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<H1 ALIGN=CENTER>Ryan Taylor</H1>
<H2 ALIGN=CENTER>Linebacker</H2>

<CENTER><FONT SIZE=3>by Ryan Powell</FONT></CENTER>

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<IMG ALT="Ryan Taylor" BORDER=1 SRC="pic/taylor01_bw.jpg" WIDTH=149 HEIGHT=194>
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<P><FONT SIZE=7>b</FONT>ang! Bang! Bang! Gotcha!," the young boy said as he glared around the corner with his finger pointed at the robber, "It's your turn to be the cop." The game was cops and robbers and the young boy who played the cop is one of Auburn's starting outside linebackers, Ryan Taylor.

<P>This was one of Taylor's favorite games to play growing up in Dublin, Ga., a small town run by small businesses and a paper mill, four hours northeast of Auburn.

<P>"As a kid in Dublin, there is not much to do, so you have to occupy your time by doing something," Taylor said. "Cops and robbers was just one of the games we played."

<P>Taylor played cops and robbers frequently because his father, Jimmy Taylor, was a sheriff's deputy in Dublin and later became an investigator.

<P>"My dad knew everything that was going on in Dublin, so there was no way that I was going to get myself into trouble," Taylor said. "It's a small town, a lot like Auburn in many ways, a family type town where everyone looks out for each other."

<P>The senior grew up in rural Georgia playing outside with his neighborhood friends or with his transformers and He-Man action figures, until his parents encouraged him to start playing little league baseball.

<P>"Baseball was always one of my favorite sports growing up," Taylor said. "I didn't start football until my seventh grade year."

<P>Taylor, an all-around athlete, played basketball, baseball and football in junior high. He played quarterback for his junior high team and that was when his performances caught the eye of Dublin High School coach Sam Barrs. Taylor's parents made him choose two of the three sports to continue to play in high school.

<P>Taylor had always enjoyed playing basketball and baseball the most, so he had set his mind on playing those two while in high school.

<P>That decision changed one day when he got a personal visit from coach Barrs.
"I was playing basketball in the backyard with some of the guys," Taylor said. "When coach Barrs walked up and encouraged me to play football. He told me that I could make a difference right away."

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<IMG ALT="Ryan Taylor" BORDER=1 SRC="pic/taylor02_bw.jpg" WIDTH=216 HEIGHT=266>
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<P>Taylor, an accounting major, made a fast impact on the football field and knew soon after the start of his freshman year in high school that he would be playing football for sometime to come.

<P>"I started as a freshman playing safety and in one of our first games I ran down a big-time tailback, Robert Toomer, from one of our rivals, Worth Co. High School, and two weeks later I received my first recruiting letter from Penn State University."

<P>The recruiting letters would continue throughout Taylor's scholastic career and he set his mind on playing major college football.

<P>Taylor's dreams, though, were put on hold during basketball season his junior year when he had to battle adversity for the first time.

<P>"It was a Tuesday and we had a game that night," Taylor said. "When I got home my sister, Tanya, was waiting up for me and she told me that our Dad was in the hospital with kidney failure and that we needed to go up there right away.

<P>"I got to the hospital and was real upset," Taylor said. "I was ready to give up playing everything in order to have more hands around the house and help my parents out the best I could, but my parents told me to push through and do what I need to do."

<P>Taylor learned a lot from his father's hospital stay.

<P>"The incident had a major impact on my life. It showed me how close our family really was," Taylor said.

<P>Taylor's dad recovered from the kidney failure and he has been a major reason why Ryan has succeeded thus far.

<P> "My dad's hospital stay put life in perspective and made me enjoy every moment I have. It made me push even harder on the football field and in the sports arena to get to where I am today."

<P>"I still talk to my parents every other day and I try to talk to my sisters, Deborah and Tanya at least twice a week," Taylor said. "My big sisters always looked out for me and we still have a good relationship."

<P>By the time Taylor's senior football season ended, he had established himself as a USA Today All-American and a member of Blue Chip Illustrated's "Dream Team." Taylor led the Leprechaun's of Dublin High School to the state championship game and soon after the season it would be time for him to make another major decision.

