Gene Frenette: Jaguars' legendary RB Fred Taylor keeps promise to grandmother, gets college degree
When circumstances fell into place for Fred Taylor to take his last two course requirements online to obtain a degree in sociology from the University of Florida, he kept it a secret.
The legendary Jaguars running back didn’t tell his wife, Andrea, four kids or his two co-hosts on “The Pivot” podcast — former NFL players Ryan Clark and Channing Crowder — about his plans to go back to school until he neared the finish line.
Taylor did tell one person out of respect and necessity. In October, a couple weeks before his 83-year-old grandmother, Rosetta Lusane, passed away from dementia complications, he wanted the woman who raised him and three of his siblings in a two-bedroom house in Belle Glade to know he intended to keep a promise to her about getting a college degree.
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So Taylor leaned in close, whispering in Lusane’s ear about his plan to return to school and graduate.
“I knew my grandmother was going to pass soon,” Taylor said. “I told her I was going back to school and get my degree. I’m not sure she understood, but I believed she smiled at me. Just that connection sealed the deal for me.”
From January through the end of April, the 48-year-old Taylor studied his notes and listened to lectures on plane trips to and from New York for the podcast, took quizzes either in his hotel room or at his house in Southwest Ranches, an hour from West Palm Beach.
But he did it all quietly, telling family and podcast buddies that when they saw him looking intently at his computer, he said he was studying without specifying what or why. He still needed 19 credit hours when he retired in 2011. Taylor took three classes over the next three years, then a lab in 2019, until needing just those two required courses for a degree.
When Taylor saw Florida would be offering those classes online, he signed up for Methods of Social Research and Development of Sociological Thoughts (made B-plus), telling only his grandmother before her passing.
Getting diploma was 'priceless'
So, 26 years after leaving Florida for the NFL and, admittedly, doing a lot of pre-draft partying every weekend, a grown-up Taylor dressed up in a cap and gown last week to walk up a stage to collect his diploma.
“I’m a social scientist now,” Taylor said half-jokingly.
What isn’t a laughing matter is the pride Taylor felt honoring the promise to his beloved grandmother. He describes that accomplishment as incomparable to the 11,695 rushing yards (17th all-time) and 66 touchdowns he achieved in 13 NFL seasons.
Considering the environment in which he was raised, Taylor, whose mother, Sharon Lusane, gave birth to him as a teenager, is still “riding a high” from obtaining his diploma.
He joins his younger sister, Roskeisha, who has a UF law degree and is a tax counsel for Chick-fil-A, as a family college graduate.
“We were poor as hell growing up,” Taylor said. “Those are memories you never forget. My grandmother was more equipped to be the disciplinarian. My mother was the nicest person in the world. That’s where my niceness comes in. My grandmother was tough.
“I've been driven by my faith in God. Not many people that come from my demographic achieve high education. Knowing I was a kid who came up in a two-bedroom home, with five kids in one room, and experiencing poverty, this degree is priceless. I also wanted to be a good example for my son, Austin [who starts college at Florida in July].”
Perhaps one day Fred Taylor will be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. If that happens, it might still rank second to fulfilling his promise to grandma.
Quick-hitting nuggets
With longtime Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan officially retired, he becomes eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in five years. That is going to be one interesting vote. While some might be already fitting the 2016 league MVP and four-time Pro Bowler for a bust, my guess is Ryan will be a tough call, even if he’s top-10 all-time in passing yards (72,792) and touchdowns (381). Blowing that 28-3 Super Bowl lead to the New England Patriots could force Ryan to wait longer on HOF enshrinement. ...
Since being recalled from the 15-day injured list on April 22, New York Mets relief pitcher and Sandalwood High product Sean Reid-Foley has made eight appearances and given up just one hit in 6 2/3 innings. ...
With Providence High alumnus and Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen eliminated from the NBA playoffs, the only player with a Jacksonville connection left in the postseason is Oklahoma City Thunder shooting guard Luguentz Dort. The fifth-year native of Canada transferred into Arlington Country Day in 2015 for his sophomore year, then Dort transferred to Conrad Academy in Orlando the following year with former ACD coach Shaun Wiseman before going back to a Canada prep school as a senior.
gfrenette@jacksonville.com: (904) 359-4540; Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @genefrenette
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Fred Taylor obtains sociology degree, keeps promise to grandma | Frenette
