I was at Valley Bank today and the woman at the teller desk and I got to talking...we're both class of 86. She's from North Scott...me, Davenport Central, of course! She asked if I knew this Taylor guy who died. "Rodney Taylor?" I asked? YES I remember him...he was an AMAZING football player for Davenport Central.
I would have been a sophomore and junior during his heyday. "Rodney Taylor up the middle!" That was always the joke...when in doubt, hand it off to Rodney and he'll take it up the middle and get that first down...or, even better, score the touch down. It was a rarity when that play didn't work. Reading the piece in the Quad City Times, I realized just what a great guy he was. He never let his size get in the way of his dreams.
When he came back home to work after college, he continued supporting Davenport Central athletics by being the president of the booster club...helping other young athletes achieve the same dreams that he had as a kid. RIP Rodney!
