If there’s one thing an All-Pro running back won’t forget, it’s where he came from. Moreover, he always tries to mention Salem wherever he goes. Jonathan Taylor is the shining example of what it means to stay grounded, be successful and come back to his roots.
Taylor was honored at the Salem County Sports Hall of Fame at Salem Community College on July 20, 2024. The annual ceremony spotlights the exceptional sports talent in the county.
The All-Pro running back is known for his speed, his many accomplishments throughout his college and NFL career, but Salem County knows him as an unwavering player with a desire to give back to his community and continue to impact others. What you might not know about him is his academic accomplishments.
“I try to emphasize this a lot, but people may not know that I’ve actually been a huge science guy. But the major that I wanted to go for, you could not actually have that major. You would have to dual major in astronomy and then in physics. So that would have been quite schedule conflicting for me, especially with the time demand. But I love philosophy as well, and it’s still in the science realm.” Taylor said.
It was an emotional ceremony for the Taylor and one other inductee, the Salem High School’s 2021 football championship team, coached by Montrey Wright. This team won the Rams’ first New Jersey South-Central Group 1 championship.
Before his emotional speech, Wright invited the 2021 team and coaches to join him onstage to properly be honored.
Wright’s mother passed away shortly before the season, and adding a rocky start to the season, the team rallied around Wright to lock in and compete – even doing 100 sprints just to fine tune their skills.
“As the season went on, I was still dealing with the turmoil with my mother, I started to ease up because I knew these guys had my back. I never been apart of a group where guys were checking up on me, contacting me,” Wright said. “It was a big deal, but it meant a lot to me.”
NFL star Lydell Mitchell, also a Salem High School graduate and member of the Salem County Sports Hall of Fame, attended the event and related some of Taylor’s experiences to his own.
Towards the end of the ceremony, Taylor gave thanks to friends and family and touched once again on his Salem pride.
“There’s really no speech that I have, tonight is a Salem night, it’s not about me.” Taylor said. “There’s been a long lineage of great people that come through Salem County. To be honored amongst them is a privilege, but tonight is a Salem night.”
“I’m always going to rep Salem, New Jersey, I’m always going to shed light on Salem, New Jersey because they don’t understand the people here. They come together for a great cause. Like coach said earlier, things get better and things get worse, but I think now it’s about time for things to get better.” Taylor added.
Taylor met with family and friends in attendance following the ceremony, reminding everyone once again that the All-Pro running back will never not have time for the city that made him.
First & Jenn 
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