Monday, November 5, 2001
For Immediate Release

The Philadelphia Eagles are proud to announce that Adam Taliaferro has been named honorary captain for this Sunday’s game versus the Minnesota Vikings. Taliaferro will join the Eagles three captains for the official coin toss prior to kickoff.

On September 23, 2000, Penn State freshman Adam Taliaferro suffered a severe neck injury while making a tackle in a game against Ohio State. He fractured the fifth cervical vertebra near the base of his neck and two days later, he underwent spinal fusion surgery.

Medical experts feared that Taliaferro, a native of Voorhees, New Jersey, might never walk again, but just months later, he left the Magee Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia on his own two feet with only crutches to support him. And the crutches, as he had vowed, were soon put aside as well.

It was just two weeks into Taliaferro’s rehabilitation that the Eagles Troy Vincent, Bobby Taylor and Brian Dawkins paid him a visit. They went to see him in hopes of raising his spirits, but the young man with the infectious smile, ended up raising theirs. Mere months later, in February, he was sitting next to Eagles head coach Andy Reid receiving the Spirit Award at the Maxwell Club’s Awards Dinner. It was Reid and Vincent that invited Taliaferro to join the team as an honorary captain. He graciously accepted.

Taliaferro graduated from Eastern High School, NJ, a National Honors student and was selected an honorable-mention All-American by USA Today, first-team All State and first-team All South Jersey.

Adam’s recovery has been nothing short of miraculous. With hard work and dedication he returned to classes at Penn State and although his playing career has ended, Adam serves as a student assistant coach on the football team and as a reminder that anything is possible.

On September 1, 2001, Adam led Penn State out of the tunnel and onto the field, first walking, then skipping and then, to the amazement of the crowd of nearly 110,000, breaking into an awe-inspiring jog before their home opener against Miami.