The Taylor Trojans are the athletic program at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana. They compete in the Crossroads League of the NAIA.

Taylor Trojans
Logo
UniversityTaylor University
AssociationNAIA
ConferenceCrossroads League
Athletic directorKyle Gould
LocationUpland, Indiana
Varsity teams16
Football stadiumTurner Stadium
Basketball arenaOdle Arena
NicknameTrojans
ColorsPurple and sharpening iron[1]
   
Websitewww.taylortrojans.com/landing/index

Basketball

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Taylor basketball's all-time leading scorer is Jason Hubbard, who graduated In 2023.[2] They have never won a national championship. The head coach is Austin Peters who has coached the Trojans since 2024.[3][4] DePaul coach Chris Holtmann played basketball for the Trojans.

Silent Night

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Every year, on the Friday before final exams, Taylor University holds the Silent Night Men's Basketball game. In it, students remain quiet until the tenth point is scored and then erupt in cheers.[5] In the late moments of the game, "Silent Night" is sung.[6] A former assistant coach came up with the idea in the late 1980s, and it was a packed event by the mid-to-late 1990s.[5] Afterward, students can go to the president's campus-wide party involving live Christmas music, making and eating Christmas cookies, and making gingerbread houses.[7] The 2010 game was more formally named the 27th Annual Ivanhoe Classic and resulted in a 112–67 win over Ohio State-Marion.[8] This was the most scored by the Taylor men's basketball team since the 1993–94 squad scored 139 points in a victory over Robert Morris University (Illinois).[8] This allowed Taylor students to quiet down and erupt in celebration again after the 100th point.[5] Casey Coons scored the tenth point in the 2009 Silent Night, the 2010 Silent Night, and the 2011 Silent Night on free throws.[8][9][10] Casey Coons received the NAIA Mid-Central College Conference Division II Player of the Week Award for the week of the 2010 game.[11] Coach Paul Patterson coached without shoes for the 2009, 2010, and 2011 games to raise money for Samaritan's Feet (400 pairs of shoes were raised at the 2009 event for the Dominican Republic and 170 pairs of shoes were raised for Guatemala at the 2010 event).[9][10][12][13][14] Sports Illustrated paid tribute to the Silent Night Event in its December 27, 2010, issue.[15] The 2011 game received significant media attention as well.[9][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] The 2014 Silent Night game was a 91–59 victory over Kentucky Christian and was covered by ESPN.[23]

Cross Country

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The Taylor men's cross country team has qualified for NAIA nationals 32 times. They ran to a runner-up finish in 2019 and went on to win nationals in 2020, giving Taylor its first NAIA national championship in any sport.[24] The program has also won 22 Conference Championships.[25]

The Taylor women's cross country team has qualified for NAIA nationals 15 times. They ran to a third-place finish in both 2018 and 2020. In 2022, the Trojans ran to an undefeated season and won NAIA nationals, scoring only 50 points after being led by fourth-place finisher Abbey Brennan and having all five scoring runners finish in the top 20.[26][27] The program also has won 12 Conference Championships including ten in a row from 2013 to 2022.[28]

Both teams are currently coached by Taylor alumni and Taylor professor of education Quinn White. Coach White won the USTFCCCA NAIA Men's National Coach of the year award in 2021 and proceeded to win the women's award in 2022. Coach White has also been named Crossroads League coach of the year ten times as well as being named the USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region coach of the year multiple times.[29][30]

Football

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The Taylor football program competes in the Mideast League of the Mid-States Football Association. The Trojans football team ended the 2009 season ranked #19 in the NAIA coaches poll.[31] They Play At Turner Stadium. They are coached by Aaron Mingo[32] who has coached at Taylor since 2021.

Media

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Taylor's Games are broadcast on the Trojan Sports Network. The executive producer of the network is Seth Mikel. [33]

Venues

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Name Sports Capacity Built Renovated
Turner Stadium[34] Football,Men's Soccer,Women's Soccer[34] 4,400[34] 2012[34] 2015, 2022[34]
Odle Arena[35] Volleyball,Men's Basketball,Women's Basketball,Competitive Cheer[36] 1,500[37] 1975[35] 1998,2012,2016[36]
Winterholter Field[38] Baseball[38] Unknown 2012[38] 2015,2017,2022[38]
Gudakunst Field[39] Softball[39] 400+[39] 2013[39] 2015[39]
 
