Fred Taylor is 48 years old. He had an excellent 13-year NFL career as a star running back in which he earned almost $41 million. He was just a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Technically, Taylor didn’t need to finish college. But he had a promise to keep.
Taylor finished the last class she needed to graduate from the University of Florida with a degree in sociology and over the weekend received her degree at Florida’s graduation ceremony. It happened more than 26 years after Taylor left Florida to participate in the NFL Draft. He was a first-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars and became a franchise legend. Taylor gained 11,695 rushing yards in his career.
It’s a great achievement and the story behind Taylor’s return to school is even better.
Taylor’s grandmother, Rosetta Lusane, who raised Taylor, was suffering from dementia and other health problems last year. In her grandmother’s final days, Taylor promised her that she would finish her college degree, according to the official University of Florida website. Taylor’s grandmother died on October 31.
“She smiled after I said it,” Taylor said. according to the UF site. “Sometimes I smiled when I had those flashes of memory. Every once in a while I recognized the voice, the kiss, the smell. ‘I’m not going to break that promise. I’m going to go and graduate.’ ‘I’m about to cry right now.’
Taylor signed up for the last course he needed and didn’t tell anyone, not even his wife. He didn’t tell his wife until three or four weeks after school started because he didn’t want to start and drop out.
“After I got rolling and got through the addition period, it was time to get going,” Taylor told the UF site. “I tried hard and I did it.”
The UF story said that Fred’s son Kelvin, who also played running back at Florida, told his father that he had enrolled at UF to finish his degree. Fred’s youngest son, Austin, will enroll in Florida this summer.
It took a long time after Taylor left school to earn her degree. But it is an impressive addition to her achievements.