Michael Taaffe 'blessed' to win Wuerffel Trophy, details work with Texas Against Fentanyl

In May 2021, Texas safety Michael Taaffe lost his best friend when Jake Ehlinger died of fentanyl poisoning. That moment ultimately led Taaffe to bring awareness to the dangers of fentanyl, and he became active in the space with Texas Against Fentanyl.

For his efforts, Taaffe won the Wuerffel Trophy, the premier award for community service. He is also the captain of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, following in the footsteps Tim Tebow and former Texas star Sam Acho, among others.

Through his work with Texas Against Fentanyl, Taaffe took a leading role in substance abuse prevention efforts in Ehlinger’s memory. He helped raise nearly $60,000 through a fundraiser, which he said helped cover the organization’s yearly budget. As for why he got involved, Taaffe borrowed a quote from Tebow.

“Tim Tebow actually says it best. He says, ‘A lot of times, your purpose is where your heart hurts the most,'” Taaffe told On3 via Zoom on behalf of Allstate. “Definitely, my heart was hurting when I was confused on an early morning May 6, 2021, not knowing why this happened. I had so many questions.

“Just knowing that I had an opportunity this year to be on such a great platform here in Austin, Texas, to give back to others and to spread the awareness of fentanyl and the dangers of it. I’m blessed I was able to do that.”

Taaffe’s efforts go beyond fentanyl awareness, though. He also helped raise more than $100,000 for the Texas Flood Relief Foundation after the flooding at Camp Mystic earlier this year and has visited the Dell Children’s Hospital to distribute food.

“Michael represents everything this award stands for,” said Danny Wuerffel, the trophy’s namesake, in a statement. “His courage and commitment to help others reflect his remarkable servant leadership. As he joins the fraternity of twenty previous recipients of this award, we congratulate him on this prestigious honor.”

After winning the Wuerffel Trophy, Taaffe was able to meet Tebow and Wuerffel this past weekend in New York. During those conversations, he was particularly struck by not only their achievements on the field as Heisman Trophy winners, but their work away from the gridiron.

“To know that they had even more success than I could even imagine I had in my career,” Taaffe said. “They won the top of their pinnacle in college sports, arguably the best trophy in all of the sports because it’s a selective crew. It’s a tight-knit fraternity that the Heisman is.

“Instead of shining the light on themselves and all the success that they had, they pushed all the success on others. I think that embodies what this trophy means to them and to me. So blessed to be in this family.”

After five years at Texas, Michael Taaffe is getting ready to head to the NFL. He declared for the draft earlier this week, but his legacy in Austin goes beyond the sidelines.