MEMPHIS, Tenn. — For Navy Lt. Taylor Rudolph, who made history Sunday as a member of the first all-women flyover in Super Bowl history, Not much has come easy on her journey as a flight surgeon in one of the Navy's premiere strike fighter squadrons, but her family and her Memphis roots have given her all the perseverance she needs.
"I cite the 'Grit n Grind' all the time, I owe Memphis a lot for my success," Rudolph said. "It hasn't been easy, but giving up has never been an option, that's one thing my parents instilled in me."
Rudolph, a member of Strike Fighter Squadron 122, was chosen to be a part of the historic flyover, medically clearing special guests before the Super Bowl to fly in the jets, and guiding in her fellow aviators during the flyover from the top of State Farm Stadium in Arizona.
"We were at the highest possible point, it definitely was the best view in the house," Rudolph said. "We all breathed a sigh of relief afterwards that the flyover was successful, that everyone was OK, and we sort of soaked it all in on the roof."
Rudolph said the road that led her to the Super Bowl was hard, but worth it.
"It's been a wild ride, it's definitely been hard work, but it's been really cool to be able to have it all culminate at the Super Bowl," Rudolph said. "It's such a huge honor to be a part of something I hope continues, and I hope to inspire some little girls that are watching to be able to be whatever they want to be."
Rudolph is a 2008 graduate of St. Benedict at Auburndale and joined the Navy in 2015 after earning her medical degree.