Salem All-Pro Jonathan Taylor has never forgotten his roots, talks about it passionately while being inducted into Salem County Sports Hall of Fame
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CARNEYS POINT – The banners recognizing Jonathan Taylor’s greatness are strategically located throughout Salem High School, but they’re soon going to need a rewrite. They’ll need to include the line “Salem County Sports Hall of Famer.”
Taylor, the Rams’ record-breaking running back, University of Wisconsin All-American and NFL All-Pro, headlines this year’s Hall of Fame class and was inducted individually Saturday night at Salem Community College.
The date coincides with Taylor’s appearance at his local football camp for youth and allowed him to physically participate in the induction ceremony before heading to Indianapolis Colts training camp. The remainder of the Hall of the Fame class and honorees will be recognized Aug. 22, the night the Colts play an exhibition game in Cincinnati.
One of the recurring themes from those who spoke about Taylor during the ceremony was the way the player hasn’t forgotten his roots. A time doesn’t go by, they all said, whether it’s coming off the field immediately after one of the best games of his pro career or giving back to his community, he doesn’t give a shout out his hometown.
“There’s really no speech I have to give tonight,” Taylor said. “I think (retiring Salem City Schools superintendent) Dr. (Amiot Patrick) Michel said it best: Tonight’s a Salem night.
“It’s not about me, although I’m very thankful, very grateful, to be inducted, there’s been a long lineage of – I don’t even want to say athletes – great people who have come through Salem County. To be honored among them is an honor and privilege. But tonight’s a Salem night. It’s not about me.”nd
In keeping with that theme, he shared a story about the “079” medallion he wears on a chain around his neck. It’s not just a superficial piece of bling to flash before the cameras. It represents the last three digits of the Salem zip code that he calls home.
“I know it’s stereotypical of the athlete; he’s going to go and grab a piece of jewelry,” Taylor said. “I went and grabbed this because this stands for ‘08079’. This is Salem, New Jersey. This is where I’m from.
“I’m going to always be from Salem, New Jersey, and I’m always going to represent Salem, New Jersey, I’m always going to try to shed light on Salem, New Jersey, because they don’t understand the people down here.
“Funny story. They mention all these accolades and things that I’ve done. Some people may say one of my best games in my NFL career I go for five touchdowns, 185 yards (in Buffalo) and the first question they ask me when I come off the field is ‘How do you feel? The only thing I could think about was, ‘Shout out Salem City,’ because that’s the only thing that was on my mind.”
And the community has his back we well. During the ceremonies county commissioners announced a 39-foot mural in Taylor’s image would be commissioned for one of the office’s walls. Taylor also received a proclamation from the State Legislature.
His numbers as a player have been off the charts. At Salem, Taylor rushed for 4,642 yards and 51 touchdowns that included the state’s single-season record with 2,510 yards and 35 TDs and helped lay the foundation for a program that would later win a state championship. He rushed for 1,383 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior. He also was an outstanding track athlete and won back-to-back New Jersey Meet of Champions titles in 100 meters in 2016 and 2017.
In college he appeared in 41 games at Wisconsin (40 starts from 2017-19) and totaled 926 carries for 6,174 yards and 50 touchdowns. He added 42 receptions for 407 yards and five touchdowns. He won the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top running back in 2018 and 2019 and was a unanimous All-American.
He is the seventh player in FBS history to rush for 6,000 yards and the first to accomplish the feat in just three seasons. His 6,174 career rushing yards rank sixth all-time among FBS players and second all-time in the Big Ten. He is the third player in FBS history with multiple 2,000-yard rushing seasons and the only player in FBS history to rush for at least 1,900 yards in three consecutive seasons.
Following his junior season at Camp Randall, the Colts selected Taylor in the second round (41st overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Pro Football Writers of America named Taylor to its All-Rookie Team after he rushed for 1,169 yards in 232 attempts and caught 36 passes for 299 yards. Then in 2021, he led the NFL in rushing with 1,811 yards in 332 attempts and rushing touchdowns with 18. He also caught 40 passes for 360 yards. He was named first-time All Pro and received the Bert Bell Award, presented annually by the Maxwell Football Club to the best player in the NFL.
In some ways his career followed a similar path to that of another former Salem great, Lydell Mitchell.
Mitchell starred at Salem in the late 60s, then went on to become an All-American at Penn State and star as a groundbreaking running back in the NFL. Similarly to Taylor, he was drafted in the second round by the Baltimore Colts and went on to become a three-time Pro Bowl pick.
Mitchell was part of the inaugural Salem County Sports Hall of Fame class in 2000. He wasn’t able to attend his induction ceremony so Saturday night was his first chance to thank the committee in person before sharing his recollections of Taylor.
“I had a phone call from Tommy McCarthy,” Mitchell recalled. “He said they have a young guy up here in Salem; you’ve got to see him play. I think it was Thanksgiving I came up to a game and had an opportunity to talk with Jonathan after the game.
“When I got home that following Monday I called (Penn State head coach) James Franklin and said you’ve got to get this guy, you’ve got to get him in here. He (Taylor) made the right choice. The only thing he could have done is he could’ve followed me because he could have been blue and white in high school, blue and white in college and blue and white in professional football.
“I’ve seen him from afar quite a bit and every time he does speak about Salem passionately, about the high school, about the town. This guy promotes it . Every single time he gets an opportunity to talk in front of the camera he talks about where he’s from.”
The ceremony also recognized Salem High School’s 2021 football team. That team won the Rams’ first New Jersey South-Central Group 1 championship and was praised for its resiliency through a gauntlet of adversity.
The remainder of the Hall of Fame class that will inducted later this summer includes pro athlete Lex Bleckley; athletes James Dickerson, Nick Elmer, James Dennison and Latika Ross; coaches Donna O’Leary and Steve Merritt; and community service honorees Vince Gioia and Steve Lopes. The Hall also will recognize the 2013-15 boys and girls track teams from Penns Grove.
Taylor will be part of that night in spirit, but this night belonged to him.
“This night will stick with me forever,” he said.
