A Legacy of a young man, whose
two passions were Jesus and football
In 2008, Taylor Haugen passed away from an abdominal injury sustained while playing football for Niceville High School. In his short 15 ½ years, Taylor Reid Haugen left an indelible mark on the community through his living faith and compassion for his friends, team, community, organizations and church. “T”, as he was known, was well-respected by his peers, teachers, congregation and family as an upbeat, positive, selfless yet self-confident young man whose, two passions were Jesus and football. T was a natural leader among his friends and teammates, a mentor to the young and a positive influence and inspiration to all who knew him and of him.
While being a natural leader, his athletic ability wasn’t initially as natural. He was good but he pursued greatness. Taylor loved and played all sports, but his favorite was football and his position was wide-receiver. Taylor worked diligently to improve and hone his athletic skills in order to be at his best. He often stayed after practice and trained on weekends with the quarterbacks, in order to improve his routes and receptions – he always went the extra yard, his personal motto being, “Don’t Quit and Never Give Up.”
Taylor carried this passion over into selfless service to others. After hours of football practice at the High School, Taylor would often return to his Middle School where he would assist the coaches by volunteering to work with their wide-receivers.
This desire to serve others was consistent and constant. Whether volunteering to work with younger athletes or at the church as a volunteer for student retreats, events and fund-raisers, or simply lifting the spirits of a friend in need, T placed others before himself.
A gifted academic, Taylor maintained a weighted 4.0 GPA and was heavily involved with extra-curricular activities. He was the President of the National Junior Honor Society at Lewis Middle School, a member of the Leadership Council at Niceville High School, a PAL youth soccer referee, a scuba diving member of the Na Gisa dive team, Key Club member, and a member of both the wrestling and football teams at NHS.
A truly dynamic personality, Taylor embodied the characteristics of integrity and selflessness, and always with an air of charisma and confidence.
Taylor Haugen’s Own Words
Hey! I’m Taylor Reid Haugen, I prefer to be called Taylor and I absolutely detest my middle name for no reason at all. I am named after my mother’s maiden name, Taylor. I was born in Fayetteville North Carolina and when I was 6 months old our family moved to Pensacola and from there, here to Niceville. My family is very small considering that I am an only child we have a dog named Maggie. Maggie is a pound rescue dog and she looks like a German Shepard puppy but she’s actually 7 years old. My dad is 5 ’ 10” and completely bald. He is a financial advisor in Destin, and my mother teaches preschool at our church. I don’t think I have a favorite place, but if I did it probably would be my bedroom. A motto for me is plain and simple, “Never give up, don’t ever give up.” I think of that quote every time I feel like quitting something, then I drive on and push through the tough times. My friends are the best friends in the world. When I was younger my mom gave me a saying to help me remember how to spell the word “friends.” She would say “the ‘ i ’ goes before the ‘ e ’ because you’ll have fri ends til the end.” I know now that I will have friends til the end because they are always there for me and I am always there for them to help them in their struggles too.
I also play football. I am a wide receiver on the JV team and my number is 80. I have been in love with the sport of football since birth. The feeling of running down the field into the end zone is unforgettable and insurmountable. In the future I would like to go to the University of Florida and become a sports agent out of Los Angeles. I love sports and everything about it and I think that I could be a pretty successful man in the future. I know for a fact that I will be a rich man in the future so I plan on donating money to the United Way and the American Red Cross.
Taylor Haugen
8-22-08
