Jason Taylor to Dance on DWTS Season 6
Jason Taylor is a defensive end for the Miami Dolphins. He has received many football awards, but will Jason be able to add the “Dancing with the Stars – Season 6” trophy to his shelf? We will find out this season as he dances with partner Edyta Sliwinska.
Jason Paul Taylor was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 1, 1974. He was home schooled from grades 10 – 12, but he was allowed to play football and basketball for Woodland Hills High School in Churchhill, Pennsylvania. In his senior year, he won Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athlete League honors for tight end and free safety.
After high school, Jason attended the University of Akron where he played both football and basketball. As a junior and a senior there, he was named to the First Team All-American Conference twice. He was also picked as an All-American his junior year.
Jason was a third round draft choice by the Miami Dolphins (the 73rd overall pick) in 1997. He was named the Dolphin Newcomer of the Year by the South Florida media. He has since established himself as a force in the NFL. He has 117 career sacks, which ranks him 14th on the all time list. He has recorded 7 INTs, 41 FFs, and 26 FRs, five of which were returned for touchdowns. He is the all-time leader in defensive touchdowns scored by a defensive lineman (with 8). He has two career safeties and two career blocked field goals.
James has received many accolades for his play. He was selected to the Pro Bowl six times, named to the first or second team of the All-Pro four times, named the NFL Alumni Association Defensive Lineman of the Year twice, and named NFL Alumni Association Pass Rusher of the Year. He has won the NFL Defensive Player of the Week award seven times, NFL Defensive Player of the Month three times, and in 2006, Jason was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Jason has also won the Dan Marino Team MVP Award four times and the Don Shula Team Leadership Award twice. In 2007, he received the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
He was listed as one of the “Tex Sexiest Athletes” by Sports Illustrated in 2001, but
Jason is married to Katina, the sister of former teammate Zach Thomas. The couple has two sons, Isaiah Paul and Mason Paul.
Jason is very involved in charities. He and Katina founded The Jason Taylor Foundation in 2004, which creates and supports programs that benefit needy children in South Florida to help improve their healthcare, education, and quality of life. He hosts the annual “Jason Taylor Celebrity Golf Classic” which raises money for the Holtz Children’s Hospital. He also created the Big Screens-Big Dreams program to inspire local youth through film. He supports the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. Jason also supports the troops, being part of the 2003 USO/NFL Tour in Germany, Kuwait, and Iraq. Jason has helped build homes for Habitat for Humanity in the Miami area as well as released his own calendar, which benefited the First Book organization, which gives books to children. In 2005, he received the “Good Guy Award” from the Sporting news for his charitable work.
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