VALDOSTA, Ga. — Running back Fred Taylor spent 15 years giving his all to football fans in south Georgia and north Florida.

Saturday, Wild Adventures and the fans who watched Taylor’s career gave something back in the form of the “Kickoff, Blast Off” Hall of Fame Rally.

After rushing for 3,075 yards and 31 touchdowns over a four-year career at the University of Florida, Taylor was selected by Jacksonville with the ninth overall pick in the 1988 NFL Draft and he went on to play 11 years with Jaguars, during which he became one of the best players in the franchise’s history.

Taylor rushed for more than 11,000 yards and 60 touchdowns in Jacksonville, and his 11,695 career rushing yards rank 17th in NFL history.

Taylor’s accomplishments were recognized by Florida, who inducted the three-time SEC champion into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a “Gator Great” in 2010. He was also inducted into Jacksonville’s “Pride of the Jaguars” ring of honor in 2012.

But Taylor is still awaiting acceptance into the most hallowed of halls: the Pro Football Hall of Fame, so Wild Adventures rallied behind his case for nomination.

“This is probably the most humbling appearance that I’ve ever done,” Taylor said Saturday. “Because the people here at Wild Adventures, they took the initiative to create a Hall of Fame rally.

“By hearing me on Twitter, what my thoughts and opinions were, they picked it up and they ran with it. It was a great deed, something they didn’t have to do.”

On July 11, Taylor made headlines and spurred debates across social media platforms when he expressed frustration with the Hall of Fame selection process.

Taylor tweeted: “I earned respect on the field. Numbers better than majority of RBs in history. Still don’t understand why the writers don’t respect it.”

In another tweet, Taylor compared his resume to that of his fellow running backs already enshrined in Canton.

“Not just backs that have come and gone in NFL HISTORY… but better than majority of the backs in the HOF…” Taylor tweeted.

There were a lot of fans that’d agree with Taylor’s assessment at Wild Adventures on Saturday.

Steven Hybbeneth Sr. and his son, Seven Hybbeneth Jr., of Jacksonville were among the Gator/Jaguar fans waiting in line to receive an autograph and snap a photo with Taylor.

Hybbeneth Sr. watched Taylor throughout his collegiate and professional career and he wasted little time when asked if he felt Taylor deserved induction into the Hall of Fame.

“Absolutely,” Hynneneth Sr. said. “He’s obviously one of the greatest running backs of all time.”

Hybbeneth Jr. didn’t get the chance to watch much of Taylor’s career, but he was able to recite Taylor’s career numbers, and where it ranks him all time, off the top of his head.

Another fan, Ken Hayes of Thomasville, fondly reminisced on Taylor’s career at Florida, especially as it concerns Gator rivals the Florida State Seminoles.

“I remember him more at Florida, believe it or not, than Jacksonville,” Haynes said. “I was born in ’86, so when he got there, I was 7 or 8.

Then they played in the national championship against Nebraska and then against FSU. Fast forward 15 years later, now his son is there.”

Tony Kalishman traveled to Wild Adventures from Gainesville and he offered up a theory for why two years have passed without Taylor’s induction into the hall despite his lofty numbers and long career — the low level of visibility while playing in Jacksonville.

“All those yards, that’s tremendous,” Kalishman said. “To play that many years, just the longevity. He was very good. He was just in a small market and he didn’t get as much attention as he should have.

“I think if he was a (New York) Giant, he’d be in the Hall of Fame already.”

Wild Adventures set the price of admission throughout the weekend at $28 for anyone wearing football apparel, a nod to the jersey number Taylor donned with the Jaguars.

Along with Taylor, Jacksonville Jaguars cheerleaders and mascot, Jaxson de Ville, made an appearance for a meet and greet and giveaways.

Taylor held an exclusive question-and-answer session with some of the players on Valdosta High’s football team before making his way to the meet and greet.

At the end of the day, Taylor felt humbled by the experience and willing to defer his Hall of Fame outlook to fate.

“I’m blessed and I’m grateful that people would consider to go out of their way and take time to come out here and support the rally,” Taylor said. “I did the work on the field. Everything else is in the hands of the voters and the others out there.

“But if you get enough people backing it, I believe in energy, good energy, and the support, again, is that. So we’ll see what happens.”

Derrick Davis is the sports editor at the Valdosta Daily Times.