June 28, 2018
By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. -- On Friday, it will have been two months to the day that Gary Taylor was hired as the new head coach for the Auburn swimming and diving program.
You might have run into him or one of his new staff members around Auburn -- he's a big fan of Amsterdam Café and Taco Mama. You might have seen him at the pool early in the morning working with the returning student-athletes. Or maybe you saw him on the road during one of his numerous recruiting trips.
The point is, Taylor hasn't slowed down since he took the job.
"Really, from Day 1, it wasn't a brisk walk. It was a sprint," he said.
But Taylor wouldn't have wanted it any other way. This is his first collegiate head coaching position, and his motto has always been "Enthused to work. Eager to work. Desire to win." Now it's about bringing that mentality to Auburn.
One thing about Auburn is you don't have to sell it, you just have to share it. Once a coach or a prospective student-athlete visits campus and sees how special a place it is, it's hard to say no. It was no different for Taylor, who left North Carolina State after spending six seasons as an assistant coach and helping the Wolfpack win four straight ACC titles.
Selling his wife, Amy, on Auburn was even easier. If anything, she might have been more excited than he was when her husband was offered the position. It's her alma mater.
"For her, from Day 1, that was kind of a dream," Taylor said. "That's been a dream of hers for 8 or 10 years. If I could have a job at the collegiate level, the head coaching position at Auburn in her heart was No. 1 by far. There wasn't much of a sell there."
Though Taylor didn't graduate from Auburn like his wife, this was still the realization of a dream for him as well. He's always wanted to coach in the SEC, and especially at a place like Auburn where there's so much tradition in the swimming and diving program and where there's so much passion on campus for all sports.
"I think it's an opportunity for me to compete against the best coaches, the best athletes, the best programs, and certainly I strive to be the very best I can be on a daily basis," Taylor said. "And having that opportunity was tremendous.
"Beyond that, it's all the aspects of Auburn. The way the people feel about it; the love, the pride and the passion; the Auburn family. We have outstanding support here from the very top, from a monetary standpoint, from a facilities standpoint. Everything that we're doing to help these student-athletes reach their full potential as students, as athletes and most importantly people, it's all there.
"We've got a lot of really hard work in front of us. We certainly want to continue to work to rebuild the Auburn program, but you've got all the things in place to be really successful here. And that's what I want. That's what I want to be a part of."
It's not hard to see the success that has encompassed this Auburn swimming and diving program over the years. All you have to do is walk into the James E. Martin Aquatics Center, and you'll see the banners hanging from the ceiling.
This is a program that has won 13 combined NCAA championships (8 men's, 5 women's), third most in Division I behind Texas and Stanford. It's also won 23 SEC championships in its illustrious history, including a stretch of 16 straight for the men from 1997-2012. However, that 2012 SEC crown was the last title the Tigers have won.
It's now up to Taylor to bring that level of success back to the Plains.
Will it happen overnight? Probably not. Taylor will be the first to tell you that Auburn is not on the cusp of winning championships. But changes made now in the first two-to-three months will lead to changes and success two-to-three years from now.
"I think short term, we've got to build a championship mindset and culture," Taylor said. "That's first and foremost."
"So while we may not be winning championships this season and maybe not next year, that's something we're going to work toward each and every day through the way the coaching staff handles itself, the way we coach, the way we work with the athletes, the way we recruit, the way we share Auburn.
"I think down the road -- certainly, three, four, five years down the road -- those are things that I want to cultivate and become. That's what I want to see this Auburn swimming and diving family become. It's won championships in the past, and there's absolutely no reason for this program to not be that in the future."
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf