Photo by: Steffenie Burns
Taylor, Veazey Enjoy Foley Return
March 24, 2018 | Baseball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
They rolled out to familiar ground Saturday, Foley Field, both wearing Bulldog red shirts. Johnathan Taylor and Chance Veazey were with family members, some former Georgia baseball teammates and their former coach, David Perno. Everybody was smiling, and not just because of the hundreds of pictures that were taken.
When Taylor and Veazey took their spots to throw out the opening pitch, Veazey on the right throwing to former Bulldog pitcher Cecil Tanner and Taylor on the left with former outfielder Zach Cone, the sellout crowd delivered a big round of applause.
While Georgia had an important baseball game to play, game two of its SEC series against South Carolina. the day for a lot of folks belonged to the two former Bulldogs who had their careers cut short — Veazey in 2009, Taylor 2011 — due to severe spinal injuries.
"It's really hard to put into words," Veazey said during the sixth inning. "Everything's just been above and beyond expectations. I didn't realize how good it would feel to be back and see everybody — former players and coaches and trainers — not to mention being up 6-1 on South Carolina."
Georgia went on to beat the Gamecocks, 12-3, and clinch the series after taking Friday's game, as well. The teams are scheduled to wrap up the series on Sunday at 1 p.m.
This day wasn't about two former Bulldogs in wheelchairs coming back to where they used to run and hit and throw for the first time in a couple of years. This day was about recognizing the strong and inspiring men they are, and unveiling a permanent display honoring just that, located on the right side of the Foley Field concourse. The display's name: "A Legacy Of Strength."
There isn't a more fitting name for the display or the two former Bulldogs' stories.
On Oct. 28, 2009, Veazey, after a night of studying, was struck by a car while riding his scooter and suffered a severed spinal cord. Sixteen months later, on March 6, 2011, Taylor was diving for a fly ball in the Foley outfield when he collided with Cone and suffered a broken neck and a permanently damaged spine.
Georgia's Christopher Lakos, the associate sports communications director for baseball and women's tennis, has been doing his job since 1992. He was there every step of the way for the SEC championships in 2001, '04 and '08, and the College World Series trips in''01, '04, '06 and '08, as well as a great deal before and after.
I asked Lakos what the most special or meaningful experience of his long career has been. He answered without hesitation.
"Being around Chance and JT, and getting to see them again this year, and just seeing how they have handled everything," Lakos said. "That to me will trump any championship team I could ever experience."
After surgery and much work and rehabilitation at Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Veazey and Taylor returned to Georgia and graduated in 2013. Both men live and work in their Georgia hometowns: Veazey in Tifton and Taylor in Acworth.
Shepherd Center is a place Georgia sports supporters know well, both for the time Taylor and Veazey spent there after their injuries, and it's where Southern University football player Devon Gales spent many months following his injury playing against the Bulldogs in 2015.
Veazey has full upper-body mobility, while Taylor is more limited. Veazey went righty overhand on his opening pitch and Taylor lefty with more of a sidearm release. It was a slider, Taylor said with a smile.
Those pitches came after a couple of videos were shown on the scoreboard. The first was a series of interviews, with Perno, with trainer Mike Dillon, with Ike Cousins head coach Scott Stricklin and others.
If you weren't in Foley Field on Saturday, you can still see the video. An "A Legacy Of Strength" app for your mobile device was created to go along with the permanent display in the Foley concourse. Once you download the app, open it and point your camera at the display, then watch in wonder at both the story being told and the technology that makes what you're seeing possible.
The second video featured two former Bulldogs standing in a minor-league dugout, both of them wearing Los Angeles Dodger blue: pitcher Alex Wood and catcher Kyle Farmer. Wood and Farmer lived with Veazey when they were teammates and both men long ago got "Second Chance" tattooed on their arms — their own permanent displays.
Wood also has the initials C.V.J.T. sewn into every baseball glove.
Taylor and Veazey watched as much of Saturday's game as they could — a game in which the Bulldogs poured it on with 15 hits and 12 runs. Of course it's hard to watch when you're surrounded by people happy to see you again or meet you for the first time, or when you're doing radio and television interviews during the game.
It was a special, memorable day at Foley Field, Taylor said.
"It feels like when I used to play baseball, when I was back here playing at UGA," Taylor said. "I love the feeling and it was just great to come out here today and see the fans, family, friends and everyone who came out here to show support and love for us.
"This is a big turnout for something like this, honoring us, and I think me and Chance are very blessed to have this opportunity. We're going to be a part of UGA for the rest of our lives now."
