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==Early life==
==Early life==
Mays was born in [[Seattle, Washington]], the son of [[Stafford Mays]], a former [[defensive lineman]] in the [[National Football League]], and Laurie Mays ([[née]] Black), a [[Nordstrom]] executive. He is [[African-American]] and [[Jewish]]; of his [[bar mitzvah]], he stated: "I don't think at the time I really understood what it meant. Now, looking back on it, I feel like I have come a long way in regards to maturity and becoming an adult. I think it helped me do that."<ref>{{cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Player Bio: Taylor Mays |url=http://usctrojans.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/mays_taylor00.html |work=USCTrojans.com |publisher= |date= |accessdate=2008-1-21 }}</ref> His father played defensive tackle for the [[University of Washington]] in the late 1970's and was later drafted in the 9th round of the [[1980 NFL Draft]] by the then-[[Arizona Cardinals|St. Louis Cardinals]] and later played for the [[Minnesota Vikings]] from 1987 to 1988 where current USC head coach [[Pete Carroll]] was a defensive back coach. From a young age, Mays always had a deep desire to play football; his father recalls Mays, at age 14, doing homework with his football helmet on.<ref>{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Ko |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=O'Dea's Mays growing out of father's NFL shadow, headed to USC |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/hsfootballpreview/2002460028_webmays31.html |work=The Seattle Times |publisher= |date=2005-8-31 |accessdate=2008-1-21 }}</ref> Mays also spent a lot of time as a kid watching old football tapes from when his father played. While his parents declined in letting him play football, he played soccer and was noted as being very physical and much bigger than the other kids which led to his parents eventually letting him try out for the football team in the 7th grade.<ref>{{cite news |first=Mark |last=Saxon |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=USC's Mays returns home |url=http://www.ocregister.com/sports/mays-year-stafford-1852694-football-play |work=OCRegister |publisher= |date=2007-9-27 |accessdate=2008-1-21 }}</ref>
Mays was born in His best Friend Luke Mathew Pemberton is from Australia [[Seattle, Washington]], the son of [[Stafford Mays]], a former [[defensive lineman]] in the [[National Football League]], and Laurie Mays ([[née]] Black), a [[Nordstrom]] executive. He is [[African-American]] and [[Jewish]]; of his [[bar mitzvah]], he stated: "I don't think at the time I really understood what it meant. Now, looking back on it, I feel like I have come a long way in regards to maturity and becoming an adult. I think it helped me do that."<ref>{{cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Player Bio: Taylor Mays |url=http://usctrojans.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/mays_taylor00.html |work=USCTrojans.com |publisher= |date= |accessdate=2008-1-21 }}</ref> His father played defensive tackle for the [[University of Washington]] in the late 1970's and was later drafted in the 9th round of the [[1980 NFL Draft]] by the then-[[Arizona Cardinals|St. Louis Cardinals]] and later played for the [[Minnesota Vikings]] from 1987 to 1988 where current USC head coach [[Pete Carroll]] was a defensive back coach. From a young age, Mays always had a deep desire to play football; his father recalls Mays, at age 14, doing homework with his football helmet on.<ref>{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Ko |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=O'Dea's Mays growing out of father's NFL shadow, headed to USC |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/hsfootballpreview/2002460028_webmays31.html |work=The Seattle Times |publisher= |date=2005-8-31 |accessdate=2008-1-21 }}</ref> Mays also spent a lot of time as a kid watching old football tapes from when his father played. While his parents declined in letting him play football, he played soccer and was noted as being very physical and much bigger than the other kids which led to his parents eventually letting him try out for the football team in the 7th grade.<ref>{{cite news |first=Mark |last=Saxon |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=USC's Mays returns home |url=http://www.ocregister.com/sports/mays-year-stafford-1852694-football-play |work=OCRegister |publisher= |date=2007-9-27 |accessdate=2008-1-21 }}</ref>


==High school career==
==High school career==

Revision as of 23:43, 6 April 2009

Template:Infobox CollegeFootballPlayer

Taylor Mays (born February 7, 1988 in Seattle, Washington, U.S.) is a American football safety for the University of Southern California.

Early life

Mays was born in His best Friend Luke Mathew Pemberton is from Australia Seattle, Washington, the son of Stafford Mays, a former defensive lineman in the National Football League, and Laurie Mays (née Black), a Nordstrom executive. He is African-American and Jewish; of his bar mitzvah, he stated: "I don't think at the time I really understood what it meant. Now, looking back on it, I feel like I have come a long way in regards to maturity and becoming an adult. I think it helped me do that."[1] His father played defensive tackle for the University of Washington in the late 1970's and was later drafted in the 9th round of the 1980 NFL Draft by the then-St. Louis Cardinals and later played for the Minnesota Vikings from 1987 to 1988 where current USC head coach Pete Carroll was a defensive back coach. From a young age, Mays always had a deep desire to play football; his father recalls Mays, at age 14, doing homework with his football helmet on.[2] Mays also spent a lot of time as a kid watching old football tapes from when his father played. While his parents declined in letting him play football, he played soccer and was noted as being very physical and much bigger than the other kids which led to his parents eventually letting him try out for the football team in the 7th grade.[3]

