Jack George Neil Taylor (January 31, 1931 – May 30, 1955) was an American competition swimmer and Olympic medalist. At the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, as a 21-year-old, he received a bronze medal for his third-place finish in the event final of the men's 100-meter backstroke.

Jack Taylor
Taylor (right) in 1950
Personal information
Full nameJack George Neil Taylor
National teamUnited States
Born(1931-01-31)January 31, 1931
Akron, Ohio, U.S.[1]
DiedMay 30, 1955(1955-05-30) (aged 24)
near Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesBackstroke
ClubU.S. Navy
College teamOhio State University
Medal record
Representing the United States
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1952 Helsinki 100 m backstroke
Representing Ohio State
NCAA
Gold medal – first place 1950 Columbus 1,500 meter freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1950 Columbus 150 yard backstroke
Gold medal – first place 1951 Austin 200 yard backstroke
Gold medal – first place 1951 Austin 300 yard medley relay
Gold medal – first place 1952 Princeton Team event
Gold medal – first place 1952 Princeton 100 yard backstroke

Taylor was born in Akron, Ohio. He attended Ohio State University, where he swam for the Ohio State Buckeyes swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 1950 to 1952. He later became a naval aviator in the United States Navy; he died practicing aircraft carrier landings near Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba at the age of 24.

He is a member of Ohio State University's sports hall of fame.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Jack Taylor". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020.
  2. ^ OhioStateBuckeyes.com, Men's Varsity "O" Hall of Fame Archived 2012-11-16 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 4, 2012.