Bunny Taylor, a name associated with grit, fairness, determination and resolve among many other positive descriptors, has officially retired from officiating school sports after decades of service on both the hardwood and the diamond. Before putting on the black and white stripes of an official, she dominated the hardwood both as a player and a coach. To her opponents she was known as judge, jury and most of all “Executioner.” As a student at CCHS from 1976 to 1980, the basketball court was her dance floor, and she led the dance hitting as high as 44 points a game. She ruled the courts with intimidation and skill as her smile became the kryptonite for other teams. Those who got to see her play basketball watched years of practicing on backyard hoops and against brothers come together to make her career a great one. What Bunny Taylor did for CCHS Lady Panther basketball… water does for plants, earning her respect from players as well as coaches all over the state.
Taylor took her show on the road to Glenville and became one of the top Lady Pioneer basketball players ever, still holding her status as the fifth-highest points scorer with 1,446 points. She earned four All-WVIAC selections and took home the prestigious Clarissa Williams award in 1984. She was inducted into the Glenville State University Curtis Elam Hall of Fame in 2002 and was one of the first players to be inducted into the CCHS Hall of Fame in 2016. After completing her high school and college playing years, Bunny began her career as a teacher, coach and later on as Lady Panther head coach instilling the same leadership qualities, discipline, teamwork and sportsmanship.
Once she retired from teaching and coaching, Taylor just couldn’t let go of the desire to make a difference with the youth of this county and across the state. Bunny took her place on the other side of the whistle and became one of the finest and toughest WVSSAC officials until her recent retirement.
She traveled the state to make sure the games were fair for thousands of student athletes on the basketball and volleyball court as well as the softball field. She had a deeper understanding of the games she officiated largely based on her elite career as a player and coach on different levels. If you have seen her officiate, you know she commanded respect from coaches, players and fans. She did it with a calm character and an understanding of the rules that with every blow of the whistle a player knew she was right. Her exodus from the courts is the final chapter of a journey that started long ago and one that impacted the lives of many athletes. She is a decorated elite player, coach, mentor and friend who lays to rest a multi-decade career of a pure love for sports and those who played beside her, against her and for her.
Bunny Taylor has spent her life epitomizing the best of whatever sport she was involved in. As her whistle faded in her final game at CCHS, her legacy will live on in and is permanently engraved in the hardwood of Clay County and many other gyms across the state.
She leaves the sports world giving everything she had from putting points on the boards, drawing up plays or that ever-waving hand that kept peace and order. Her whistle may be retired but the standards she set will echo the halls and courts for years to come.