'Auburn's a huge part of my life' - Auburn Athletics honors Herron Taylor, protector of Toomer's oaks

Sept. 29, 2016 By Jeff Shearer
AuburnTigers.com

AUBURN, Ala. - For Herron Taylor, an attack on one of the oak trees at Toomer's Corner was an attack on Auburn.

"That's why it means so much to me," says Taylor, a junior from Birmingham. "Auburn's not just where I go to school. Auburn's a huge part of my life and it always has been."

One minute, Taylor was one of several hundred Tiger fans celebrating Auburn's win over LSU at Toomer's Corner.

Next thing you know, she's confronting the person accused of setting fire to the Magnolia oak.

Now, she's "Herron the Heroine," experiencing what she calls her "10 seconds of fame" after a series of media interviews.

"I just didn't realize it was going to blow up like this," Taylor says. "Everyone wants to commend me for being a hero, or for what I did, and I just don't even see it. I just followed instinct. It blows my mind how appreciative everyone is. I'm just so thankful to be part of this Auburn family. And I'm glad I could give a glimmer of hope in this horrible situation."

On surveillance video, Taylor can be seen identifying and following the person police have charged with criminal mischief and desecration of a venerable object.

"I'd like to say I was doing it for the good of other people, but I truly think that I'm a very instinctual person. I follow my instincts and I'm very quick on my feet," Taylor says. "When that happened, I was like, 'No. This guy cannot get away with this. These trees do mean so much to me and so many other people. I was thinking, 'Who would do this?'

"This is the second time we've gotten to roll them for a football win since they came back. It made me very, very angry with this guy who would do that. I wanted him to suffer the consequences. I was trying to not let him get away with it. I'm very much ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" if you do something wrong, you should suffer your consequences. That's how my parents raised me. That made me the person I am today."

Taylor's Auburn roots run as deep as the trees she protected.

A plaque in Auburn University's College of Sciences and Mathematics building honors her late grandfather, Dr. Wendell Taylor, a 1949 graduate. Herron's grandmother endowed a scholarship for pre-dentistry students in his memory.

A lecture hall in the COSAM building is named after Herron's grandfather, Dr. Wendell Taylor." style="width:100%; height:auto;" class="imported_image" legacy-link="http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/aub/sports/genrel/auto_a_storywide/12132453.jpeg"> A lecture hall in the COSAM building is named after Herron's grandfather, Dr. Wendell Taylor.

Her uncle, Mike Fuller, was an All-America defensive back for Coach Jordan in 1974.

"My parents have season tickets and they come to the games every single weekend," Taylor says. "We have a tailgate. We are very, very dedicated fans. They do not miss a game for absolutely anything."

The Taylor family will have extra incentive to attend Auburn's Homecoming game Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe. Auburn Director of Athletics Jay Jacobs, who presented Taylor with a framed Auburn Creed on Thursday, will recognize her on the field during the first media timeout.

"Absolutely incredible," Taylor says. "What an amazing opportunity. I'm so overwhelmed."

Jacobs and Gus Malzahn met with Taylor on Wednesday, one day after the Auburn football coach in his weekly conference lauded her "courage and guts" at Toomer's Corner.

"He's got so much else going on that the fact that he would even acknowledge me blows my mind," Taylor says.

A biomedical sciences major with plans to attend medical school, Taylor says her time in the spotlight this week has helped prepare her for the interactions that are part of the application process.

"It helped me grow as a person. It matured me." she says. "This week really changed my life in so many ways."

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @jeff_shearer