Taylor brings Mustang Tradition to Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears

RJ Taylor, a former Malta Mustangs football standout, has been starting at left cornerback for the Rocky Mountain College Battlin’ Bears.

“My favorite part about playing for Malta, was just Malta’s tradition,”said Taylor, who is a 2010 graduate of Malta High. “Sports are what everybody lives for over there, so just being a part of any sport program that says Malta Mustangs is a pretty big deal.”

He was only a freshmen at Malta High when they brought home the 2006 State B Championship.

“I was the only freshmen on the team it was pretty cool,” said Taylor, who also played basketball for Malta.

The pride he once had in being a Mustang has helped develop the Battlin’ Bears, who before were just a doormat in NAIA.

“When I first got to the program, it didn’t have a great reputation as far as a winning program,” Taylor said. “We were one of the teams in the conference, where it was almost a bye week for other teams.”

Now Taylor feels, that RMC has made strides and now is considered one of the better teams in the conference.

“Teams look forward to facing us, not because they’re going to get a win, but because they are going to have to rise to the occasion to beat us,” Taylor said. “We’re onto the next level now.”

Taylor came to Rocky Mountain College to do what most graduating athletes could only dream of doing, continue to play.

“I wasn’t totally sure at first, but I figured I wanted to try to keep playing sports after high school because I knew I might not get that opportunity again,” said Taylor. “I figured I might as well give it a try.”

Upon joining RMC, Taylor received a partial scholarship for joining the program.

Like his mother Darla Niebur, Taylor plans on one day owning a business, so Taylor is currently working on his business degree, though he has no idea what business he will open.

“Still trying to figure that out,” he said.

“I don’t necessarily have a dream business, but I think it would be cool to own my own business, whatever that might be someday.”

Taylor has had two interceptions this season, one fumble recovery and 15 tackles. One of the aforementioned interceptions he took back for a touchdown, his first of his college career.

“We were playing Dickinson at Dickinson for the first game of the year, and I broke on a hitch 15 yards out and made a break on the ball and ran it in for a score,” he said.

They won the game 40-21.

If he can keep making plays for the team, it will help the 5-3 team make playoffs.

With the team currently in fourth place in the Frontier Conference, they will have to play hard in their final three games and be voted in the hard way, via a selection committee.

“16 teams end up making the playoffs, so after that it depends on the rankings,” Taylor said.

With over fifty teams in the NAIA, the Battlin’ Bears face an uphill battle, a battle they won last year, earning a spot.

Their loss in the first round was to Morningside (Iowa), who is ranked number one in NAIA football this year.

If RMC makes the playoffs this year, Taylor believes, the team has made strides to improve and go even deeper into the playoffs.

“Coming off of last season, we’ve had high hopes for this season and I think we were overrated at first because of the flash of success, but we were humbled a bit, having a couple of tough losses to Carroll and Eastern Oregon,” Taylor said.

After college ball, Taylor believes his career of playing is over, due to how good the professional players are.

“Realistically, I don’t think I have the size to do anything like that, or the speed to play at that level,” said Taylor who stands at 5’10” and 185 pounds. “I’ve accepted that. I look forward to getting my degree and seeing what else life has for me.”

Looking back on his career as a Battlin’ Bear, Taylor has learned a new appreciation for the football program.

“I’m that much more invested in what it’s all about,” He said. “Every year I’m just more invested in relationships that I’ve built with the people that have stuck it out as long as I have and have sacrificed just as much.”

Taylor admits he is super competitive, which is the greatest attribute you can have as an athlete.

“(Throughout my career) I’ve been a very competitive person, wanting to beat the guys lined up in front of me,” he said. “Whether it be sports or a board game, I hate to lose and I’ll do anything to win.”

Games can be seen online at http://www.rocky.edu/athletics