Grinnell College Athletics

It’s not often somebody jumps into the international spotlight in just one evening, but Jack Taylor ’15 did exactly that. On Nov. 20, 2012, Taylor made headlines around the world by erupting for an all-time NCAA basketball record 138 points in a victory over Faith Baptist Bible College.
 
A transfer from the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, Taylor was just three games into his Grinnell career when the Pioneers faced Faith Baptist. After missing his first four shots, he caught fire, scoring 58 points in the first half. He surpassed the NCAA Division III record of 89 points early in the second half and finished with 138, breaking the all-time NCAA record of 113 points set in 1954. Taylor also set NCAA records for field goals made (52), field goals attempted (108), 3-pointers made (27) and 3-pointers attempted (71). During the game, he scored 28 consecutive points, another Division III record.
 
International attention quickly followed, with hundreds of media requests, appearances on programs such as Good Morning America, Today, and Jimmy Kimmel Live! and a three- day visit from an ESPN crew to profile Taylor and the Grinnell program.
 
Taylor’s first season at Grinnell ended with a wrist injury, but he returned in 2013–14 and quickly proved he was no one-hit sensation. He scored 109 points against Crossroads College, the third-highest single-game total in NCAA history.

Over his career, Taylor earned a place in the Grinnell record book 38 times and became one of just six Pioneers to surpass 2,000 career points, finishing with 2,025. Despite playing only two-and-a-half seasons, he appears eight times on the program’s career records chart. He was a two-time D3hoops.com All-Region selection and a two-time All–Midwest Conference honoree.

Taylor graduated in 2015 with a bachelor’s of science degree in biochemistry. Since then, Taylor has started his own video production company, Taylor Media, while also growing a residential real-estate portfolio in his hometown of Black River Falls. Taylor is still involved in the game of basketball as the varsity boys basketball coach for Black River Falls High School.

Taylor married his high school sweetheart, Christina, and has three children (Abigail, Hazel, and Jack Taylor III) with another child on the way!