Fans, Former Teammates Head To Ohio To Watch Jason Taylor Enshrined
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CANTON, Ohio (CBSMiami) -- It's a big night for former Miami Dolphins great Jason Taylor, one of seven members of 2017's pro football Hall of Fame.
Saturday's festivities began bright and early with a Hall of Fame parade through the streets of Canton, Ohio, with fans along the sides of the street as ravenous as ever, asking for autographs and snapping photos. Taylor rode down the street with his wife and kids, waving to the crowd and stopping for kids.
"This is what it's all about," he said. "A long journey to the Hall of Fame, a parade in Canton. I've never been in a parade, I never won a championship so this is the next best thing."
Dolphin fans and former teammates hung out around outside the venue, each looking forward to Taylor's glorious moment.
"I love Jason Taylor, love it," said one fan. "I love the way he used to terrorize them quarterbacks and get them tomahawks!"
Another fan named his daughter "Taylor" in honor of #99.
"We got to meet Jason over 20 years at a Dan Marino Foundation thing at Disney World and he's been a class act ever since he came up," he said.
Taylor's former teammates saw a "future Hall of Famer" immediately.
"I did, I did," said former Dolphin linebacker Dwight Hollier. "There was no more of a tenacious player, when he was on the field, than him."
One of the leaders of the Dolphins defense during his 15-year career, that included one-year pit stops with the Redskins and Jets, Taylor was a 6-time Pro Bowler and the NFL Defensive MVP in 2006.
"People ask, you know, what was the one thing about him, it wasn't speed, it wasn't anything, it was just a drive and desire, and the desire to be great," said former Fin Trace Armstrong.
Taylor's 139.5 sacks rank 7th all-time and he's the 10th Miami Dolphin to make it into the Hall of Fame.