<TABLE ALIGN=RIGHT BORDER=0 WIDTH=10>
<TD>
<IMG ALT="Ryan Taylor" BORDER=1 SRC="pic/taylor03_bw.jpg" WIDTH=216 HEIGHT=319>
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<P>The decision was which university was going to gain Taylor's football skills for the 1995 season: "Georgia was always heavily on my mind. It was the home state team and my parents wanted me to go there, but I wasn't set on going to Georgia."

<P>Taylor narrowed his choice between Auburn and Georgia and had help making his decision from a fellow Auburn recruit at the time, Takeo Spikes.

<P>"Auburn was recruiting Takeo and I at the same time and we became good friends throughout the recruiting process," Taylor said. "That new friendship had a factor on me choosing Auburn as well as one of Auburn's former coaches, Rodney Garner. Coach Garner was straight forward with me, and didn't try to feed me anything like the other schools did. I knew then that those were the type of people that I wanted to be around."

<P>Taylor remembered the night that he made his final decision on the school he would attend, choosing Auburn over Georgia.

<P>"I walked out of my room after God had placed Auburn on my mind and went into my parent's room and told them my choice," he said. "My parents were surprised at my choice, but they have always been supportive of me and knew that it was in my best interest.

<P>"My parents are quick to give me advice, but not force any decisions on me," Taylor said. "I respect my parents a lot and all that they have done for me. They have helped me develop into who I am today."

<P>Taylor's career began at Auburn in 1995 as he started one game, against Kentucky, and recorded 13 tackles for the season, playing free safety. After spending one more season at free safety, Taylor was switched to right outside linebacker in 1997 and started every game during the year.

<P>"The switch to linebacker from safety was something that I have gotten used to," Taylor said. "I have always switched positions a lot going back to high school. I just play where I am needed the most to help the team win."

<P>The switch to linebacker paid off early for the Tigers. During the Virginia game in 1997, Taylor made one of his most memorable plays as a Tiger.

<P>"I intercepted a pass for a touchdown on the first play of the second half that switched the momentum of the game and solidified my position at outside linebacker," Taylor said.

<P>The Tigers went on to win the game against Virginia 28-17.

<P>Taylor's play at linebacker earned him the respect of the coaches at Auburn.
Outside linebacker's coach Joe Whitt said, "Ryan Taylor is a solid player and a solid individual. He has helped this team out in so many ways that don't show up in the stat column. He has truly been a joy to work with."

<P>Whether he is catching make-believe robbers or tackling an elusive tailback, Ryan Taylor knows that with the support from his family there are no boundaries to what he can accomplish on the football field or the field of life.

<P><TABLE WIDTH=80% BORDER BGCOLOR="#000099" ALIGN=CENTER>
<TR>
<TD>
<FONT SIZE=4 COLOR="#FFFF00"><B>Q &amp; A With Ryan Taylor:</FONT></B>

<FONT COLOR="#FFFFFF">

<P>If you could be one comic book character, which one would you be? "Spiderman."

<P>If you were stranded on a deserted island, which five people would you take with you? "All of my immediate family, Karsten Bailey (AU, WR), Jayson Bray (AU, CB), Takeo Spikes (Cincinnati Bengals, LB), and Elmer Mason (high school buddy)."

<P>If you could play for one NFL team, which one would you choose? "Atlanta Falcons."

<P>What is the favorite meal that your mom cooks, dad cooks? "Mom - Turkey and dressing; Dad - Chili."

<P>Which Wizard of Oz character would you be: the tinman, the scarecrow or the lion? "The scarecrow because he is goofy and crazy."

<P>What would be your ultimate SportsCenter highlight involving you? "Making a hard hit that caused a fumble, picking up the ball and running it back for a touchdown against Alabama."

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<P ALIGN=CENTER><A HREF="./" target="_top">TABLE OF CONTENTS</A> | <A HREF="../" target="_top">PROGRAM INDEX</A> | <A HREF="../../index.html" target="_top">HOME</A></P>

<P ALIGN=CENTER><I>&copy; 1999 Auburn Network, Inc.</I></P>


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	<H1 ALIGN=CENTER>Ryan Taylor</H1>
	<H2 ALIGN=CENTER>Linebacker</H2>

	<CENTER><FONT SIZE=3>by Ryan Powell</FONT></CENTER>

	<TABLE ALIGN=RIGHT BORDER=0 WIDTH=10>
	<TD>
	<IMG ALT="Ryan Taylor" BORDER=1 SRC="pic/taylor01_bw.jpg" WIDTH=149 HEIGHT=194>
	<HR>
	</TD>
	</TABLE>

	<P><FONT SIZE=7>b</FONT>ang! Bang! Bang! Gotcha!," the young boy said as he glared around the corner with his finger pointed at the robber, "It's your turn to be the cop." The game was cops and robbers and the young boy who played the cop is one of Auburn's starting outside linebackers, Ryan Taylor.

