Gulliver volleyball standout mirroring the athleticism of her late father, Sean Taylor

Jackie Taylor was born into greatness.

And even after a tragic event took her father, his imprint on Taylor’s life is omnipresent.

“She has a lot of him,” said Taylor’s mother, Jackie Garcia-Haley. “She has his same exact smile, laugh, hands, feet, legs … “

Taylor, a junior volleyball star at Gulliver Prep, is the daughter of Sean Taylor, the former Miami Hurricanes and NFL All-Pro safety who was murdered by home invaders on Nov. 27, 2007. He was only 24 and already a two-time Pro Bowl player.

Jackie Taylor, who was just 18 months old when he died, grew up playing soccer and training as an aspiring hip-hop/jazz dancer.

At the age of eight, she quit sports to devote more time to dancing.

“Because of her father, everyone kept telling her, ‘You must be a great athlete,’” Garcia-Haley said. “It was a lot of pressure for her at a young age.”

By the eighth grade, Taylor got back into athletics, but it was only because Garcia-Haley – a former soccer standout at Gulliver and for the Hurricanes – insisted her daughter give sports another try.

Taylor resisted at first, but her mother said: “I don’t care if you aren’t good enough to play. I just want you to be on a team.”

As it turns out, Taylor has done way more than just occupy a roster spot.

Wearing size-12 shoes and blessed with elite athleticism and leaping ability, Taylor has emerged into a force as a 6-foot middle blocker. She soars well over a volleyball net and can touch a 10-foot basketball rim.

An intense competitor – much like her father – Taylor derives joy from stuffing an opponent at the net. But volleyball means more to her than just the physical.

“Having my teammates, who are basically like my family, compete with me every day,” Taylor said when asked what she loves about volleyball. “We spend time together at school and at practice. A lot of us play club volleyball together. Just to experience that bond, on and off the court …”

MAKING HER NAME

Garcia-Haley and Sean Taylor had a bond, too. They met on their first-ever day of school at Gulliver, where Taylor became a state champion track sprinter as well as a star running back and safety.

Although just friends at that time, they began dating when they reunited as Hurricanes athletes – Taylor as a sophomore and Garcia-Haley as a freshman.

“By then,” according to Garica-Haley, “Sean said, ‘I need to make sure I make her my girlfriend.’”

When Jackie Taylor was born on May 12, 2006, her parents struggled to agree on her name. Ultimately, a compromise was forged.

“I was born Jacqueline Marie Garcia,” Jackie Taylor’s mom said. “Her father was born Sean Michael Maurice Taylor.

“So, we named her Jacqueline Michelle Marie Taylor.”

For short, it’s simply Jackie Taylor, and it’s a name recruiters are coming to know more and more. Hurricanes coaches have come to her matches, and she is planning to take an official visit next month to Grand Canyon University, located in Phoenix.

She made it clear that she is a Hurricanes fan, inheriting – naturally -- a dislike for their rivals.

“Anytime someone talks to me about FSU or UF, I’m like, ‘No!’” Taylor said.

“If I had a chance to play at Miami, it would be a good way to end the story since both my parents played there. My parents have a huge legacy there, especially my dad.

“That would be a great, happy story. But I feel like I want to go outside my comfort zone and experience something new.”

Taylor said that, over time, she has gradually learned the importance of her dad’s career.

She said she has never gone on YouTube to watch his highlights, but she’s seen some of his many spectacular plays while attending certain events, such as the one on Oct. 17, 2021, when his former franchise, the Washington Redskins/Commanders, retired his NFL jersey, No. 21.

Sean Taylor, just two inches taller than his daughter is now, was also named to the University of Miami’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.

FINDING PURPOSE

Garcia-Haley said the birth of Jackie Taylor – Sean’s only child – “shifted his life in a positive direction.”

Added Garcia-Haley: “He was very attached to her. He was so proud.”

And, just like the birth of Jackie gave Sean purpose, so, too, has volleyball focused his daughter on her own athletic gifts.

When the pandemic first hit in 2020, Taylor got volleyball coaching from Tanya Young, who had played basketball for the Hurricanes in the 1990s.

In 2021, Taylor joined a club team, Miami Elite. Through that association, she met ex-Hurricanes volleyball star Priscilla Hernandez, who became a huge influence on Taylor.

Hernandez, who is now a graduate transfer at North Carolina State, taught Taylor some of the finer points of volleyball, preparing her for college.

Taylor gained another mentor in July of 2021, when Gulliver hired Emilio Rodriguez as coach.

Rodriguez, who was a player on the Southwest High “Bald Eagles” team that won the FHSAA’s first-ever boys’ volleyball state title in 2003, is now a 37-year-old coach with previous experience at Riviera Prep.

He quickly spotted Taylor’s potential, making her an immediate starter last year as a sophomore, despite her limited experience in the sport.

“He showed me a picture of Jackie and said, ‘Look, her whole head is above the net,’ Garcia-Haley said.

“He said she wasn’t ready yet, but that he was going to put on her on the team as his special project.”

Rodriguez said he’s pleased with Taylor, who wears a No. 1 jersey in honor of the shirt Sean sported at Gulliver. That’s a number she had never previously worn prior to last year.

“She flies at the net,” Rodriguez said. “She already has a college body, and her blocking and attacking are elite.

“But Jackie is still raw – untapped potential.”

This story was originally published October 19, 2022 at 11:24 AM.