TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Sept. 27) - Coach Joe Taylor is known to have the skill to entertain most any crowd. Tonight was no different as he was the guest speaker at the Tallahassee Quarterback Club's (TQC) biweekly dinner. Two weeks ago, FSU Coach Jimbo Fisher took the stage to talk to the club, built on football lovers. The dinners are held at the Florida State University Center Club.
The Tallahassee Quarterback Club started the affair by offering up a buffet dinner, while honoring local high school athletes who had earned TQC Player of the Week honors. As attendees, including FAMU Director of Athletics Derek Horne and Interim Sports Information Director Vaughn Wilson, ate dessert after their meal, Taylor took to the stage as all attention shifted to his every word.
Taylor is a favorite among TQC speakers. "We still talk about quotes he (Taylor) said two years ago," said Hugh Tomlinson of North Florida Financial Corporation, the night's sponsor. "He is one of my favorite speakers of all," he added.
Taylor took the opportunity to articulate the team's theme, "Success is an Inconvenience." He spoke of the five ideals involved in achieving success, which were: discipline, priority, persistence, attitude and work ethic. His speech was laden with sayings, such as "Whatever you are doing, you are becoming."
"Coaching over the years, i once had a player tell me he wanted to be a doctor. I told him that I'd heard he was drinking on the weekends. I told him that he was not preparing to be a doctor, he was practicing to be a drunk," Taylor said to thunderous laughter.
He talked of this season's Rattler football team and what he thought of them. "Character is developed when your backs are against the wall. Our team showed that they had character on last Saturday," Taylor said.
He was referring to Saturday's comeback win, after being down at halftime in the Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic. Taylor said the team revealed their character by fighting their way back into the game. "I am so proud of the fact that we revealed our character. We successfully turned our trials into triumphs," he added.
The Tallahassee Quarterback Club was formed in 1949 to support local high school and college football. The club and its members, then as today, have a passion for the game of football while recognizing and supporting good sportsmanship. The club meets during the football season and caps the year with its annual Jamboree Awards Dinner. This year's jamboree dinner speaker will be legendary coach Bobby Bowden.
One of Taylor's most memorable quotes of the night was when he was speaking of persistence. "Does anyone know how Formula 409 got its name," he asked. 'Well, the first 408 times they tired to make the product, it didn't achieve what they were after, but they kept trying. On the 409th time, they got it right. I try to tell my kids all the time that there is no monopoly on success. They can be successful if they endure the process," Taylor said.
