Taylor AvrittTaylor Avritt

I transferred to Cleveland HS the summer leading into my Jr. year with one main goal – participate at a more competitive level of football than I had previously while attending 2A Neah-Kah-Nie on the Oregon Coast. The ironic part of my sentiment was that I was only a mediocre player in the smaller league, and had won only two games in two years. I made it to Cleveland, and by the end of my Jr. year, I had now won only two games in three years.

This didn’t deter me from football, and as I came to understand over the years, losing taught me invaluable lessons about patience, perseverance, perspective and leadership. Getting beaten up both physically and mentally in the sport was exhausting. However, learning to embrace that position with my coaches and teammates, and investing thoughtful effort into advancing out of that position was always – ALWAYS – more invigorating. Football, and losing, opened my perspective to more fundamental and personal concepts of winning. Cleveland HS and my coaches allowed me to put that perspective into practice. And as a result, my team and I tasted the fruits of our labor senior year, winning the 5A PIL and advancing into playoffs.

I was skilled enough to play in college, but never started a game. I was fortunate enough to play abroad in a semi-pro league, but it was pay to play. I was able to represent my resident country’s national team and compete against other countries, but was always a role player. Naturally, I considered statistical achievement as a predicating factor to any hall of fame ballot for any level of athletics. And while I found a sliver of statistical success while attending Cleveland, it wasn’t to the level that would catch any great attention.

I think about some of the superstar athletes that have come out of the PIL, with whom I’m honored to acknowledge as fellow hall-of-famers. I’m not at that level, athletically. I confessed this with my father when he told me I was in consideration for the HOF. He reassured me that being a part of this cohort was about more than athletic achievement on its own. It speaks to the pedigree of the person. Looking back, I think football and sports, especially at Cleveland HS, provided me the opportunity to learn how to become a better version of myself.

I have been awarded Most Inspirational by my teammates at every level of football that I played: middle school, high school (at both NKN and CHS), Linfield and abroad. I’ve been a Team Captain on every football team I’ve ever been part of. And none of this was because I wanted to achieve these things. It was because I wanted to represent my teammates, coaches, school, country and myself to the highest degree. It’s because of the respect that I have for others, and an eternal optimism to help discover the greatness within us all. I realize that this is what I exhibit in the teams that I’ve been part of, as it has with my two sisters, my mother and father, my grandmother, my friends, coworkers and my community.

As I reflect on what it means to be considered in a Hall of Fame, I realize that the PIL doesn’t determine their members purely on athletic performance. There’s much more to consider about the type of teammate that is selected. I am humbled, and deeply honored to be selected to become part of the PIL HOF.