	<P>This was one of Taylor's favorite games to play growing up in Dublin, Ga., a small town run by small businesses and a paper mill, four hours northeast of Auburn.

	<P>"As a kid in Dublin, there is not much to do, so you have to occupy your time by doing something," Taylor said. "Cops and robbers was just one of the games we played."

	<P>Taylor played cops and robbers frequently because his father, Jimmy Taylor, was a sheriff's deputy in Dublin and later became an investigator.

	<P>"My dad knew everything that was going on in Dublin, so there was no way that I was going to get myself into trouble," Taylor said. "It's a small town, a lot like Auburn in many ways, a family type town where everyone looks out for each other."

	<P>The senior grew up in rural Georgia playing outside with his neighborhood friends or with his transformers and He-Man action figures, until his parents encouraged him to start playing little league baseball.

	<P>"Baseball was always one of my favorite sports growing up," Taylor said. "I didn't start football until my seventh grade year."

	<P>Taylor, an all-around athlete, played basketball, baseball and football in junior high. He played quarterback for his junior high team and that was when his performances caught the eye of Dublin High School coach Sam Barrs. Taylor's parents made him choose two of the three sports to continue to play in high school.

	<P>Taylor had always enjoyed playing basketball and baseball the most, so he had set his mind on playing those two while in high school.

	<P>That decision changed one day when he got a personal visit from coach Barrs.
	"I was playing basketball in the backyard with some of the guys," Taylor said. "When coach Barrs walked up and encouraged me to play football. He told me that I could make a difference right away."

	<TABLE ALIGN=LEFT BORDER=0 WIDTH=10>
	<TD>
	<IMG ALT="Ryan Taylor" BORDER=1 SRC="pic/taylor02_bw.jpg" WIDTH=216 HEIGHT=266>
	<HR>
	</TD>
	</TABLE>

	<P>Taylor, an accounting major, made a fast impact on the football field and knew soon after the start of his freshman year in high school that he would be playing football for sometime to come.

	<P>"I started as a freshman playing safety and in one of our first games I ran down a big-time tailback, Robert Toomer, from one of our rivals, Worth Co. High School, and two weeks later I received my first recruiting letter from Penn State University."

	<P>The recruiting letters would continue throughout Taylor's scholastic career and he set his mind on playing major college football.

	<P>Taylor's dreams, though, were put on hold during basketball season his junior year when he had to battle adversity for the first time.

	<P>"It was a Tuesday and we had a game that night," Taylor said. "When I got home my sister, Tanya, was waiting up for me and she told me that our Dad was in the hospital with kidney failure and that we needed to go up there right away.

	<P>"I got to the hospital and was real upset," Taylor said. "I was ready to give up playing everything in order to have more hands around the house and help my parents out the best I could, but my parents told me to push through and do what I need to do."

	<P>Taylor learned a lot from his father's hospital stay.

	<P>"The incident had a major impact on my life. It showed me how close our family really was," Taylor said.

	<P>Taylor's dad recovered from the kidney failure and he has been a major reason why Ryan has succeeded thus far.

	<P> "My dad's hospital stay put life in perspective and made me enjoy every moment I have. It made me push even harder on the football field and in the sports arena to get to where I am today."

	<P>"I still talk to my parents every other day and I try to talk to my sisters, Deborah and Tanya at least twice a week," Taylor said. "My big sisters always looked out for me and we still have a good relationship."

	<P>By the time Taylor's senior football season ended, he had established himself as a USA Today All-American and a member of Blue Chip Illustrated's "Dream Team." Taylor led the Leprechaun's of Dublin High School to the state championship game and soon after the season it would be time for him to make another major decision.

