The Goodness of America
In Honor of Taylor
The parents of Taylor Haugen, the Nice-ville (Florida) High School wide receiver who was killed six years ago during a football game, have decided to turn their tragedy into something positive.
The Columbia Missourian recalled in October 2014 the tragic moment that took Taylor’s life in 2008: “In a junior varsity game with his mother watching in the stands, his quarterback’s pass was slightly high, so Taylor, 15, thrust both hands over his head to catch it. One defender slammed into his now exposed abdomen, the other simultaneously hit him in the back. Taylor staggered to the sidelines and collapsed. He was dead hours later.”
Taylor died from a crushed liver, an injury that his parents are hoping to prevent for future athletes through the creation of the Taylor Haugen Foundation’s Youth Equipment for Sports Safety (YESS) program, which, if schools send in grant applications, will provide high-school teams nationwide with the necessary protective padding that could have prevented their son’s death. The padding is worn by many NFL players and is molded to fit each player’s body shape.
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