Memorial scholarship brings friends together to celebrate Rob Taylor

On December 2, friends and family came together at Montpetit Hall to celebrate the life of Rob Taylor, one of the Gee-Gees greats of the 1980s. Taylor was a loving father, a respected and admired teammate, and role model for Gee-Gee student-athletes for years to come.

A scholarship has been established in his memory by his sister, brother, and his lifelong friend and Gee-Gees teammate Bob Lumley. A pre-game ceremony was held including Rob's sister and daughter, alongside his Gee-Gees teammate and current Algoma assistant coach, Winston Ivey.

Originally from Cornwall, Ont., he starred for the Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School (CCVS) Raiders before making his way to uOttawa. He was inducted into the Cornwall Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, and passed away in Cornwall in August 2021, age 58.

Lumley, who was also on those CCVS Raiders teams, recalls that Taylor, "didn't need to be the most popular guy around, but whoever was around him immediately connected. He was usually a step ahead of everybody but quite humble in his approach."

"[Taylor] wasn't somebody who got nervous or rattled," continues Lumley. "He had a serenity and a sense of the moment – a maturity. There's a real pride to be able to do something in his memory."

Taylor, a six-foot-five forward, led the Gee-Gees in rebounds in each of his four seasons and was the team's leading scorer in his final year – aided in part by what Lumley calls an unstoppable baseline move. He was particularly effective from the free throw line, and still holds the team record for the best single season percentage from the stripe, recording 96.6 % success in 1981-82, going 28-for-29.  

He recorded 709 career points in regular season play for the Gee-Gees, averaging 13.6 points per game and a field goal percentage of 52.6 per cent. 

He was a three-time conference all-star, earning the award in back-to-back-to-back seasons from 1982-1985. He was team captain and named Most Valuable Player in each of his last two seasons. Taylor graduated Magna Cum Laude in Electrical Engineering, and later completed his MBA at the University of Ottawa.

To make a gift supporting the Robert Taylor Memorial Basketball Scholarship please click here.