Who is Kathryn Taylor? Zac Taylor's sister mocks lack of gold medal for Bengals coach
When it comes to athletics, Cincinnati Bengals' head coach Zac Taylor has some stiff competition from his own family. Not only is he married to the daughter of former Packers head coach Mike Sherman, but he's also the son of Sherwood, a solid defensive back in his day. The athletic genes seem to run in his siblings as well, perhaps best seen in Zac's sister Kathryn Taylor.
Ahead of Taylor's Super Bowl LVI clash, Kathryn decided to take a dig at her brother for his lack of gold medals. Of course, if things go his way, Zac will at least have a SuperBowl ring to boast about. He's not the only one. 'Mattress Mack' in Teas has bet $4.5 million on the Bengals to win, so needless to say, there's a lot at stake. Right now, there's also a lot of interest in the halftime show, after it was revealed two deaf rappers would make history with their ASL performances.
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But for now, all eyes are on the Bengals, who are eyeing their first-ever Super Bowl win. With history on the cusp of being made, there's clearly plenty of pressure on Zac from millions of fans. So naturally, a little sibling rivalry had to be added in, to spice things up. In an interview with The New York Post, Kathryn and other members of Zac's family joked about her superior athletic skills.
Who is Kathryn Taylor?
Now 36-years-old, Kathryn was born with trisomy 21, a genetic condition where she was born with three chromosomes instead of two at position 21. Despite the Down's Syndrome diagnosis at birth, she went on to become an athletic champion. Growing up in Norman, Oklahoma, Kathryn was taught to swim by her mother, who initially feared the easy access to pools she had. They were encouraged by Cowboys assistant Gene Stallings, whose own son was born with Down's Syndrome. "It meant everything to us to have somebody in his position tell us that everything is going to be OK," her mother Julie Taylor said.
Urged by Stallings, the family treated Kathryn just like any other child. From soccer to gymnastics and volleyball, Kathryn explored a long list of activities as a child, but somehow found an affinity for water. "She could swim when she was little. Really little. Always a natural in the water," Julie said in a 2005 interview. Despite being born in a household of sports stars, Kathryn clearly stood out as "the most famous Taylor in Norman," Julie noted.
She estimates that Kathryn has won at least 60 age-group gold medals in the 25-meter freestyle and backstroke races at the local and state-level Special Olympics. In fact, Kathryn's been undefeated for nearly 25 years, a run that was brought to a halt by the Covid-19 pandemic. Her track record is so good, she's been nicknamed 'The Dominator' by her family.
'They can’t keep up with me'
Kathryn seemed to have little sympathy for her siblings when it came to their athletic record. "I’m faster than everybody else. They can’t keep up with me," she mocked and called herself the best athlete in the family. Julie added, "Kathryn pretty much throws it in her brothers’ faces that she’s got a lot of gold medals. She’ll say, ‘I don’t see you guys with any gold medals.'" It's just another day in the Taylor household.
"It’s sad to say, but in our family, a little trash talk goes a long way. Kathryn can take it to the next level," Julie added. It led the Post to report, "In victory, she might tell him he needs to win another 59 Vince Lombardi trophies to match her. In defeat, she might ask him if he’d like to wear one of her gold medals until he wins one of his own." But at least Zac can now claim the title of "most famous Taylor" when he coaches the Bengals in front of around 100m viewers on February 13.
That said, unlike the rest of her family, Kathryn seems to be hoping the Bengals lose to the Rams. "She’s not a gracious winner at all," Julie noted, adding that Kathryn has promised “a whole lot of excitement” during the celebration.