Dedicated to Olympian
“ With humble beginnings, you have to start somewhere … My talent and my work ethic is speaking for itself. I still got a long way to go,” Fred Kerley said after seeing himself painted on a water tower in the place he grew up.
The Taylor community gathered together near the intersection of Main Street and Lake Drive Saturday morning to dedicate a mural to Kerley, an Olympian and hometown hero.
The ceremony happened after an ice storm took a toll on the city, but many people still came out to show support.
“It’s a blessing and seeing the community come together like this for a nice thing ... not only for myself, but the community, and me showcasing my talent to the world,” Kerley said about the event.
Mayor Brandt Rydell started the ceremony saying he knows the city of Taylor comes together when times are tough, but also comes together when it is time to celebrate.
“I think this reflects the love and support Fred has coming from the community of Taylor,” said Rydell.
Kerley said he was proud to see the mural completed, and he said he felt blessed to be recognized by the city.
“It’s a blessing to just be an inspiration to the younger generation and even the community,” Kerley said.
The mural was painted by artist Adam Davenport, who used a 1 ½ inch brush to paint the entire 40-foot-tall mural. Davenport said using a small brush allowed him to really capture Kerley and all of his details.
“His muscles had muscles, so using that brush allowed me to really get the detailing of those just right,” Davenport said while chuckling. “But even his jersey had a lot of details and the smaller brush let me really get those perfect and look as close to the real thing as possible.”
Davenport said painting the mural was a great honor, and he is glad the community gets to see the finished product now.
As the ceremony went on, a couple of Kerley’s old coaches and mentors spoke about Kerley and shared stories about their time with him. His high school track coach Mike Tennill said Kerley’s work ethic sets him apart from others, which is why he has reached the heights he has.
“It just makes you so proud you can hardly stare it,” Tennill said. “He was always a hard worker and always did extra. I always called him the ‘quiet assassin’ because he would just run and win his race and then walk away. He never talked trash to anyone, never a showboat and never taunted or anything like that.”
Tennill said he knew Kerley was talented enough to make it in the college track scene, but was a tad surprised by the professional success.
“I knew he was going to be good, and I knew he would have a great college career, but the pro career has just blown my mind,” Tennill said. “Over and over again, he keeps setting records and that is a true showing of how hard he works.”
Kerley’s youth football coach Shorty Mitchell, shared stories about how Kerley was always willing to stay late and help clean up the field of do extra drills. Mitchell said the ceremony was an emotional one, but it was all pure joy and happiness.
“I got choked up a little bit, but the boy deserves everything he gets,” Mitchell said. “He works hard. He’s a shy kid, and I looked out for him in Pop Warner football and in high school and seeing him now I couldn’t be more proud if he was my own son.”
Nelson Alexander, who started a very successful track program in California and is also a native of Taylor said he is proud that Taylor is showcasing Kerley and his accomplishments.
“It means a lot to Taylor because this is probably one of the greatest things to come out of Taylor and I have been here since I was born,” Alexander said. “To see a young man like this, and he is here to show these young kinds what they can accomplish no matter how large of a city or how small of a city, they can accomplish anything if they work for it.”
Alexander said Kerley is going to change the way a lot of young athletes think now and will lead to more success coming from Taylor.
“They won’t just accept being from a small town and thinking they can’t go no place because there is always somewhere to go, and Fred showed that and people are going to start believing it now,” Alexander said.
The ceremony ended with Kerley taking time to sign autographs and take pictures with the community capturing moments that all involved will remember forever.