Aerial View Of Athletic Venues

Taylor's Other Venues Include- [40]

  • Kesler Student Activity Center (Indoor Track And Field, Training Facilities, Practice Courts)
  • George Glass Track And Field Complex (Track And Field)
  • TUXC Farm (Cross Country)
  • Wheeler Field (Lacrosse)
  • Players Club At Woodland Hills (Golf)

References

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  1. ^ "Brand". Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  2. ^ "Hubbard Claims TU's All-Time Scoring Record in Home Victory". 2023-01-14. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ "Men's Basketball". Taylor University Trojans. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
  4. ^ "Peters to Take Reins of Taylor Men's Basketball Program". 2024-04-24. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. ^ a b c Eisenberg, Jeff. "Never heard of Taylor University's Silent Night? You're missing out". Yahoo!. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  6. ^ Brennan, Eamonn (13 December 2010). "Prepare to love Taylor University". ESPN. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  7. ^ Taylor University – Entry Details Archived 2011-07-04 at archive.today. 192.195.234.6 (2008-11-17). Retrieved on 2011-06-15.
  8. ^ a b c "Trojans Claim Ivanhoe Classic Championship". Taylor Trojans. 11 December 2010. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  9. ^ a b c "Taylor U's Silent Night tradition remains awesome". Archived from the original on 2012-03-04.
  10. ^ a b "Silence Short-Lived, Trojans Win 81–52". Taylor Trojans. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  11. ^ "MCC Players of the Week – 2010–11". Webcitation.org. Archived from the original on July 8, 2010. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  12. ^ "Silent Night Includes Barefoot Event". Taylor Trojans. 8 December 2010. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  13. ^ May, Hillary (10 Dec 2010). "Taylor Adds To Silent Night Game Tradition". The Echo.
  14. ^ "Silent Night Video Grabs National Attention". Taylor Trojans. 14 December 2010. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  15. ^ "Most Popular". CNN. 2010-12-27. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012.
  16. ^ "ESPN Host Tabs Silent Night as Best College Hoops Tradition". Archived from the original on 2013-11-11.
  17. ^ "The Sweet Sound Of Silence". CNN. 2011-12-12. Archived from the original on January 7, 2012.
  18. ^ "Hoop Thoughts". CNN. 2011-12-12. Archived from the original on January 7, 2012.
  19. ^ "Taylor University celebrates 'Silent Night' on court – ESPN Page 2".
  20. ^ "Silent Night in NCAA Power Rankings". 22 December 2011.
  21. ^ "Taylor University's 'Silent Night' is still as wild and fun as ever – Yahoo Sports".
  22. ^ Justin Bieber [@justinbieber] (12 December 2011). "just got sent this. very cool" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. ^ Strong, Sam (7 December 2014). "Taylor's Silent Night tradition continues". Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  24. ^ "Cross country wins nationals". The Echo. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  25. ^ "Taylor University Men's Cross Country 2021 Quick Facts" (PDF). www.taylortrojans.com/. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  26. ^ "TU Women Cap Perfect Season with Taylor's Second-Ever National Championship". Taylor University Athletics. Nov 18, 2022. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
  27. ^ "Taylor (Ind.) Women Captured First Red Banner at 2022 NAIA Cross Country Championship". NAIA. Nov 18, 2022.
  28. ^ "Taylor University Women's Cross Country 2022 Quick Facts" (PDF). www.taylortrojans.com/. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
  29. ^ "TU'S WHITE HONORED AS USTFCCCA NATIONAL WOMEN'S COACH OF THE YEAR". Crossroads League. Nov 23, 2022.
  30. ^ "2022 WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY COACHES".
  31. ^ "2009 NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Poll – final regular season – NAIA OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE". Archived from the original on 2009-12-19.
  32. ^ "Aaron Mingo". Taylor University Trojans. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  33. ^ "LIVE | FB: Madonna at Taylor". LIVE | FB: Madonna at Taylor-Youtube. October 21, 2023.
  34. ^ a b c d e "Turner Stadium". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  35. ^ a b "Odle Arena". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  36. ^ a b TU Facilities | Odle Arena, retrieved 2023-12-15
  37. ^ "Athletic & Fitness Locations | Taylor University". www.taylor.edu. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  38. ^ a b c d "Winterholter Field". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  39. ^ a b c d e "Gudakunst Field". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  40. ^ "Trojan Facilities". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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