Fred Taylor Biography

Frederick Antwon Taylor, born on January 27, 1976, played 13 seasons in the NFL as a running back from 1998 to 2010. He played college football for the Florida Gators and was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the ninth overall pick in the 1998 NFL draft. Taylor accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida, where he played from 1994 to 1997 under coach Steve Spurrier. As a true freshman, he started two games and recorded 873 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. In 1996, he played in seven games and started two, rushing for 629 yards and five touchdowns as part of the 12–1 national championship team. As a senior in 1997, he led the Gators with 1,292 rushing yards on 214 carries and scored 13 touchdowns, earning first-team All-SEC and AP third-team All-American honors. He started 12 of 15 games as a rookie in 1998, rushing for 1,223 yards and 14 touchdowns, while also catching 44 passes for 421 yards and three touchdowns.