Craig Taylor is in his 23rd year as the director of athletics at George Fox University, but has been associated with the university for more almost 40 years as a player, coach, or professor.

As director of athletics, Taylor is responsible for all athletic department functions, including eligibility and compliance with Northwest Conference and NCAA regulations, budgeting, and department and sports center management. He also oversees the university’s Sports Hall of Fame, Bruin Athletic Association, and the association’s annual golf tournament.

Building a Strong Program
Taylor oversaw the university’s transition from NAIA membership to NCAA Division III in 1998. The university has added five new sports – women’s soccer, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s golf – during his tenure, and will add two more with women’s lacrosse in the spring of 2012 and the return of football in the fall of 2013.  He currently guides the planning and building of the new Austin Athletic Complex, which will provide new practice and game fields for the Bruins’ soccer, lacrosse, and football teams.

Hiring the Right People
Many of the coaches Taylor has hired have won conference or regional awards, with three earning national coach of the year honors.  Wes Cook won National Coach of the Year awards in women’s cross country at both the NCCAA (1988) and NAIA (1992) levels, Pat Bailey was named NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year after the Bruins won the 2004 national baseball title, and Scott Rueck won the 2009 NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year after leading the women’s basketball team to a perfect 32-0 record and the national championship.  Current Oregon State University baseball coach Pat Casey was hired by Taylor for his first coaching position in 1988 and won seven conference titles at George Fox before taking the OSU position in 1995 and leading the Beavers to back-to-back NCAA Division I national championships in 2006 and 2007. 

Administrator, Coach and Teacher
Taylor, named the NAIA District 2 Administrator of the Year in 1992, served as an assistant professor of health and human performance at George Fox from 1978-89, and is now an associate professor in the department. He was named “Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers” in 1998, and served as the school’s vice president for student life in 1999.

Prior to his administrative duties, Taylor coached the university’s baseball (1974-79), women’s basketball (1981-93), and softball (1981-88, 1990) teams. In 1985, he was named NAIA District 2 Softball Coach of the Year.

A Four-Decade Bruin
Taylor came to George Fox in 1971 as a junior forward for the men’s basketball team. During the 1972-73 season, he helped the Bruins to their first-ever NAIA District 2 title. He graduated from George Fox in 1974 and earned a master’s degree in education from Linfield College in 1975.

Taylor, 59, and his wife, Kathy, live in McMinnville and have three children: Leah, 36; Bree, 31, a 2001 George Fox graduate who played volleyball for the Bruins; and Casey, 21, who competes for the George Fox track and field team.