	<TABLE ALIGN=RIGHT BORDER=0 WIDTH=10>
	<TD>
	<IMG ALT="Ryan Taylor" BORDER=1 SRC="pic/taylor03_bw.jpg" WIDTH=216 HEIGHT=319>
	<HR>
	</TD>
	</TABLE>

	<P>The decision was which university was going to gain Taylor's football skills for the 1995 season: "Georgia was always heavily on my mind. It was the home state team and my parents wanted me to go there, but I wasn't set on going to Georgia."

	<P>Taylor narrowed his choice between Auburn and Georgia and had help making his decision from a fellow Auburn recruit at the time, Takeo Spikes.

	<P>"Auburn was recruiting Takeo and I at the same time and we became good friends throughout the recruiting process," Taylor said. "That new friendship had a factor on me choosing Auburn as well as one of Auburn's former coaches, Rodney Garner. Coach Garner was straight forward with me, and didn't try to feed me anything like the other schools did. I knew then that those were the type of people that I wanted to be around."

	<P>Taylor remembered the night that he made his final decision on the school he would attend, choosing Auburn over Georgia.

	<P>"I walked out of my room after God had placed Auburn on my mind and went into my parent's room and told them my choice," he said. "My parents were surprised at my choice, but they have always been supportive of me and knew that it was in my best interest.

	<P>"My parents are quick to give me advice, but not force any decisions on me," Taylor said. "I respect my parents a lot and all that they have done for me. They have helped me develop into who I am today."

	<P>Taylor's career began at Auburn in 1995 as he started one game, against Kentucky, and recorded 13 tackles for the season, playing free safety. After spending one more season at free safety, Taylor was switched to right outside linebacker in 1997 and started every game during the year.

	<P>"The switch to linebacker from safety was something that I have gotten used to," Taylor said. "I have always switched positions a lot going back to high school. I just play where I am needed the most to help the team win."

	<P>The switch to linebacker paid off early for the Tigers. During the Virginia game in 1997, Taylor made one of his most memorable plays as a Tiger.

	<P>"I intercepted a pass for a touchdown on the first play of the second half that switched the momentum of the game and solidified my position at outside linebacker," Taylor said.

	<P>The Tigers went on to win the game against Virginia 28-17.

	<P>Taylor's play at linebacker earned him the respect of the coaches at Auburn.
	Outside linebacker's coach Joe Whitt said, "Ryan Taylor is a solid player and a solid individual. He has helped this team out in so many ways that don't show up in the stat column. He has truly been a joy to work with."

	<P>Whether he is catching make-believe robbers or tackling an elusive tailback, Ryan Taylor knows that with the support from his family there are no boundaries to what he can accomplish on the football field or the field of life.

	<P><TABLE WIDTH=80% BORDER BGCOLOR="#000099" ALIGN=CENTER>
	<TR>
	<TD>
	<FONT SIZE=4 COLOR="#FFFF00"><B>Q & A With Ryan Taylor:</FONT></B>

	<FONT COLOR="#FFFFFF">

	<P>If you could be one comic book character, which one would you be? "Spiderman."

	<P>If you were stranded on a deserted island, which five people would you take with you? "All of my immediate family, Karsten Bailey (AU, WR), Jayson Bray (AU, CB), Takeo Spikes (Cincinnati Bengals, LB), and Elmer Mason (high school buddy)."

	<P>If you could play for one NFL team, which one would you choose? "Atlanta Falcons."

	<P>What is the favorite meal that your mom cooks, dad cooks? "Mom - Turkey and dressing; Dad - Chili."

	<P>Which Wizard of Oz character would you be: the tinman, the scarecrow or the lion? "The scarecrow because he is goofy and crazy."

	<P>What would be your ultimate SportsCenter highlight involving you? "Making a hard hit that caused a fumble, picking up the ball and running it back for a touchdown against Alabama."

	</TD>
	</TR>
	</TABLE>

	<P ALIGN=CENTER><A HREF="./" target="_top">TABLE OF CONTENTS</A> \| <A HREF="../" target="_top">PROGRAM INDEX</A> \| <A HREF="../../index.html" target="_top">HOME</A></P>

	<P ALIGN=CENTER><I>© 1999 Auburn Network, Inc.</I></P>


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