By Patrick Boyle and Jonathan Tremblay
With close to 10 million people, a mostly humid subtropical climate and a very big basketball fan base, the State of North Carolina doesn’t seem to have a lot of similarities with Saskatchewan. We have 1.1 million people, dry prairie weather, extremely cold winters and really its football or…football. But, it’s the people that define a province or state.
Riders defensive end Hilee Taylor embodies what a professional athlete is supposed to be: exceptional physical ability, strong mental skills and a desire to always get better. This applies for any sport whether its baseball, basketball or football.
Taylor was born and raised in Laurinburg, North Carolina and he says that his first passion wasn’t actually football: “I grew up loving baseball.” Like many other professional athletes Taylor eventually found football or perhaps it was football that found him.
In high school, Taylor began an intense football training program that helped create an impressive high-school record. That’s when the offers started coming in. “Coming out of high school, I had quite a few offers from SEC and ACC schools, but I wanted to challenge myself to help the university that I think represented North Carolina State as a whole. I felt like the University of North Carolina (UNC) was the right place to go.”
In his senior year at UNC, Hilee was one of the top defensive ends in the nation with 10.5 sacks. This helped Taylor to head to the next level, the NFL. In 2008, he was drafted by his home state team the Carolina Panthers, where he played for three seasons.
After a long Carolina journey, Taylor then had a couple of uncertain years. He was traded to the Detroit Lions, then the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and in the middle of it all, the 2011 NFL lockout and a short retirement.
After some time for reflection, Taylor powered through adversity and was back in the game in 2012. But, with no solid offer in the NFL, his agent suggested they look north, to the CFL. “There’s a lot of talent up here,” says Taylor. “Canadian players and coaches are very talented. I’m surprised there isn’t a lot more of them in the NFL.”
It was with a mini-camp organized by the Roughriders in Tampa, Florida, that Hilee Taylor stood out and was invited to Saskatchewan for the Rider’s training camp. The rest is history.
He’s embraced our province and fans in the same way he cared for his home state of North Carolina. “Personally, I feed off the fans when I’m playing. They give you a second wind. It’s been phenomenal.”
Despite this being his first time in Canada, the North Carolinian says “I’m glad I’m in Regina. It’s a relatively smaller city, mad about football. Everyone’s friendly and says hello. It really reminds me of home.”
Home is where the heart is and Hilee Taylor has made his home in the CFL, in Rider Nation and with the people of Saskatchewan.
