June 30, 2010
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech football standout Cooper Taylor, who missed the final 11 games of the 2009 season after being diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, was approved for a medical hardship by the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Taylor, who played a significant role in the Yellow Jacket secondary as a true freshman in 2008 and started the first three games of Tech’s ACC championship season in 2009, is now listed as a redshirt-sophomore and has three years of eligibility remaining.
“I am very happy and thankful to get back a year of eligibility,” Taylor said. “I appreciate all the work done by our medical staff to get me back healthy again, and by our compliance staff for their work during the appeal process.”
Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome is a condition in which the heart beats rapidly because of abnormal, extra electrical pathways between the heart’s upper and lower chambers, according to mayoclinic.org.
Taylor made an immediate impact for head coach Paul Johnson’s first Yellow Jacket team in 2008 when he played in all 13 games and started three times. In the 2008 home game against Florida State, Taylor recorded an interception and recovered a fumble in the end zone that secured a win over the Seminoles. Last season, Taylor started the first three games of the season, including a Sept. 10 win over Clemson in which he had eight tackles and had an interception.
Midway through the Sept. 17 game at Miami, Taylor came out of the game with a rapid heart beat. He was eventually diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome and sat out the remainder of the season. Taylor did participate in spring practices earlier this year.
