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League Announces John Baxter Taylor Trophy
Created: 3/6/2002 1:13:02 AM
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LINKS
High-Resolution Taylor Video
Low-Resolution Taylor Video
John Taylor Feature
Black History Month Celebration
The Council of Ivy Group Presidents is proud to announce that an anonymous gift has been made to establish the John Baxter Taylor Trophy, an award in honor of Mr. Taylor that will be given annually to the Ivy League Men’s Heptagonal Team Champion.
Born in Washington, D.C., in 1882, Mr. Taylor and his family moved to Philadelphia for most of his youth. After attending many of the city’s premier schools, he went on to the University of Pennsylvania. As a standout track and field athlete, Mr. Taylor focused on the quarter mile. Ensuing, he rose to prominence as one of the best track athletes in the world, and became the first African-American to represent the United States in international competition in any sport. With the American victory in the first-ever sprint relay, Mr. Taylor became the first African-American ever to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games. He was America’s most prominent black athlete. Tragically, a little more than four months later, Mr. Taylor died suddenly of typhoid pneumonia at the age of 26.
Throughout the month of February, the Ivy League Office have celebrated Black History Month and attempted to honor many of the outstanding black athletes that have competed for the Ivy League universities. This year, Mr. John Baxter Taylor was the focal point of our celebration. He was also featured with a halftime segment on the Penn-Princeton broadcast on March 5.
Since Mr. Taylor’s life embodied many of the ideals that the league prides itself upon, we attempted to publicize his achievements that have often been overlooked in the athletic world. Thus, we are very thankful for this generous donation that will allow Mr. Taylor’s memory to be celebrated through the establishment of this Championship trophy.
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Related Schools: Pennsylvania
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Related Sports: Outdoor Track
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*This Article has been archived.*
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