For every athlete that has ever dreamed of making it to the NFL, the following words are the ones that change their lives forever.
“With the 223rd pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals Select Tay Gowan Cornerback from the University of Central Florida”
But long before the celebration started, after that long May 1st Draft day afternoon, there was a very hard road that included being homeless, life altering decisions regarding Covid 19, and a perseverance that most of us will thankfully never be forced to understand.
Tay was born Jan 7th, 1998 in Covington, GA, the first of 4 children. His mother, Linda, told me she became pregnant with Tay in High School and that she dropped out to find work to support her new family. She explained the difficulties of being a single mother and stated that Tay, being the oldest, took on the responsibility of helping to raise his three siblings he “became (like) their dad and the man of the house”. With no family around to help, and Tays’ father not being there either, she described their struggles with being homeless “I lost everything at one time, my job, section 8 (housing) (and we started staying) sometimes (with) friends, at shelters, and (we) moved around a lot, here, there, everywhere, not staying long because I couldn’t pay the rent by myself”.
The hardships were plenty, and the likelihood of him ever being in one place long enough to attract the attention of scouts were slim. Tay elaborated regarding his motivation and childhood March 21, 2021 with Fireside Giants hosted by Anthony Rivardo and Alex Wilson
“My driving force has always been my mother. I come from a small family. I dealt with a lot of trials and tribulations. For example, we’ve been homeless since I was in sixth grade. But recently I had my daughter so I think my daughter kind of jumped my mom a little bit. But those two are my driving forces. I’ve been playing football since I was five years old. I didn’t really get the opportunity to play when I was in High School, just due to moving around and stuff.”
After High School, Tay began his collegiate career with the University of Miami (Ohio) in 2017 before transferring to Butler (El Dorado, Kan.) Community College where he played the 2018 season. Tay then transferred yet again in 2019 to the college where everyone started to pay him attention, University of Central Florida. In his three seasons between Miami, Butler CC, and UCF, Tay played in 24 games totaling 59 tackles, eight interceptions (one returned for a TD), 12 passes defensed, three tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.
He was positioning himself to be drafted in the first few rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft and General Managers were starting to take notice.
“Going through my 2019 season, I dominated, and I knew that the 2020 season would have put me either in the first or second round based off my 2019 season.”
Everything seemed to finally be breaking his way. That is until he returned to UCF with a group of starters.
Gowan began to feel sick and tested positive for COVID-19. Having to leave campus, he went home and it spread to the rest of his family, including his daughter, who was born premature. Then he made one of the hardest decisions of his young life, he opted out of the 2020 season. (Orlando Florida in the early months of the pandemic was a hot spot for infections and at the time nobody knew much about the virus. Could you acquire it again? etc).Tay discussed the ordeal after being drafted
(Then) “COVID hits,” he said. “I have a premature daughter born at two pounds, and I got COVID. I gave it to her, her mom, my mom. My mom was actually hospitalized for COVID; no one really knows that. I went through a rough time with COVID and at the time I feel like I needed to protect my family, so I made the decision to put football aside even though I’ve been playing since I was five years old. It was one of the hardest decisions of my life, but at the end of the day I’m a family man and will always put my family first no matter what.”
“It was one of the toughest things of my life. Sometimes I don’t know what I would do without football. It would be really tough, not playing. But I knew that I ultimately made the right decision because there’s a little girl here that didn’t ask to be here that is dependent on me, health-wise, resources-wise, education-wise. I just needed to be there for her.”
Tay kept in shape and worked out while away form the team and had a good showing at UCF’s pro day, which the Cardinals were in attendance for. He ran a 4.44-second 40-yard dash and posted a 35.5-inch vertical jump. He also put up 13 bench press reps and ran the three-cone drill in 6.86 seconds. He hoped he had shown enough.
But day one and two of the draft came and went, and as feared, opting out appeared to have cost him a higher round grade or a chance to be drafted at all. With each round and pick going by apprehension set in until finally with that aforementioned 223rd pick in round six of the NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals came calling.
Tay post draft “I think it hurt my draft stock, but I think it was also a part of my journey and a part of my story when I get to tell it to other kids and relate my message and relate my journey,” Gowan said. “It’ll make kids feel more comfortable taking the type of route I went. I feel like I’m in a great spot. I feel like God wanted me with the Cardinals.”
The Cardinals are feeling just as blessed to have him, as Cardinals cornerbacks coach Greg Williams affirmed on the Big Red Rage.
”Once you get to know him, it’s not just what he says, he actually lives that, He backs it up with his work ethic. It’s not just talk.”
The hard work and determination paid off and Tay has now agreed to a reported 4-year, $3.6 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals.
“I’m still having to process it,” Gowan said on the team’s website. “I’ve been that kid since I was 5 years old, wanting to go to the NFL. I just signed my first contract, not my last!”
“I’m so excited. I don’t think I’m ever going to leave the facility,” Gowan said. “I might stay there, to be honest with you. This is my life-long dream and I’m about to take full advantage of every opportunity and I wanna be one of the fan favorites to the Arizona Cardinals and in the community, I wanna be one of the guys people really look up to and can learn from and can get motivation from, advice. I wanna be all that for the Cardinals.”
Tay isn’t taking anything for granted nor will he ever forget where he came from and the journey he took to get there.
“So this moment means so much to me. I cry thinking about it. Like I could really do this for my family and set my family straight. And I could show the NFL that I am a ten-year guy, I’m a ten-year guy, straight up. I’m not going to come in here and bust, no doubt I’m going to stay and I’m going to work my ass off.”
Tay also regularly receives reminders of that route he went to get here via tweets and messages of encouragement like the one below
Tay has shared similar sentiments himself via his Twitter @focused_4
He also has a daily reminder keepsake of what he has accomplished so far, his rookie signing pen and case.
“I take this everywhere with me,” Gowan mentioned. “It’s a big accomplishment in my life. I’m super excited. I’m going to cherish this moment for the rest of my life. I’m going to give it all I got.”
With the draft now behind him, he is far more concerned on the future than the past, a sentiment shared with his Cardinals General Manager, Steve Keim
“When you look at the big picture, you realize that he hasn’t played a ton of football, yet still looks that good on tape, still looked that good in his workout, you’d like to think he’s another guy with a high ceiling and another guy who can come in here, learn under some really good veterans. The sky is the limit, in my opinion, for him.”
The sky is the limit, indeed.
David
August 24, 2021
Follow me at @PhlEagleNews