Taylor Mays; From O'Dea to the NFL

SEATTLE- O’Dea has produced countless high-level athletes playing on all levels from college to professional to the Olympic level. Though, it’s hard to make a case that any are better than football and track star Taylor May’s.

In May’s 4 years at Odea he was an all-state and all-metro level player as a 3-year varsity two-way player as well as a track star as he won state in the 100-meter, 200 meter and 400-meter relay in 2004 as a junior. Even with a dominating track performance his junior season, May’s would focus on football only is senior year and decided to not perform on the track team.

With football being his main focus as a senior, he would dominate and would be named Washington State All-American and the Gatorade National Player of the Year.

May’s spoke fondly on how O’Dea set him up for life more than anything, including football.

May’s stated “One of the best things O’Dea taught me was good habits and how to have a schedule…a lot that I learned and the stuff they taught helped me prepare for college, so I was already kind of prepared for college. The teachers hold you to a standard and when you’re 14 years old you’re really influential and kind of them putting you in that right direction really helped”.

O’Dea Alum and teammate of May’s, Alonzo Jackson, stated, “He was a senior when I was a freshman and playing varsity that young, going against him in practice and lifting with Taylor and seeing how hard he worked in those definitely helped me in the long run”.

Mays also spoke about what O’Dea and Coach Kohler meant to him when it comes to football.

May’s stated “It’s a blue-collar mentality…it’s kind of like a work hard and be selfless mentality, and that’s what Coach Kohler has always been. You may not like Coach Kohler when he’s yelling at you but in reality, he is setting you up for the future”.

After the life lessons learned both on and off the field at O’Dea, Mays would commit to play football at The University of Southern California.

May’s carried his high-level play and decorated career into college, where again, he would be an outstanding player. May’s would earn Freshman All-American first team, 3-time first team All-American and the 1st runner up for the Jim Thorpe award, given to college football's best defensive back. This would propel May's into the getting drafted by the San Fransisco 49ers as the 49th pick and the second round of the 2010 NFL draft.

“It was one of the top college football programs at the time… My dad and I went to a practice in the spring and all the players were laughing and having fun and working hard at the same time. That on top of wanting to contribute to one of the best college football teams and too be one of the best football players it all made sense to me”, says May’s.

As for May’s returning to O’Dea to coach like his father, Stafford Mays, he stated, “I would do it, but it would need to be a situation where I live in Seattle again”.