Wheelchair basketball team head coach kicking off annual Auburn Family Friday Speaker Series

Published: August 30, 2019
Katie-Bay Hayford | Office of Communications and Marketing

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The head coach of Auburn University’s wheelchair basketball team, Robb Taylor, will kick off the eighth annual Auburn Family Friday Speaker Series event Friday, Sept. 6, at 3 p.m. in the Auburn Alumni Center. 

At the event, he will also give attendees an introduction to the sport of wheelchair basketball, a history of Auburn’s wheelchair basketball program and the direction it’s headed.

Taylor will discuss part of Auburn’s beloved creed as he presents “Auburn Wheelchair Basketball: We Believe in Work, Hard Work.”                                                                                 

“Having the ability to speak with Auburn alumni, family and friends about our team and our program is a great opportunity,” said Taylor. “I know the Auburn Family is passionate about Auburn sports; I hope after they learn more about our team they are just as passionate about Auburn wheelchair basketball.”

In February, the Auburn Family rallied around the team to raise more than $20,000—far surpassing the $15,000 goal—as part of Tiger Giving Day.  The money will go toward medical equipment that assists with the pre-habilitation and rehabilitation of the student-athletes to ensure they are healthy to compete on the court. It will also help with the growth and development of the program.

Taylor has been involved in wheelchair basketball since 1999. His coaching career began at his alma mater, the University of Illinois, and he has since become head coach of the Phoenix Mercury, a women’s wheelchair basketball team in Arizona; head coach of the Windy City Warriors, a junior team in Chicago; and now head coach of Auburn University’s wheelchair basketball team. 

Before coming to Auburn in 2016, Taylor also served as assistant coach to the gold-medal winning men and women’s U.S. National Paralympic teams. He will continue to serve on staff of the men’s team through the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo.

For more information, go to http://ocm.auburn.edu/speaker_series/.

Auburn University is a nationally ranked land grant institution recognized for its commitment to world-class scholarship, interdisciplinary research with an elite, top-tier Carnegie R1 classification, life-changing outreach with Carnegie’s Community Engagement designation and an undergraduate education experience second to none. Auburn is home to more than 30,000 students, and its faculty and research partners collaborate to develop and deliver meaningful scholarship, science and technology-based advancements that meet pressing regional, national and global needs. Auburn’s commitment to active student engagement, professional success and public/private partnership drives a growing reputation for outreach and extension that delivers broad economic, health and societal impact.