The great Youngstown State University basketball tradition started back in the early 1950's and former Penguin standout and 1999 YSU Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee Roy Taylor was a catalyst for some of the best teams in the annals of Pegnuins basketball.
A four-year letterwinner, Taylor, who played under legendary basketball coach Dom Rosselli, was the starting point guard and helped Youngstown College to three consecutive Ohio NAIA Championships and three NAIA National Tournament appearances in 1957,1958 and 1959.
In three NAIA Tournament appearances, the Penguins made an impressive showing, winning a total of five games. The Penguins won a pair of games in the 1957 and 1958 tournaments, reaching the quarterfinals each year.
Over the span of Taylor's four-year career, the Penguins posted an impressive mark of 76-34, which translates to an impressive winning percentage of 69.1 percent
Playing in 94 games, Taylor scored 780 career points or an average of 8.3 points per game.
His best season came in 1957-58 when he averaged 12.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per contest, helping YSU to a remarkable 23-7 mark.
Some of his teammates include YSU Athletic Hall of Fame member Tony KnottHerb Lake, Charles Moore, and Mickey Yugovich.
Recently retired, Taylor worked for the Air Force Logistic and Air Force Material Command (AFMC) for 36 years.
He managed over 900 command organizations and worked directly withthe Chiefof Staffofthe AirForce, the Secretaryofthe Air Force and the Secretary of the Department of Defense.
In 1982, Taylor garnered the Air Force Association Outstanding EngineerAward for the development ofmanpower projection models quantifying command support for weapon systems in Foreign Military Sales countries.
