| Jason Taylor was born on September 1, 1974 in | | | | from major colleges. So he decided to take his |
| Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Due to his athletic ability, | | | | game to the University of Akron, located in |
| size, and smarts of the game, Taylor has molded | | | | Akron, Ohio. While at Akron he began to show |
| himself into one of the best defensive players | | | | the same time of athleticism as he did in high |
| that the NFL has ever seen. Although his football | | | | school, and by the time his college career was |
| career did not start out as strong, it was Taylor's | | | | finished many NFL scouts had begun to take |
| determination that allowed him to reach all of his | | | | notice. |
| goals. | | | | The Miami Dolphins selected Taylor with the 73rd |
| A little known fact about Taylor is that he was | | | | overall pick in the 1997 NFL Draft. Although many |
| home schooled from 10th to 12th grade. But | | | | teams passed up on his services more than once, |
| although he did not go to school for class, he was | | | | this did not get Taylor down. He knew that he |
| still allowed to participate in sports at Woodland | | | | could compete at the NFL level, and he began to |
| Hills High School, a few miles outside of the city of | | | | show this early on in his career. |
| Pittsburgh. While in high school Taylor was a | | | | In 2006, Taylor had his best season ever. He |
| standout player in both basketball and football. | | | | finished with 13 ½ sacks, two interceptions, |
| Although Taylor had a successful high school | | | | and 10 forced fumbles. This led to him being |
| career, he did not get many scholarship offers | | | | named the AP Defensive Player of the Year. |
