Dexter Taylor was named assistant director of strength and conditioning at Harvard in August 2022, after a stint at fellow Ivy League member Brown.
In his role with the Crimson, Taylor develops, administers, and implements strength and conditioning programs for the women’s lacrosse, track and field (throwers), men’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s water polo, and women’s tennis teams. Taylor also assists strength and conditioning efforts with the Harvard football program.
Prior to arriving in Cambridge, Taylor worked as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Brown from December 2019-July 2022. While in Providence, Rhode Island, Taylor spearheaded the training programs for five teams (baseball, women’s lacrosse, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s tennis), was heavily involved in every phase with Brown football and assisted with men’s basketball.
Taylor’s appointment at Harvard was a homecoming of sorts as he began his career in the Commonwealth at Smith College. While in Northampton, he served as Smith’s assistant sport performance coach, developing training programs for track and field, basketball, lacrosse, softball and tennis.
A former four-year wide receiver at Bemidji State, Taylor got his first experience in the field as an intern at Bemidji, working with men’s and women’s ice hockey before earning his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology. Taylor later attended Smith College and obtained his master’s degree in exercise science & sport studies in 2020. While at Smith, Taylor was an intern with the strength staff at UMass, assisting with both basketball programs.
Taylor has earned certifications from the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCa) as a Strength and Conditioning Coach Certified (SCCC) along with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS).