Staff Writer
They rolled out to familiar ground Saturday, Foley Field, both wearing Bulldog red shirts. Johnathan Taylor and Chance Veazey were with family members, some former Georgia baseball teammates and their former coach, David Perno. Everybody was smiling, and not just because of the hundreds of pictures that were taken.
When Taylor and Veazey took their spots to throw out the opening pitch, Veazey on the right throwing to former Bulldog pitcher Cecil Tanner and Taylor on the left with former outfielder Zach Cone, the sellout crowd delivered a big round of applause.
While Georgia had an important baseball game to play, game two of its SEC series against South Carolina. the day for a lot of folks belonged to the two former Bulldogs who had their careers cut short — Veazey in 2009, Taylor 2011 — due to severe spinal injuries.
"It's really hard to put into words," Veazey said during the sixth inning. "Everything's just been above and beyond expectations. I didn't realize how good it would feel to be back and see everybody — former players and coaches and trainers — not to mention being up 6-1 on South Carolina."
Georgia went on to beat the Gamecocks, 12-3, and clinch the series after taking Friday's game, as well. The teams are scheduled to wrap up the series on Sunday at 1 p.m.
This day wasn't about two former Bulldogs in wheelchairs coming back to where they used to run and hit and throw for the first time in a couple of years. This day was about recognizing the strong and inspiring men they are, and unveiling a permanent display honoring just that, located on the right side of the Foley Field concourse. The display's name: "A Legacy Of Strength."
There isn't a more fitting name for the display or the two former Bulldogs' stories.
On Oct. 28, 2009, Veazey, after a night of studying, was struck by a car while riding his scooter and suffered a severed spinal cord. Sixteen months later, on March 6, 2011, Taylor was diving for a fly ball in the Foley outfield when he collided with Cone and suffered a broken neck and a permanently damaged spine.
Georgia's Christopher Lakos, the associate sports communications director for baseball and women's tennis, has been doing his job since 1992. He was there every step of the way for the SEC championships in 2001, '04 and '08, and the College World Series trips in''01, '04, '06 and '08, as well as a great deal before and after.
I asked Lakos what the most special or meaningful experience of his long career has been. He answered without hesitation.
"Being around Chance and JT, and getting to see them again this year, and just seeing how they have handled everything," Lakos said. "That to me will trump any championship team I could ever experience."
After surgery and much work and rehabilitation at Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Veazey and Taylor returned to Georgia and graduated in 2013. Both men live and work in their Georgia hometowns: Veazey in Tifton and Taylor in Acworth.
Shepherd Center is a place Georgia sports supporters know well, both for the time Taylor and Veazey spent there after their injuries, and it's where Southern University football player Devon Gales spent many months following his injury playing against the Bulldogs in 2015.
Veazey has full upper-body mobility, while Taylor is more limited. Veazey went righty overhand on his opening pitch and Taylor lefty with more of a sidearm release. It was a slider, Taylor said with a smile.
Those pitches came after a couple of videos were shown on the scoreboard. The first was a series of interviews, with Perno, with trainer Mike Dillon, with Ike Cousins head coach Scott Stricklin and others.
If you weren't in Foley Field on Saturday, you can still see the video. An "A Legacy Of Strength" app for your mobile device was created to go along with the permanent display in the Foley concourse. Once you download the app, open it and point your camera at the display, then watch in wonder at both the story being told and the technology that makes what you're seeing possible.
The second video featured two former Bulldogs standing in a minor-league dugout, both of them wearing Los Angeles Dodger blue: pitcher Alex Wood and catcher Kyle Farmer. Wood and Farmer lived with Veazey when they were teammates and both men long ago got "Second Chance" tattooed on their arms — their own permanent displays.
Wood also has the initials C.V.J.T. sewn into every baseball glove.
Taylor and Veazey watched as much of Saturday's game as they could — a game in which the Bulldogs poured it on with 15 hits and 12 runs. Of course it's hard to watch when you're surrounded by people happy to see you again or meet you for the first time, or when you're doing radio and television interviews during the game.
It was a special, memorable day at Foley Field, Taylor said.
"It feels like when I used to play baseball, when I was back here playing at UGA," Taylor said. "I love the feeling and it was just great to come out here today and see the fans, family, friends and everyone who came out here to show support and love for us.
"This is a big turnout for something like this, honoring us, and I think me and Chance are very blessed to have this opportunity. We're going to be a part of UGA for the rest of our lives now."
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
Georgia Baseball - NCAA Regional vs Oklahoma State - Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, June 01
Georgia Baseball - NCAA Regional vs Duke - Postgame Press Conference
Saturday, May 31
Georgia Baseball - NCAA Regional vs Binghamton - TV Highlights
Friday, May 30
Georgia Baseball - NCAA Regional vs Binghamton - Postgame Press Conference
Friday, May 30
