Hall of Fame
Fred Taylor made quite an impact on the McKendree basketball program during his two-year playing career with the Bearcats. During that time, Fred and his teammates used their scoring abilities and high-octane style of offense to levels never reached before by a McKendree squad.
A two-year starter, Fred joined the McKendree squad as a junior in 1986-87 and put together one of the top all-around seasons in program history. He averaged 20.1 points per game, scoring 704 points in the process. One of the most accurate three-point shooters in the nation, Fred connected on 51 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc, a McKendree record that still stands at the time of his induction. Thanks in part to Fred's scoring prowess, the Bearcats collected their first-ever 30-win season and reached the finals of the NAIA District 20 Tournament.
In his senior year, Fred and his teammates were part of an historic season for McKendree
basketball. The Bearcats reeled off 22 consecutive victories to start the 1987 -88 season on its way to a school-record 35 victories. That included a win over Saint Xavier in the District 20 title game to give the program its first trip to the NAIANational Championship in Kansas City, Mo. That marked the first of 15 appearances by McKendree at the NAIA national tournament in a 23-year span.
A team loaded with offensive firepower, McKendree led the nation by averaging 102 points per
game. Fred showed the way by averaging a team-high 21.1 points per contest. He saved his best for last, scoring a season-high 33 points in the Bearcats' national tournament second-round game against Dordt (Iowa).
Fred finished his McKendree career with 1,400 points in two seasons, a mark that sits 27th on the Bearcats' all-time list. He is also third on the team's career chart for three-point field goal percentage at .452.
