Last week, I caught up with Niceville High School Senior Eric Trapp at the All Sports Association‘s Banquet to talk about winning the Taylor Haugen Trophy award, what it means to him, and what he will miss about Niceville Football when he graduates.
In 2008, Taylor Haugen passed away from an abdominal injury sustained while playing football for Niceville High School. In his short 15 ½ years, Taylor Reid Haugen left an indelible mark on the community through his living faith and compassion for his friends, team, community, organizations and church.
- The Trophy is awarded to an area athlete who best demonstrates a balance between academics, athleticism, leadership, community service and faith.
“This award, I believe, is truly the best award in the area because it symbolizes everything I think a young man should possess,” Trapp said. “I’m so blessed that the Haugen Foundation believed that person was me to be able to carry on Taylor’s legacy. I hope I can be half the person he was because he was a courageous young man that had many goals and he always filled them.”
When asked about what he will miss most about Niceville Football, Trapp said:
“It would have to be those Friday nights when the band’s playing the fight song after we score a touchdown. I’ll miss all of the students in the student section. I think we have the best student section in the whole nation. They’re just so supportive and I’ll definitely miss those Friday night lights.”
As for his future plans, Trapp plans to combine his love of helping others with his passion for sports by becoming an orthopedic surgeon working as the team doctor for a professional or college sports team.
