Bucky Taylor

Mesquite High School Athletic Trainer

During a distinguished 36-year career as athletic trainer at Mesquite High School, Bucky Taylor played a pivotal role in advancing student-athlete health and safety while supporting generations of Skeeters through championships, near-title runs, and countless athletic achievements. Among his most significant contributions was helping establish Mesquite ISD as a national leader in concussion management. In 2009, Taylor authored the district’s groundbreaking “return-to-play” policy, the first concussion protocol adopted by a school district in the nation. The policy set a new standard for student-athlete safety and helped shape concussion management practices across Texas and the United States. His dedication to athlete protection was highlighted in a two-hour concussion safety program that aired prior to Super Bowl XLIV in 2010.

Taylor later co-authored Texas House Bill 2038, known as Natasha’s Law, with fellow athletic trainer Dennis Hart. The legislation established statewide standards of care for secondary school athletes who suffer sports-related concussions. The pair also helped develop and implement Mesquite ISD’s student-athlete drug testing policy. His professional honors include being named Texas High School Trainer of the Year by the Texas High School Coaches Association for the 1999–2000 school year, receiving the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award in 2000, and induction into the Southwest Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame in 2001.