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Adam J. Taliaferro (born January 1, 1982) is an American politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from the 3rd district from 2015 to 2022. He is a former American football player whose recovery from a paralyzing spinal cord injury sustained while playing cornerback for the Penn State Nittany Lions gained national media attention. He served on the Gloucester County Board of Chosen Freeholders for three years before his 2015 appointment to the New Jersey General Assembly. He served three terms before losing re-election in 2021.

Football career

High school

Growing up in Voorhees Township, New Jersey, he was a standout running back and cornerback for the Eastern Regional High School Vikings. In two years of varsity football at Eastern High School, he averaged 9.4 yards per carry, racking up 62 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Taliaferro was also a four-year varsity starter in basketball, and set his school's record in the high jump at 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m).

Penn State

In 2000, Taliaferro joined the Penn State Nittany Lions football team as one of the top-rated freshmen of their 2000 recruiting class. Taliaferro earned playing time as a true freshman for Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions, despite Paterno's well-documented tendency to redshirt freshman players.

Injury and recovery

On September 23, 2000, while playing in only the fifth game of his college career, Taliaferro sustained a career-ending spinal cord injury while tackling tailback Jerry Westbrooks during Penn State's game versus Ohio State. Taliaferro's helmet had hit Westbrooks' knee during the tackle, bursting the fifth cervical vertebra in his neck and bruising his spinal cord. Unable to control his fall, the crown of his helmet hit the turf and his body rolled awkwardly over his neck. Taliaferro was paralyzed on the hit, which left him with no movement from the neck down.

Taliaferro had surgery at the Ohio State Medical Center to fuse his C-5 vertebra. After successful surgery, Taliaferro was airlifted back to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to begin his recovery. Although surgery was successful, Taliaferro was only given a 3% chance of ever walking again.

He began his well-publicized rehab at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After eight months of rehab, Taliaferro had learned to walk again. Taliaferro returned to Penn State less than a year after his injury. He led the Penn State Nittany Lions football team onto Beaver Stadium's field for the first game of the 2001 season against the Miami Hurricanes in front of a record crowd of 109,313. Taliaferro skipped, then jogged onto the field in front of an emotional Penn State crowd.

He remained part of the football team as a student-assistant coach under Joe Paterno. Taliaferro earned a Bachelor of Science in Labor and Industrial Relations from Penn State in 2005.

In 2001, a book was written by Sam Carchidi and Scott Brown to chronicle Taliaferro's life and recovery, entitled Miracle in the Making. Taliaferro created his own foundation to help support others with spinal cord injuries. The foundation was created in 2001, and continues to grow each year. The foundation has been said to raise over $80,000 per year for spinal cord injuries.

Political career

Gloucester County Freeholder

On November 8, 2011, he was elected to serve on the Gloucester County Board of Chosen Freeholders. A resident of Woolwich Township, he assumed office on January 6, 2012. He subsequently won reelection to the Freeholder board in 2014 and served until his appointment to the General Assembly.

New Jersey General Assembly

Following the resignation of Assemblywoman Celeste Riley in 2015, Taliaferro was chosen by the local Democratic committees of the 3rd district to fill the vacant seat. He was sworn in on January 29, 2015. He was elected in his own right to the seat in 2015, 2017 and 2019. Taliaferro was appointed as a Deputy Majority Leader on January 9, 2018. He was also chosen to chair the Law and Public Safety Committee.

In 2021, Taliaferro and his running mates, Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assemblyman John Burzichelli, were defeated by their Republican opponents.

Committee assignments

• Agriculture and Natural Resources
• Education
• Legislative Services Commission
• Law and Public Safety

Electoral history

2021 New Jersey General Assembly election for the 3rd Legislative District

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Beth Sawyer	33,878	26.2%	3.2
	Republican	Bethanne McCarthy Patrick	33,735	26.1%	4.2
	Democratic	John J. Burzichelli (Incumbent)	31,024	24.0%	3.8
	Democratic	Adam Taliaferro (Incumbent)	30,537	23.6%	3.5
Total votes			129,174	100.0%

2019 New Jersey General Assembly election for the 3rd Legislative District

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	John Burzichelli (Incumbent)	23,811	27.8%	2.5
	Democratic	Adam Taliaferro (Incumbent)	23,719	27.1%	2.1
	Republican	Beth Sawyer	19,704	23.0%	2.7
	Republican	Edward R. Durr	18,742	21.9%	2.7
Total votes

New Jersey general election, 2017

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	John J. Burzichelli	31,853	30.3	1.8
	Democratic	Adam Taliaferro	30,733	29.2	2.1
	Republican	Philip J. Donohue	21,758	20.7	1.6
	Republican	Linwood H. Donelson III	20,181	19.2	1.2
	One for All	Edward R. Durr	589	0.6	N/A
Total votes			'105,114'	'100.0'

