I find there were many important people who had an impact on my development. My father certainly did. There were several key coaches and teachers that immediately come to mind. I come up with names like Jim Carey, Bob Kallal, Bill Mills, John Considine and Barbara Thompson. They all were significant. But the one name that continues to crop up is not that of a teacher, parent or coach. The name is Dave Taynor.
I came to know Taynor when I was a sixth grader. Young and impressionable, I was taller than most of my classmates and intrigued with basketball. I went to high school games where the young men who wore the colors of my town became the rock stars of my youth. After a Friday night game, I would retreat across the street to my home and replay the game again in my basement, from pre-game introductions to post-game interviews.
When I first met him, Taynor was a freshman playing for Coach Kallal at Trimpe Junior High. He was a scoring machine, often netting 20 or 30 points a game. His team was undefeated and became the hope of the entire town. Taynor was a self-made basketball player, taking his basketball to the lighted courts behind the junior high every night and shooting hundreds if not thousands of shots from all angles until the early morning hours. This work ethic fascinated me. How could someone be so dedicated to a sport to totally consume himself to that pursuit?
As he entered high school, I was entering junior high. I decided he was worthy of worship. I started a scrapbook of his newspaper articles. He burst on the scene and immediately became one of the best high school basketball players in Southern Illinois. Taynor wore number 32. He walked in a distinctive way and constantly rubbed the bottom of his sneakers. He was always the last player out of the locker room....he didn't take his warm-up off until it was gametime.
I wore number 32 in junior high, I walked distinctively and constantly rubbed the bottom of my Converse. I fought to be the last out of the locker room. Out back of my house, Pop built a lighted basketball court and every night I shot the basketball. I shot and shot and shot.
When high school ended for Taynor, it started for me. He went on to Kansas University. I made many a trip to Lawrence and became a lifelong KU fan. Now my kids are all Jayhawks.
My high school career was far less successful than Taynor's. I was short, but slow. Oh, I started quite a few games over my junior and senior years but my career was mostly forgettable.
Taynor went on to co-captain the Jayhawks into the Final Four in 1974. We stayed good friends for many years. Later in life, he fell on hard times and clearly made some mistakes. While others were quick to torch the memory, I couldn't. Taynor was a symbol for me. He was "hard work equals success." He was the high priest of basketball. I would never forsake him....never will.
Taynor inspired. I followed and it set a paradigm for my life.
Work hard. Be prepared to quietly work alone to hone your skills. Be determined to continue to pursue success. That is what Taynor meant to me. Now, even in my 50s, I understand that important influence. God Bless the Dave Taynors of the world who influence young male minds and make them aspire for something greater.
We need more of them.
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