Summer job becomes dream come true for Taylor

Abingdon native now Rams' full-time assistant equipment manager

Thursday, July 27, 2006

By BILL FORD

The Register-Mail

GALESBURG - Matt Taylor never imagined his high school summer job with the St. Louis Rams would turn into a full-time position. But eight years after he started, that is exactly what happened.

The Abingdon native started as an equipment manager with the Rams when he was 16 and has stuck with them ever since. Recently, he was named as a full-time assistant equipment manager. Not bad for a kid who wrote a letter eight years ago simply because he thought it would be cool to help shag footballs at the Rams camp in Macomb.

"At 16 years old, I didn't know what I was getting into. I was just excited I got an opportunity to work with the Rams," Taylor said. "I did it all the way through high school and college. Starting this spring an opportunity arose and I got promoted and moved on full time."

Taylor said having a job hanging out with professional football players and watching his favorite game for a living is a dream come true. When he was a kid he said he just thought it was cool to be involved, that he would do it for free. Now that he does it for a living, he said he couldn't think of a better job.

"I wouldn't have it any other way. Sometimes I pinch myself when I drive into work," Taylor said. "I am 24 years old and a lot of my friends have suit and tie jobs. I put on a T-shirt and shorts and watch football for a living."

As much fun as his job is, Taylor said, it is still a job that has a lot of responsibilities.

His duties include anything from making sure all the players and coaches are outfitted in proper shoes and equipment to holding balls for kickers to even doing laundry. At certain times during training camp, he said he will put in 14 or 15 hour days.

"Training camp is the brutal hours," Taylor said. "We have about six or seven different things coming at us at once. We learn to structure and work in a fast-paced environment."

The Rams reported to St. Louis for training camp Wednesday and had their first official day of practice today.

Taylor said this year's camp is going to be a different than it has been for him the past eight years because of the Rams' revamped coaching staff. He said he has had limited time to become familiar with head coach Scott Linehan, but he is about to get to know him very well.

"The first few days are kind of the roughest because everybody is learning the flow of how things go," Taylor said. "This year is going to be a little bit different than normal because of the new coaching staff. It's a new way of doing things not only as far as practice, but also day-to-day operations.

"By about the second or third day we will have everything going smoothly."

Until last season, the Rams called Macomb thier summer home. These days, they train back home in St. Louis. While it was nice to be close to his hometown when the team was in Macomb, Taylor said he likes training in St. Louis better.

When the team practiced in Macomb, Taylor and the equipment staff had to start packing two weeks prior to the start of camp in preparation for the move. Often, they would be there as much as five days before the players setting up equipment. Now, all of the packing has been eliminated.

"Even though I am from that whole area, for us to train here is actually a blessing for me and my department. We don't have to pack everything," Taylor said. "The people in Macomb, you couldn't ask for anything better in the way they treated you. But it was little tough being three and a half hours away."

Back in St. Louis, he has more time to spend with his friends. Most of his friends in St. Louis come to work with their names on the backs of their shirts.

Taylor said because he works so closely with the players, he often becomes close friends with them and likes to hang out with them whenever they get free time in the offseason. He said a couple days ago he went out to eat with linebackers Drew Wahlroos and Brandon Chillar.

A few months back he went to a WWE wrestling match and sat in the front row with long snapper Chris Massey, defensive tackle Le'Roi Gloverer and tight end Aaron Walker.

"Most of the time, that is one of the first things I am questioned about is how are the guys," Taylor said. "But like I tell most people, they are regular guys. Granted they can throw a football or run fast.

"They don't look at you as an equipment guy. They consider you a friend. When it comes time to do something fun or hang out like that, you are always one of the first people they call."

While he said he would like to stay with the Rams, Taylor said he would go to another team if a better opportunity presented itself. Either way, he knows he wants to be an equipment manager.

"I'm going to keep doing this until it stops being fun or some greater opportunity arrives. I would love to stay here with the rams and work my way up, but if another opportunity arises with another team tat allows me to move up, yeah I'd jump at the chance."

Through the start of camp every year, Taylor said he sees kids starting out as managers the same way he did when he was 16 years old. He said he never hesitates to encourage these kids to keep it up if they like it.

After all, it worked out for him.

"Starting tomorrow we'll get a crew of about 10 to 12 kids age 12 to 16," Taylor said. "There's always a couple of them that say, 'Wow this is a lot of fun. You are sure lucky you get to come and watch football every day.' I tell them 'Yeah it is.' I tell them stick with it."