New Jersey general election, 2015

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	John Burzichelli	20,507	28.5	0.5
	Democratic	Adam Taliaferro	19,480	27.1	0.2
	Republican	Samuel J. Maccarone Jr.	16,063	22.3	0.3
	Republican	Leroy P. Pierce III	14,715	20.4	2.0
	The People's Voice	John Kalnas	1,223	1.7	N/A
Total votes			'71,988'	'100.0'

Personal life

Taliaferro enrolled at Rutgers School of Law–Camden in Camden, New Jersey. He earned his J.D. in May 2008 and worked as a lawyer at Duane Morris in the firm's Cherry Hill office for five years. In September 2012, he joined pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb as a healthcare advocate, focusing on mental health, oncology, and HIV products. Taliaferro also runs his own foundation which helps student athletes with head or spinal injuries and is a motivational speaker, doing corporate appearances and speaking at schools.

In 2008, he was named the recipient of the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association "Humanitarian Award". In the spring of 2012, he was elected to the Penn State Board of Trustees. Following his appointment to the New Jersey General Assembly, he announced he would not seek a second term on the board.

References

1. Kindred, David. "One amazing freshman", The Sporting News, August 27, 2001. Accessed March 17, 2011. "For three months, from October 6 past his 19th birthday on New Year's Day to January 5, Taliaferro underwent rehabilitation therapy at the Magee Rehabilitation Center in Philadelphia, 15 miles from his home in Voorhees, N.J."
2. ^ Weber, Jim (July 19, 2010). "Finding Adam Taliaferro: 10 years later, devastating injury spawns professional passion". Retrieved July 21, 2010.
3. Via Associated Press. "Former Penn State footballer Adam Taliaferro gains seat as Gloucester County freeholder", The Trentonian, November 9, 2011. Accessed January 8, 2012. "Former Penn State football player Adam Taliaferro was elected to the Gloucester County Board of Freeholders last night. Taliaferro made an inspirational recovery from a paralyzing game injury 11 years ago and has now successfully been elected in New Jersey for the first time. Taliaferro ran as a Democrat."
4. Romalino, Carly Q. "Freeholder-elect Taliaferro admits to pre-swearing-in jitters", Gloucester County Times, January 3, 2012. Accessed January 8, 2012. "“There are some nerves, but I am confident,” said Taliaferro, of Woolwich Township. “When I first sit down, for me, it’s finally time to do work. To have the opportunity to get started is really going to be exciting to me.”"
5. Caffrey, Michelle (February 13, 2015). "Democrats tap Woodbury man to be newest freeholder for Gloucester County". South Jersey Times. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
6. ^ Caffrey, Michelle (January 29, 2015). "Adam Taliaferro sworn in to Assembly seat, will not seek re-election to Penn State Board of Trustees". South Jersey Times. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
7. "Assemblyman Adam J. Taliaferro (D)". njleg.state.nj.us. Archived from the original on February 17, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
8. "NJ General Assembly 03" (PDF). Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
9. "NJ General Assembly 03". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
10. "2017-official-general-election-results-general-assembly.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
11. "2015-official-ge-results-nj-general-assembly.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 30, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
12. "Duane Morris LLP - Duane Morris' Cherry Hill, New Jersey Office Adds Adam J. Taliaferro to Its Employment, Labor, Benefits and Immigration Practice". Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
13. "Former Penn State player Taliaferro takes corporate job". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
14. "Penn State University - Board of Trustees - Adam J. Taliaferro". July 2012. Archived from the original on March 13, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2015.

External links

• Adam Taliaferro Foundation website
• "I truly feel blessed", The Daily Collegian, October 21, 2006
• "Catching Up With Adam Taliaferro", Audio interview, August 19, 2005
• "After neck injury, Taliaferro still dreams about the NFL", Associated Press, May 13, 2005
• "Taking Purposeful Strides", The New York Times, February 20, 2001
• "Former Penn State player Adam Taliaferro makes great strides from spinal injury", Josh Lederman, USAToday, Jul 20, 2010.

• 1982 births
• Living people
• American football cornerbacks
• Eastern Regional High School alumni
• Penn State Nittany Lions football coaches
• Penn State Nittany Lions football players
• People from Voorhees Township, New Jersey
• People from Woolwich Township, New Jersey
• Players of American football from Camden County, New Jersey
• Rutgers School of Law–Camden alumni
• County commissioners in New Jersey
• Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly
• People from Moon Township, Pennsylvania
• 21st-century members of the New Jersey Legislature