High school career

Mays attended O'Dea High School, a Catholic boy's high school located in Seattle, Washington's First Hill neighborhood. Before playing football, Mays joined the track team to work on his speed.[4] As a sophomore at O'Dea in 2004, Mays won both the 100-meter and 200-meter dash titles in the 3A State championships in the spring of 2004 before leaving track behind after his junior year to dedicate his last year in high school to prepare for football at the next level.[5]

As a junior in 2004, he posted 89 tackles, 5 interceptions and 5 deflections, catching 25 passes for 614 yards with 7 touchdowns and returning 12 punts for 392 yards with 3 touchdowns while earning Student Sports Junior All-American honors as a defensive back, wide receiver and quarterback. His final year at O'Dea, he collected 166 tackles, 5 interceptions and 5 pass deflections as a safety while catching 36 passes for 765 yards and 15 touchdowns. As a senior in 2005, he was named All-State First-Team and All-Metro League Mountain Division Offensive MVP and Defensive Co-MVP. He also returned 12 punts for 392 yards and 3 touchdowns. Mays played for the West Team in the 2006 U.S. Army All-American Bowl game alongside future USC teammates Mitch Mustain and Stafon Johnson where current Ohio State running back Chris "Beanie" Wells was named the MVP. He posted three tackles in the game.

On May 21, 2005, Mays participated in the 2005 Palo Atlo Nike, Inc. Training Camp. Listed at 6'3", 218-pounds, Mays ran a 4.59 in the 40-yard dash, recorded 21 reps of 225-pounds on bench press and posted a 31" vertical jump. Rivals.com listed Mays as the No. 1 overall prospect in the Washington in 2006. By age 17, Mays was 6'3", 228-pounds.[6]

While considering offers from the UCLA, Washington and Miami, Mays elected to commit to the University of Southern California after being recruited by defensive back coaches Rocky Seto and Greg Burns. Mays was expected to attend Washington in the footsteps of his father but didn't want to fall under his father's shadow and decided to build his own legacy while citing Pete Carroll's enthusiasm and coaching style as a major factor in his decision, officially committing on August 14, 2005.

College career

2006 Season

Mays got the start at free safety his freshman year after Josh Pinkard went down with a season ending injury in their first game against Arkansas. His first college career interception came in week 5 against Washington State. Throughout the year he was a solid safety recording 62 tackles in only 12 starts and a ended the year leading his team in interceptions with 3. In 2006, Mays became the third player in Trojan history to be named the Pac-10’s Co-Freshman of The Year while also earning 2nd-team All-American, 1st-team Freshman All-American and Defensive Freshman of the Year honors from Sporting News magazine.[7]

Mays surprised a lot of people throughout the nation when it was stated by Pete Carroll that the 6'3", 230-pound freshman was the fastest player on a top-tier team built with some of the speediest players in the nation.[8] Teammate running back Joe McKnight stated: "He's faster than me. I wish I had it, whatever he has." According to Carroll, Mays was clocked at an astonishing 4.25 in the 40-yard dash, .01 seconds slower than the record set at the 2008 NFL Combine by Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson. Mays also stated that he models his game after former USC safety and Pro Football Hall of Fame safety Ronnie Lott and the late Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor who died from a gunshot wound to the leg in 2007: "He's been my favorite player. I look up to (former USC safety) Ronnie Lott, too. That's what's special being in this program, living up to the safeties here."[9]

Mays switched from No. 29 to No. 2 after his freshman season for former Florida State player Deion Sanders and former Michigan player Charles Woodson who both wore the number while playing defensive back in college.[10]

2007 Season

After Josh Pinkard was re-positioned to cornerback, Mays returned as the team's starting free safety alongside All-Pac-10 strong safety Kevin Ellison whom he credits as his mentor.[11] His most impressive game of the season would come during week 10 against California where he posted tackles (10) and deflected 3 passes which helped hold one of the best offenses in the nation 14 points below its average in the 24-17 win. He also had a career-high 12 tackles in week 8 against the Oregon. Mays finished third on the team with 65 total tackles, 6 pass deflections, one forced fumble and one interception in 13 games in 2007. He earned Third-team All-American honors from the Associated Press, First-team All-American honors from Sporting News and All-Pac-10 honorable mention.

