Inspired Elliott dedicates season to father

Jan. 6, 2016

Taylor Elliott with her father, Robert Elliott, who died in December 2014.

By Jerome Boettcher | Subscribe to Commodore Nation

Robert Elliott’s presence was undeniable.

He stood tall at 6-foot-6 with blond hair, ears pierced and fur coats draped over his broad shoulders. And he had a voice that boomed, projecting his outgoing personality.

“When he walked in a room you knew he was there,” says Taylor Elliott, smiling and remembering her father. “He had this long hair  old school 80s do. It was so funny. He looked like this big tough guy but on the inside he was such the sensitive guy, who cried during movies.”

A former first-round draft pick by the New York Yankees in the 1968 MLB draft, Robert Elliott was athletic, too. He played four sports in high school. Though his pitching drew the attention of professional scouts, he loved football the most and also starred at basketball and wrestling.

But after his playing days ended and he had four children with his wife, Janet, he became vested in their interests. So when Taylor took up soccer, Robert took her to the field every day during high school for extra practice sessions. He saw the talent in his only daughter and youngest child and encouraged her to give her all to the sport.

“I think that is why I love the sport so much,” Taylor says, “because it is a strong attachment to him.”

Perhaps the biggest advice Robert offered to Taylor was to have fun and enjoy the sport. Stop thinking and just play, he would often say.

Those words never rang more true than this past fall – Taylor’s first soccer season without her father. Robert Elliott, or Pops as Taylor knew him, died last December at the age of 65. He suffered an embolism, or blood clot, in his heart and passed away in his sleep.

Returning to Vanderbilt for a fifth season, Taylor played inspired soccer in her father’s memory. Before every game, she wrote the word “Pops” on her finger. This served as a reminder of her father and what he always encouraged – just have fun. Usually hard on herself and worried about letting her teammates down, Elliott played loose.

“I think he played a big part in that, just kind of letting go of everything,” said Elliott, who graduates in December with a degree in political science. “I just said I am going to give everything I’ve got.”

Taylor Elliott at Senior Day ceremonies with her mother, Janet Elliott, head coach Darren Ambrose and former Vanderbilt teammate and best friend Cherrelle Jarrett.

As a result, her best season at Vanderbilt unfolded. In her previous three seasons she had scored just one goal and made only one start. As a fifth-year senior, the 5-foot-10 forward ranked third on the team with four goals and made 13 starts.

She played a pivotal role in the Commodores’ breakout season, helping the team to its first SEC Tournament appearance in five years. She had the game-tying goal and game-winning assist in Vanderbilt’s 2-1 overtime victory at No. 8 South Carolina, earning SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

At the SEC Tournament, her header in the second half catapulted the ‘Dores to their first tournament win since 2005. Head coach Darren Ambrose called the game-winning goal against Georgia his most memorable moment of the season in large part because of who scored it.

“She embodies a lot of things I believe are important in having a successful program,” Ambrose said. “A never-ending work rate, this incredible desire to give what you can to your teammates, and just a really good kid. I was just ecstatic for her  a fifth-year senior who has faced real adversity in her life and overcome some challenges.”

Tearing her ACL in her left knee the May before her freshman season and then suffering the same injury in her right ACL that following spring, Taylor had a fifth year of eligibility from redshirting in 2011. She knew she wanted to stay at Vanderbilt. She just wasn’t sure if the new coach wanted her.

Any doubt quickly faded as she met with Ambrose for the first time last February, just a couple weeks after he was hired.

“He saw me after a week of playing and he told me, ‘I believe in you. I believe in you as a player. I think you’re going to impact this team,” she said. “He said, ‘The only thing is I know you don’t have confidence in yourself. I can see that.’ He kind of knew that was something I struggled with. Really talking to him that first meeting changed me.”

Her teammates offered a boost, too.

When her father died, she didn’t tell many of her teammates  only best friend, defender Cherrelle Jarrett (who graduated in May) and a couple others in her class. So she was surprised and moved when so many on the team showed up at her father’s funeral in her hometown of Massapequa, N.Y.

“I was blown away,” she said. “My team was awesome. Everybody reached out to me. Everybody sent things to me. My teammates were… I wouldn’t have gotten through it without them.”

Elliott also stressed the help from staff members throughout her career.

Athletic trainer Sara Melby patiently helped Elliott through both ACL rehabs (along with stress fracture and meniscus injuries), crafting drills catering to Elliott’s needs and skillset. Then-strength and conditioning coach Kristina Jeffries was there to listen and offer encouragement as Taylor got stronger in the weight room. She often visited sports psychologist Vickie Woosley during her injuries and after her father’s death. And current strength coach Darren Edgington was one of the first people to check in on her after she returned to campus last year.

“I felt so loved,” she said. “With everything that happened in the past, it felt like everything came together. All my hard work  it just came together in one moment. I couldn’t describe anything better. It was crazy. I am just so happy for the team. Everybody has been working so hard. It was four years of hard work that paid off.”