Fred Taylor (basketball, born 1924)

Fred Taylor (born April 5, 1924, Zanesville, Ohio; died January 6, 2002, Dublin, Ohio) was an American college basketball coach. He is best known for his tenure as the head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team from 1959 to 1976.

Taylor's most significant achievement was leading the Buckeyes to the 1960 NCAA Championship, defeating the California Golden Bears. That team, featuring future NBA stars Jerry Lucas, John Havlicek, and Larry Siegfried, is widely considered one of the greatest college basketball teams of all time. They also reached the NCAA Championship game in both 1961 and 1962, losing to Cincinnati on both occasions.

During his 18 seasons at Ohio State, Taylor compiled a record of 297-158. He also led the Buckeyes to seven Big Ten Conference championships (1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1968, and 1971). He was named National Coach of the Year in 1961 and Big Ten Coach of the Year four times (1960, 1961, 1962, and 1971).

Taylor was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1986. Prior to coaching at Ohio State, Taylor coached at Canton McKinley High School in Canton, Ohio. He also served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He is remembered as a highly respected coach and a key figure in the history of Ohio State basketball.