Jan. 28, 2008

EASTON, Pa. - Former Lafayette football player and assistant football coach Chris Taylor passed away on Friday, Jan. 25. Taylor, 34, was a 1996 graduate of Lafayette where he was part of two Patriot League championship squads (1992 and 1994).

Taylor returned to Lafayette in 1998 as an assistant coach after serving as an assistant at Wagner College for the 1996 and 1997 seasons. He then spent five seasons as an assistant coach under Bill Russo and current head coach Frank Tavani, with his last season on College Hill in 2002 where he was in charge of the Leopards' defensive line.

After leaving Lafayette, Taylor landed at St. Peter's College in Jersey City, N.J. where he began as a defensive line coach and later served as head coach of the Peacocks' program for three seasons. Recently, he was named Asst. Director of Athletics for Facilities and Events until his death.

Taylor earned his bachelor of arts degree in American Studies from Lafayette in 1996. He later earned a master's degree in Business Administration from Wagner in 1998. Taylor was a member of the American Football Coaches Association and the Black Coaches Association.

A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Taylor is survived by his Katie Taylor, also a 1996 graduate and former member of Lafayette's track and field team.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday at Evening Star Baptist Church at 267 Gates Ave., with the burial to follow in Greenwood Cemetery, both in Brooklyn, N.Y. Visiting hours will be held on Tuesday from 4-8 p.m. at the Feeney Funeral Home at 232 Franklin Ave. in Ridgewood, N.J.

Donations can be made to the American Diabetes Association Center Pointe II, Suite 103, 1160 Route 22-E., Bridgewater, N.J. 08807.