April 18, 2022
HARRIMAN, Tenn. – As the fiftieth year of Roane State athletics nears its end, the college’s athletics department will be holding an awards event and fundraiser featuring Shea Taylor as the keynote speaker. The event is scheduled for this Thursday night, April 21, at 6:30 p.m. in the O’Brien Theatre on the Harriman Campus. The public is encouraged to attend.
Shea Taylor was born in Eastern Kentucky and was one of six boys raised on a dairy farm, where Taylor says he learned the value of hard work and what it takes be a survivor.
Leaning on those early lessons, he says “That was God’s way of preparing me for what was to come.”
The first of his family to go to college, Taylor was an aspiring baseball player when his athletics career was suddenly cut short when he was struck by a van while riding his motorcycle. In five months, he underwent 12 surgeries and invasive procedures on his drastically injured lower left leg.
“The leg was nowhere near as active as it had been before,” Taylor told MMAjunkie.com. “I did some research and noticed amputees did some pretty cool stuff.”
So, Taylor opted to have his damaged leg removed, which required him to reinvent himself but ultimately provided a platform the help inspire, impact and influence others. “God has blessed me with a powerful testimony that thrills me to share with others.”
Since then, Taylor has become a Top 5 Adaptive Golfer, became the first (and only) amputee licensed to compete in MMA with a prosthetic, and was titled the 2021 Mr. Health and Fitness (a muscle and fitness magazine).
Roane State Athletics Director David Lane said, “We are excited to host Shea who has so much to offer our student-athletes. He was a pinnacle in his athletics career before being tragically struck down. How he has overcome his adversity is something that can be truly inspirational to everyone.”
In addition to Taylor’s keynote presentation, many Raiders coaches, teams and individual players will be recognized for their accomplishments throughout the evening.
Alumni and the public are encouraged to attend the evening event that will re-cap the past 50 years of Raiders and Lady Raiders athletics, as well as open the door for the next 50 years of academic and athletic successes.
Roane State Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, ethnicity or national origin, sex, disability, age, status as protected veteran or any other class protected by Federal or State laws and regulation and by Tennessee board of Regents policies with respect to employment, programs, and activities. View full non-discrimination policy.
