Arni's Birthday Zoom: Purdue basketball alum Ralph Taylor
Former Purdue swingman (1966-69) and radio crew analyst shares his 76th birthday with us (March 30, 2023). He talks about his experiences growing up in Indianapolis but also shares his take on the 2022-23 Boilermaker basketball season and looks ahead to the challenges facing Matt Painter’s Boilermakers in 2023-24.
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Taylor spent 15 years on the Purdue men’s basketball radio crew working with Larry Clisby and Rob Blackman and has been a civic leader in the city of Indianapolis for decades. A member of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, Taylor teamed with Boilermaker teammate Billy Keller to win the state title at Indianapolis Washington H.S. in 1965.
As a Boilermaker, Taylor was a fan favorite coming off the bench as a jumping-jack 6-foot-2 forward and played a key role on a roster that included Keller, Rick Mount and Herman Gilliam.
“We had three stars on that team, but we found a way to be a very cohesive unit,” Taylor said. “Purdue football was big in those days, but we stole some of the limelight from those great teams by winning the Big Ten title and making our way to the Final Four.”
Taylor’s fraternity roommate was Leroy Keyes, the two-time All-American running back who finished third in the 1967 and second in the 1968 Heisman Trophy race.
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“Purdue was a football school in those days, but our teams helped make Mackey Arena what it is today by playing basketball at the high level,” said Taylor. “It is loud now and the best environment in college basketball, but it was ever louder, or at least just as loud, then.”
The 1968-69 team led the nation in scoring with one of the most devastating fast breaks in college basketball
“We like to run and used it to our advantage,” Taylor said. “The game has changed and teams don’t fast break as much as we did, but it was an exciting brand of basketball in those days and the fans loved it.”
Professionally, Taylor served as a teacher/County Extension Educator in the Indianapolis Public Schools. He also had roles in the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service, and was a director of Community Service with the Indy Parks. His community service didn’t stop there; he was also a grants officer with the Indiana Youth Institute and a program coordinator of the Mayor’s Office of International & Cultural Affairs.
Recent Arni’s Birthday Zoom interviews:
Other Arni’s Birthday Zoom links of former Purdue athletes (interview date)
Jane (Calhoun) Schott (5/5/2021)
Life of Eugene Parker (2/24/2022)
