John Wooden Defines Success

The Fred Taylor Foundation

As a 12-year veteran in the NFL, Taylor has endured his share of injuries. The season-ending ankle injury he sustained in 2009 while playing for the New England Patriots helped him appreciate what disabled children go through. Unable to walk while healing from his injury and resulting surgery, Taylor realized that he wanted to help physically disabled as well as underprivileged children. The foundation (FTF) is designed to give disabled and underprivileged children an opportunity to realize their potential, understand their talents and fulfill their dreams. FTF will incorporate education, academic achievement and athletic skills into its programs and services. The Taylors are excited about becoming ambassadors for disabled children.

Fred Taylor began his stellar football career playing running back for Glades Central High School where he was a Parade, USA Today and Blue Chip Illustrated All-America selection. Taylor is a veteran Pro Bowl running back who ranks among the NFL’s all-time best. He joined the Patriots in 2009 after spending his first 11 NFL seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars (1998-2008). He has recorded seven seasons with 1,000 or more rushing yards, tying the ninth-highest total in NFL history. In November 2007, Taylor became the 21st player in NFL history to reach 10,000 career rushing yards. Taylor entered the 2009 season having totaled 11,271 career rushing yards, placing him 16th on the NFL’s all-time career rushing list. As a Florida Gator, Taylor helped lead the University of Florida to its first national football championship team in 1996. He was an All-American, All-SEC honoree and holds the third-most rushing yardage in school history. In 2010, Taylor he was inducted into the University of Florida’s Athletic Hall of Fame and the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame. Taylor’s charitable works off the field are as impressive as his NFL career highlights. For more than a dozen years, Taylor has given his time and resources to help numerous charitable causes including supporting the recovery efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and in Haiti after the recent earthquake. He has served as a spokesman for the Leukemia Society of America and Lymphoma Society of America and the Glades Asthma Project. He routinely visits schools and hospitals to encourage academic excellence and healthy active lifestyles. The veteran football player is married to Andrea and is the father of five children.

Visit The Fred Taylor Foundation website