Sele sprints forward

Tim Cavanaugh remembers the day as if it was yesterday. It was almost a decade ago when he took his 13- and 14-year-old Queens Falcons All-Stars to the Staten Island Boys Club for a friendly scrimmage against standout stars three and four years their elder.
It did not start out well. The Staten Island kids took it to them off the bat, seniors from powerhouse schools like Monsignor Farrell and Tottenville engulfing the youngsters on the gridiron. Early in the second half, it all changed, Cavanaugh recalled, on one play, one mesmerizing sprint down the sideline by a skinny, quick wide receiver named Taylor Sele.
“There was a whole group of kids just about to tackle him, three or four guys,” Cavanaugh said. “He made a move, and all four of the kids ran into each other, and he ran down the sideline and scored a touchdown. … That is when I realized how good he was. I knew he was going to be something special.”
Eight years later, that belief certainly holds water for the 6-foot, 197-pound burner. After earning a scholarship to Lawrence Academy through the Falcons’ “Run to Daylight” program that helps the inner-city youth land scholarships to prep schools, he then gained a free education at Boston College. After playing four seasons as a wide receiver and standout special teams player at BC, Sele is nearing a professional football career as the NFL Draft convenes this weekend.
The Liberian-born Sele wasn’t a standout performer at Boston College, but his eye-opening times at the school’s recent Pro Day in front of NFL scouts and coaches, have “helped solidify him on the radar screens of certain teams where he wouldn’t have been on had he not had those numbers,” his agent, Harry Sheer, said. “I think having an outstanding Pro Day was pivotal.”
His times in the 40-yard dash, vertical leap, and 10-yard sprint were all at in the top 10-20 of the nation’s top prospects. For instance, after the Richmond Hill native’s 4.39-second sprint in the 40-yard dash, the Indianapolis Colts defensive backs coach, Alan Williams, asked him if he would play cornerback for them at the next level.
Sele’s four years were uneven, football-wise, at Boston College. Just a month before he arrived at Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts his brother, Josiah, 26 at the time, was murdered in an unfortunate case of road rage. Heartbroken, he understandably spent his remaining time at home grieving instead of preparing for the next step in his athletic career. “It was one of the hardest things I ever dealt with in my life,” Sele said. “My brother was my best friend.”
Even if he doesn’t make it, the well-spoken Sele will have earned a degree in communications and marketing, and finished with a 3.0 GPA, all thanks in part, he says, to the Queens Falcons.
As a youngster growing up in LeFrak City, he’d see older kids in the neighborhood walking home or to practice with their jerseys and shoulder pads on and helmet by their sides and it intrigued him. He followed them to practice, and was drawn to it. “I just fell in love with the sport,” he said.
His father, Edwin Sele, working as a Minister Consulate with Liberia, refused at first. He wanted his son to put all his efforts into his studies. After begging and pleading over several weeks, Edwin Sele relented, and let his son join. Ironically, that decision has influenced his grades as much as any after school study hall ever could. “I give the credit to the Falcons organization,” Edwin Sele said. “If he didn’t join the Falcons and play football as he did, the way he excelled … that is the reason why he got all these benefits. Without the organization, Taylor wouldn’t have gone to [Lawrence Academy and Boston College] and be seen by all the scouts.”
“My road here would be drastically different,” Sele allowed. “I don’t think I’d be in this spot without the Falcons.”
Of course, the same could be said the other way. Sele was the first player they sent away, a list that now has 70 kids on it, one that is growing by the moment.
Sele’s case is certainly an interesting one as the NFL Draft approaches. After his shocking times at the Pro Day, many of the scouts were abuzz regarding his exploits. Will teams look at his lack of production at college? Or his impressive speed and leaping ability?
Only time will tell. Even if he is not picked, chances are Sele will land on an NFL roster somewhere as a free agent signee. “I would say there is some percentage he will be drafted,” Sheer said, “And if that doesn’t come to pass, I am cautiously optimistic that there will be more than one team interested in him by the end of Sunday.”
“Just getting into the NFL,” Sele said, “would be quite an honor and an accomplishment.”