Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 11 No. 5 | May 2019

inside.hokiesports.com 37 it if you keep pursuing it. It may not come next week. It may not come tomorrow—but it may. You never know when it’s going to come, so keep chasing it, keep chasing the greatness within yourself, and everything will be fine.” Taylor spent around 15 minutes answering questions from the children. He played at Tech from 2007-10, so most of the children, if not all of them, hadn’t been born when he played for the Hokies and made numerous memories on the sod at Lane Stadium. Still, many knew of him, presumably from parents and family members and possibly from watching him on television during his NFL career. For sure, the kids asked great questions. Among those included: “Do you have any brothers or sisters?” “No, I’m an only child. I was an 11-pound baby, so my mom called it quits after that,” he said, laughing. “How old are you?” “I’ll be 30 in August,” he said. “What was your favorite moment?” “Beating Nebraska at Lane Stadium [in 2009],” he said. “Also, beating Miami [the Dolphins in the final regular-season game of 2017] and helping Buffalo end a 17-year playoff drought. There were 5,000 fans at the airport when we got back [fromMiami].” The Q&A session was supposed to mark the end of the day for Taylor. But the kid in himrefused to allow the kids in front of him to leave without … well, just a little something more. Thus, an impromptu photograph and autograph session began. A couple of photographers took shots of Taylor with the entire group. The school staff joined in the fun, with teachers taking selfies with Taylor and also having photos taken of him with their respective classes. Taylor’s autograph became like trick-or-treat candy, and he signed shirts, sweatshirts and shoes. He shook hands, delivered hugs and handed out fist-bumps. It truly was Ut Prosim in the most meaningful of ways. “It [Virginia Tech] had a very big impact on me,” Taylor said. “Coach [Frank] Beamer was one of the special coaches that I’ve had throughout my career. We’d have to go out [into the community] after spring practices, and some guys didn’t understand it, but looking back on it, it created men and not just boys in the locker room. “The things we had to do, help others and serve others in the community, help the freshmen moving in—as a senior, you might not want to do that. But like I said, the older that you get and the more experience that you get, the more you go through life, you understand that it’s about serving others. The more that you can do that, then the better we are as a community.” Taylor plans to take that same attitude to Los Angeles, his new NFL home. He signed a two-year, $11 million contract with the Chargers in mid-March, a move that reunites himwith Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn, who served as his offensive coordinator for one season while in Buffalo. Taylor will be the backup to starter Phillip Rivers. The team will be Taylor’s fourth since he became a professional. He backed up Joe Flacco in Baltimore for four seasons, winning a Super Bowl ring in 2012, before moving to Buffalo in 2015, a place where he started 43 games in three seasons and completed 62.6 percent of his passes with 51 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Buffalo traded him to Cleveland last year, and he spent an injury-marred season with the Browns before signing with Los Angeles last month. “It’s all been a blessing,” he said. “If I had listened to what they had told me when I first came out of college, I shouldn’t be playing right now. I wouldn’t have made it as far as I made it. So I’m thankful for the people who told me I couldn’t and the people that believed that I could.” Beamer, of course, believed in Taylor. Former assistants Jim Cavanaugh and Curt Newsome believed in him. Then-offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring believed in him, along with then- quarterbacks coach Mike O’Cain. His teammates believed in him, as he and the Hokies won three ACC titles in his four seasons—two of those coming with him as the starter. Hokie Nation also believed in him, and he became one of the most beloved players in program history. That is why he comes back when he can and does things like speaking to elementary school children—it serves as his way of thanking a community that treated him so warmly. “They’ll always have a special place in my heart, and I appreciate the things that they’re doing in the community and the things that they’re doing on the athletics side,” Taylor said. “If you haven’t been to Blacksburg, it’s special. It takes for someone to come here to appreciate it. “Being here for four years and being able to come here years after, it’s a special place.” IHS extra Moving You, Without the Interruption We’re committed to making our customer’s move stress- free from beginning to end. We’ll give you the peace of mind that comes with reliable information, superior service, and quality support. Get started today by calling (800) 336-9626 or visit LawrenceMoves.com! M O V I N G