College Educated, He Graduated

It's not every day that you hear a story as unique as Taylor Cole's. On August 14, after many years of hard work, drive, and dedication everything paid off for Cole as he proudly strode across the stage dressed in a flowing blue robe to accept his diploma in front of a crowd at Brigham Young University.

The people who matter most to Cole were all there to support him as his name was called. Cole received permission to leave the Fisher Cats for a few days to walk in person to get his diploma in front of his wife, family, and friends.

Prior to Brigham Young University in Utah, Cole attended a junior college for a year where he played baseball and then he embarked on a two-year mission trip in Toronto. The mission trip acted as a stepping-stone in Cole's life.

"It was something that I always wanted to do, and I realized I needed to go. I went and served two years for the Lord. I was chosen to go to Toronto, which is ironic since I got drafted by them. We did anything that we could on the mission to bring people closer to the Lord and serve. It was mainly for us, because we were the ones who needed to grow. I did that for two years before I came back and had to get into baseball shape again. It took a bit of time, but now I'm back at it," Cole explained.

While on his mission, Cole began to think of college. He still wanted to play baseball professionally and go to school. He decided upon Brigham Young University and played there for a year before being drafted. BYU was Cole's choice due to its phenomenal baseball program and the fact that his wife, Madilyn, was already studying at the university. "BYU is one of the top universities in the country because of its standards, athletics, and academics. The list goes on. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can't thank them enough for what everyone did for me there," Cole said.

 While structuring his contract with the Blue Jays in 2011 after his sophomore year, he wanted to make sure that an education was also included. Playing professional baseball had always been Cole's dream but it became a goal to complete his education along the way. Cole was the first person from his family who graduated from college.

"The season ends each year in September, and I'd go right into it. From September to December, I'd take a full semester of classes. I did that for like three or four years before I was finally able to get it done," Cole explained.

Cole pursued a degree in psychology at BYU. The world of sports psychology fascinated him. "Sports psychology is applicable in baseball. Being able to use your mind to understand how it can go to your advantage or your disadvantage. It was something that I really enjoyed, and it was practical with my timing of things."

Not only was Cole taking on a full course load and keeping up with his baseball training, but the pitcher was also working part time. He had to learn how to balance work, school, and training, and that always made for busy off-seasons. At Brigham Young University, Cole both excelled and thrived as he enjoyed campus life, taking interesting classes such as 'critical thinking' with one of his favorite professors, and group activities. He was able to get to know a lot of different individuals. "People were really good to me. BYU was really good and helped me with everything," he said, reflecting upon his time.

Cole also gives a lot of thanks to the Blue Jays as they helped him achieve his goal of graduating. "They were fantastic. For me, it's been really special. The Blue Jays helped me with the resources that they had and I can't thank them enough. I'm really grateful for them."

The hard work of hitting the books, staying up late, and finally finishing his education, paid off this summer, and has been worth it. His family made a lot of sacrifices along the way for him and he wanted to give back to those that he loved after the tremendous support they had given him.

"It was new and a lot of fun for my family to experience that. I really enjoyed it. It was fun for me to kind of give back in a sense to the people who inspired me to get it done, my parents, my in-laws, and my friends.

"It was great for me to have support from my family and my wife's family. It was a big deal to be the first person in my family to graduate. That was why I wanted to go home and walk so they could see. I wanted to set a good example for my two younger brothers."

Not every athlete is as driven as Cole. There are many who don't persevere in order to finish their education once they are drafted by a professional team. Once athletes end their sports careers, many don't even think about college and don't know what to do upon retirement. Cole wanted to make sure that he could have his education to fall back in case anything in his path changed course.

For now, Cole doesn't see himself becoming a professional psychologist. He is focusing on his dream of baseball more than ever and wants to improve each and every day.

The strike-throwing righty comes into the clubhouse ready to put in work. He dedicates a lot of effort into his training programs and time in the weight room. There's nothing that's going to stop Cole from his dream of playing in the majors one day. Cole's investment of his time at school never interfered with his dream as he worked hard to achieve both goals.

"You won't regret being efficient and getting your education," Cole explained. "My advice would to be to make sure you take advantage of opportunities and the resources that these organizations provide. They do make it so that you can get your education and do it. Don't let it interfere with your training if you're not going to be able to train as hard. You need to focus on what's going on. At the same time, a lot of people waste time. I didn't want to be someone who wasted time."

Cole is one of the nicest guys to be found in the Fisher Cats clubhouse. Never selfish, always graciously kind and giving to others. He puts the people who matter in his life before him. Around the baseball park, he greets everyone cheerfully win or lose, signs countless autographs for kids and has given back to the Fisher Cats community tremendously this season spending time with birthday party groups at the park and making appearances at outside events.

For Taylor Cole, it's all about being happy. He lives in the moment, working hard for himself to achieve his dream and for those he cares about. "My dream is to have a happy and healthy family while being able to play in the 'bigs' for a while one day. Hopefully that happens, we'll see."