 years Taylor spent as a Jaguar with pride and added, “Fred has certainly made his place in Jaguars history. He’s a true professional and a true gentleman. Fred, you’ll always be a Jaguar.”
Attorney Brian Coughlin read a letter from his father, Tom Coughlin, the Jaguars coach who drafted Taylor and now leads the New York Giants.
“I did not waiver in my conviction that you would be an outstanding player,” wrote the head coach. “There are two things I will always remember about you, Fred: watching the back of your jersey every time you’d run for a touchdown and what a great team player you are.”
Rotary Past President Buck Autry and club member Henry Beckwith presented a Paul Harris Fellowship in Taylor’s name in recognition of his contributions to the community.
“Your life exemplifies humanitarianism, education, service to others and the objectives of the Rotary Foundation,” Autrey said.
When he went to the podium, Taylor was so moved he had to pause for several seconds before speaking. After a few moments he said, “This type of stuff – I feel like I don’t deserve it. I have been blessed with the opportunity to play a game. The city, the fans, my teammates, Mr. and Mrs. Weaver – everybody has been so good to me. I have met some great people while I’ve been here and this is where I matured and became a man.
“Thank you so much. You have all been so kind and I’ll miss you.”
Taylor then shared a promise he made to team owner Wayne Weaver after the team released him.
“I promised Mr. Weaver I would come back to Jacksonville and retire as a Jaguar. I will always be a Jaguar.”
Photos by Max Marbut
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