City of Cocoa Honors Former Tiger, Super Bowl Champion Jawaan Taylor with Key to the City

Taylor was inducted into the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame IN 2020

BREVARD COUNTY • COCOA, FLORIDA – The Cocoa City Council honored Super Bowl Champion and former Cocoa Tiger Jawaan Taylor with a Key to the City during a meeting on Tuesday.

Taylor is an offensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs and recently won a Super Bowl Championship with the team.

The presentation honored Taylor for his excellence both on and off the football field.

“He was recognized for being a stellar athlete and the hard work and dedication it takes to reach this milestone and for his dedication and commitment to his community,” said City of Cocoa spokesperson.

Cocoa Mayor Mike Blake provided opening remarks and Kathy Hamilton-Brown talked about Taylor’s dedication and commitment to his community.

ABOVE VIDEO: Jawaan Taylor is a former standout at Cocoa High School and the University of Florida, and was inducted into the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame as part of its 2020 class.

ABOVE VIDEO: Jawaan Tayloris a former standout at Cocoa High School and the University of Florida, and was inducted into the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame as part of its 2020 class.

Taylor, was inducted into the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame in 2020 alongside a pair of former Cocoa High teammates in Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean.

That Taylor is living his NFL dream simultaneously with two peers he grew up playing with is something he seems to cherish.

“It’s a blessing. Us three all playing together in Little League,” Taylor said.

“We all started out in flag football together. Me and Chauncey have been playing football together every year since we were four years old, so we were on the same team all through little league, all through high school, all through college. That was a great experience to see all our dreams fulfilled because you know from day 1 we already knew our dreams and aspirations were to play in the NFL.”

Taylor credits some of his success to former head coach at Cocoa High School, John Wilkinson, who was inducted in the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.

“He was a father figure,” Taylor said.

It was Wilkinson, Taylor says, along with his family that helped him during a career-altering summer following his junior season in which he lost an astonishing 52 pounds, making him more attractive to prospective schools.

“I started getting really good offers then,” said Taylor, who added that the “light switch really switched on” for him that summer.

Prior to signing to play college football at the University of Florida, Taylor had committed to the University of Miami, but Taylor says he ended up going to Florida after Miami fired former head coach Al Golden and his staff.

“When I was getting ready to commit somewhere, I wanted to make sure it was a place that felt like home as well,” Taylor said.

Despite overcoming some adversity in the form of having different coaches throughout his time at the school and a torn meniscus that he says he suffered prior to the start of his sophomore season, Taylor excelled at the school.

In particular, Taylor says he knew he was ready for the next level at the end of his junior season.

“Right towards the end of the last quarter of the season, that’s what I really wanted to do,” said Taylor, regarding his decision to forego his senior season and declare for the NFL Draft.

And sure enough, Taylor got the opportunity to see his dream become a reality on April 26, 2019, when he was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 35^th overall pick in the draft.

“It was the best experience of a lifetime,” said Taylor.

In his rookie season, Taylor started the first game and had such a successful season in 2019 that he was named to the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team.

“I played 1,000 snaps, started every game, I owe a lot of that credit to just how I prepared,” Taylor said.

In recognition of his incredible success at the high school, college and professional levels, Space Coast Daily is proud to announce Taylor as an inductee into the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame.

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME, call 321-323-4460 or 321-615-8111 or e-mail Contact@SpaceCoastDaily.com.

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