After the 2007 season, Mays was listed by ESPN The Magazine in an article titled "Workout Warriors", honoring college football's most physically talented players. According to the article, in the USC spring practices in 2008, Mays posted unbelievable numbers: Measured at 6'3", 226-pounds with 6% body fat, Mays ran an electronically-timed 4.32 40-yard dash, threw up 225-pounds 23 times during the bench press and recorded a 41" vertical jump and an 11'4" standing broad jump. When he arrived at USC, Mays weighed 215-pounds, posted a 35" vertical and 10' standing broad jump. Mays was listed at the No. 2 spot behind Texas defensive end Brian Orakpo.[12]

2008 Season

Before the start of the 2008 season, Mays was honored with a 2008 Preseason All-American selection and was on the early watch list for both the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, awarded to the best defensive player in the nation, and the Lott Trophy. Mays stated in a Los Angeles Times interview on November 10 that he would decide whether or not to forfeit his senior year at USC to enter the 2009 NFL Draft after the 2008 post season, saying that a big factor in his decision would come from his father and head coach Pete Carroll[13] Mays entered 2008 as one of the nation's top safety prospects in the nation.

The USC defense turned in the second-best defense in the nation and some argued one of the best college has ever seen. Through the air, the USC defense held opposing offenses to only 6 touchdowns while collecting 19 interceptions as the best pass defense in the nation with Mays being a key factor in their success.[14] Though he didn't register an interception throughout his junior season, Mays had a team-leading 8 pass deflections with four of them coming in a week 9 matchup against California who averaged almost 40 points per game to that point. Mays had a spectacular performance in the game delivering several big hits in the game which jarred balls loose from the receiver's hands. What would have been Mays' first interception of the season was called back on a penalty by Kaluka Maiava.[15] Through regular season play, Mays collected 53 total tackles and 8 pass deflections. The Trojans would go on to face Penn State in the 2009 Rose Bowl where the defense shut down one of the most explosive offenses in the country in the 38-24 win. A memorable play in the game by Taylor Mays was a devastating helmet-to-helmet hit on wide receiver Jordan Norwood which momentarily knocked Norwood out of the game and incidentally his teammate Kevin Thomas as well.

Mays ended his junior season as a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award after being beaten out by Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins. He finished 3rd in the running, coming in behind Jenkins and Tennessee safety Eric Berry. He earned First-team All-American honors from several sources such as Sporting News, Walter Camp Football and the Associated Press as well as Second-Team All-American honors by Rivals.com and All-Pac-10 First-team honors.

On January 13, two days before the deadline for college players to declare for the Draft, Mays announced that he would return to USC for his last year. Mays was regarded as unanimous first-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft but opted to return to continue to develop and to complete his education at Southern California, citing the importance of graduating to himself and his parents as well as giving his last shot at leading USC to the BCS National Championship.[16][17]

Personal

The Mays family lives in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Player Bio: Taylor Mays". USCTrojans.com. Retrieved 2008-1-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  2. ^ Ko, Michael (2005-8-31). "O'Dea's Mays growing out of father's NFL shadow, headed to USC". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2008-1-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ Saxon, Mark (2007-9-27). "USC's Mays returns home". OCRegister. Retrieved 2008-1-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ Ko, Michael (2005-8-31). "O'Dea's Mays growing out of father's NFL shadow, headed to USC". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2008-1-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ The Associated Press | Free safety Taylor Mays fastest of the fast at USC, "ESPN College Football Headlines, December 4, 2008.
  6. ^ "Taylor Mays - Football Recruiting". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2008-1-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ a b Milles, Todd, Road trip is trip home, The News Tribune, September 21, 2007. Cite error: The named reference "TNT092107" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  8. ^ Condotta, Bob (2007-9-27). "UW Football Notebook". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2008-1-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Text "Carroll was key to Mays leaving" ignored (help)
  9. ^ The Associated Press | Free safety Taylor Mays fastest of the fast at USC, "ESPN College Football Headlines, December 4, 2008.
  10. ^ "CBS CS: Taylor Made for Success". CBS Sports. YouTube. 2008-10-14. Retrieved 2008-1-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  11. ^ Klein, Gary (2008-9-27). "Junior Taylor Mays says it's not senior night for him". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-1-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  12. ^ Feldman, Bruce, College football's top workout warriors, ESPN The Magazine, June 9, 2008, Accessed June 9, 2008.
  13. ^ Klein, Gary (2008-11-11). "USC safety Taylor Mays puts off decisions on future". Los Angeles Times. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  14. ^ "Final 2008 NCAA FBS Pass Efficiency Defense Statistics". NCAAFootball. 2009-1-8. Retrieved 2008-1-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  15. ^ Peszko, Paul (2008-11-8). "USC-Cal Bears: Defense, Penalties, and Botched Calls". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2009-1-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  16. ^ Klein, Gary, Taylor Mays to return to USC, Los Angeles Times, January 13, 2009, Accessed January 13, 2009.
  17. ^ Lev, Michael (2009-1-13). "USC football: Taylor Mays makes it official -- he's back". OCRegister.com. Retrieved 2008-1-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

External links


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