Meet Jordan Taylor

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Taylor.

Hi Jordan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born and raised in Dodge City, KS. Growing up, I loved playing sports and was always interested in science and how the human body functions. In high school, I participated in football, basketball, and baseball. I was 130 lbs. my junior year of high school. A good athlete (quick and fast), just very small. I was always viewed as “too small” to play football. I just ignored the people that doubted me based on my size alone. I started reading books and magazine articles about how to get stronger and add muscle to my frame. I dedicated myself to lifting weights to gain strength and muscle, and I “bulked up” to 145 pounds my senior year. I had only two college scholarship offers for football coming out of high school. Most colleges/universities were hesitant to offer a scholarship to a 5’6” 145-pound football player. I accepted a scholarship to Dodge City Community College, but unfortunately, I got injured playing there.

I then played a few years of outdoor semi-professional football and thought my playing days were done. However, while attending Wichita State University to earn my Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science, I started missing football really bad! Obviously, Wichita State does not have a football team, and I enjoyed being a student in the exercise science program there, so I did not want to transfer to another university. I added some more muscle to my frame and was 160 pounds when I decided to attend an open tryout for the local professional arena football team (the Wichita Stealth) in 2002. I had a really good tryout and was invited to training camp in 2002, but I was released from the team prior to our first game against the Peoria Pirates. I can vividly remember the day I was released. After practice at the Kansas Coliseum, I was heading back to the locker room when head coach (Land Jacobsen) approached me. Coach Jacobsen asked that I turn in my playbook and find the equipment manager so he could gather my helmet and pads. After hearing this I was down, but Coach Jacobsen told me I had the ability to play professional arena football as a slot receiver, and he encouraged me to work on my game! The arena game was so fast, and I needed to adjust my play a bit. I had to learn to run my routes differently on the indoor field which is only 50 yards long and 28 yards wide. Since the field is so condensed, you have to understand how to make space for yourself running routes and create separation from defensive backs very quickly.

I worked hard lifting and running routes for another year and attended the Stealth’s open tryout again in 2003. Approximately 90 players were at the tryout from all over the country. I was just one of five players from the tryout to get an invite to training camp by our new Head Coach Bob Cortese. I was so thankful he was giving me a shot at making the team. Coach Cortese was a no-nonsense “old-school” Italian coach. He was a straight-shooter, and you always knew where you stood in his mind, good or bad. He is one of my all-time favorite coaches. I have nothing but respect for that man. After the first 10 days of our 2003 training camp, we played a pre-season game against the Tulsa Talons. The Talons had a lot of Division-1 and ex-NFL talent on their roster. That preseason game was a huge opportunity for me. The guy that was always told he was “too small to play football” now had a shot at making a professional football team! I had a good pre-season performance against Tulsa, and I signed my first professional football contract at the age of 22 after that game! It felt awesome! I was the youngest player on the team and also the smallest. I spent most of the 2003 season on the practice squad as a backup to ex-NFL wide receiver Michael Dritlein. I learned a ton from him as his backup that year, and he really helped me polish my route running and overall abilities.

In 2004, I was thrilled to graduate with my Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science degree from Wichita State University. I then decided to pursue my Master’s degree in Exercise Science at Wichita State University. While working on my Master’s degree, I continued to play arena/indoor football for Wichita’s new franchise (the Wichita Aviators) during the 2005 and 2006 seasons. I was also working as a strength and conditioning coach and personal trainer during this time in Wichita. After the 2006 season playing with the Wichita Aviators, I moved to Las Vegas, NV and served as lead instructor for the National Strength and Conditioning Association Personal Training Certification Program at Professional Fitness Institute. This is where I realized how much I loved to teach and the impact you can make on young minds. At Professional Fitness Institute, I instructed courses in Anatomy & Physiology, Pathology, Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Exercise Prescription.

In 2007, a friend of mine invited me to work with him as an exercise physiologist for patients/clients suffering from a variety of neurological conditions. So, I left Las Vegas and I moved to San Antonio, TX to work at Pressing On Neuro Fitness. We provided intense exercise-based training for individuals recovering from spinal cord injury, stroke, and traumatic brain injury (TBI). This was a challenging and rewarding job, but I missed teaching. I knew deep down that my purpose was to teach full-time at a major university. Furthermore, I knew I had to go back to school and earn a doctorate (Ph.D.) to make becoming a professor at a major university a reality.

I left Texas in 2009 and moved to Kansas City, KS to begin working on my Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Science at Kansas University Medical Center. My doctoral research focused on traumatic brain injury and how exercise impacts brain health at the cellular and molecular levels. After six years of study, I completed my Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Science with Honors from the University of Kansas Medical Center in 2015. Within a few months, I was hired to teach full-time in the Exercise Science Program at the University of Kansas – Edwards Campus in Overland Park. In 2018, I became the Program Director for Exercise Science and have also since been promoted to Associate Teaching Professor. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time teaching in Overland Park at the KU Edwards Campus. We have excellent faculty, staff, and students at both the Edwards Campus and main campus in Lawrence. Sharing my knowledge with students is rewarding and it feels great preparing students for their future careers! The students also help keep me feeling young at heart, so that is an additional benefit!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course not. Life is never a smooth road, at least for most people. There were definitely struggles along the way in both my football career and academically. The struggles teach you the most about yourself. You find out who you really are when faced with adversity. I have found that hard work and perseverance will get you far in life. Also, always bet on you, and don’t worry if others bet against you. Of course, having some natural abilities helps a lot, but to reach your full potential you really have to persist and work at things. There were times I wanted to quit both in my football career and even while working on my doctorate degree. That’s when I would look in the mirror and have a talk with myself. I would ask myself, “if I quit now, will I regret it 10, 20, or 30 years down the road?” The answer was always “yes, you will regret it.” So, the only solution was to keep going. The fear of having regrets later in life provided motivation to get through temporary struggles. Plus, my mom and dad always encouraged me to keep moving forward when I struggled and to think about how any choice I made in a tough moment could impact my future. I’m thankful that I was blessed with great parents who helped me realize the importance of enduring through tough and painful times. Another family friend also offered great advice to me. He used to say, “Jordan, just keep your face to the wind and keep walking.”

Through various trials and tribulations, I realized pain truly is temporary, but regrets can haunt you forever. So for the sake of your own mental health, find a way to reduce anything that will cause regrets later in life! Unfortunately, the widespread thinking in today’s society is to just live for the moment, not thinking about the future, and things should be handed to you rather than earned. It’s no wonder so many people don’t feel good about themselves and lack self-esteem. Believing in yourself and fighting through adversity to accomplish academic, athletic, and career goals gives you the ultimate satisfaction, and it builds confidence along the way. In contrast, there is no confidence building, nor any deep personal satisfaction, if you accomplish a goal very easily or something is just handed to you. I think it’s important for young students and athletes to think about what their life will look like in the future when they are faced with adversity in the present. Do you want to be that person at 60 or 70 years old saying, “I could have done this, or I should have done that?” Most young people will say, “no, I don’t want to be like that.” It’s also okay to realize you are not perfect and will fail many times. As long as you rebound from those failures, you will eventually succeed, and you will be able to lay on your deathbed and reflect on your life with a smile on your face and peace in your heart knowing you gave it your best shot.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am the Undergraduate Exercise Science Program Director and an Associate Teaching Professor at the University of Kansas. I teach a variety of courses (e.g., exercise biochemistry, neuromuscular exercise physiology, health and pathophysiology, principles of personal training, kinesiology, medical terminology, and physical activity and exercise management for individuals with disabilities) at the KU Edwards Campus in Overland Park, KS. As I previously mentioned, I really enjoy teaching and seeing students’ minds develop. I am most proud of them on graduation day and when I see them succeeding in their careers. I feel that one of my strengths as a professor is the ability to convey the complexities of science and the human body in a simple and easy to understand manner. I use a lot of analogies and humor when I teach to help students remember important points!

I also am currently enjoying producing videos with the help of the KU Media team for my YouTube channel. My channel is “Fitness Facts with Dr. Jordan Taylor.” The channel is dedicated to helping viewers understand a variety of topics in the field of exercise science. Videos are posted discussing numerous topics in the field including but not limited to; sports performance enhancement, kinesiology, nutrition and supplementation advice, personal training, strength and conditioning, bodybuilding, exercise program design, exercise technique, injury prevention, and rehabilitation. I also conduct interviews with industry professionals, faculty, students, athletes, and coaches. If interested, check out my channel!

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
There is something for everyone in the Kansas City area no matter your personal interest. We have great professional sports teams, arts, music, shopping, and a variety of outdoor activities. And of course, we have phenomenal barbecue! The dating scene could be better here though, haha!

Contact Info:

• Website: hses.ku.edu
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.jordan_taylor/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/FitnessFactswithDrJordanTaylorPhDCSCS