Years active 2012-present Name Taylor Rooks | Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78m) | |
 | ||
Full Name Taylor Lynn Rooks Born May 22, 1992 (age 32) ( 1992-05-22 ) St Louis, Missouri Occupation Sportscaster, Journalist Education University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign Profiles | ||
Taylor Rooks Shows Off Her Basketball Skills | Shoot Your Shot
Timeout with Taylor Rooks: ESPN's Maria Taylor
Taylor Rooks (born May 22, 1992) is an American sports journalist and broadcaster. She currently appears on BTN Live, BTN Football Pregame, and Women's Sports Report for the Big Ten Network. Taylor was previously a football and basketball recruiting reporter for scout.com. She has an on air presence for major events, such as the NCAA Tournament and the Big Ten Football Championship.
Contents
- Taylor Rooks Shows Off Her Basketball Skills Shoot Your Shot
- Timeout with Taylor Rooks ESPNs Maria Taylor
- Early life and family
- Career
- References
Early life and family
Taylor attended Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwannee, Georgia, United States. She graduated in 2010.
Rooks decided to follow in her parent's footsteps by attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she majored in broadcast journalism. During her time at the University of Illinois, Rooks covered and broke national football/basketball recruiting stories while working with Scout.com. She appeared on CBS Sports Network reporting on the WBB Pre-NIT Championship at 19 years old. Throughout college, she interned with the PGA TOUR, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, and Fox Sports/Scout.com. She received numerous scholarships in her time in Champaign, and helped expand women's interest in broadcasting. Rooks modeled briefly, but turned her focus to sports journalism, She is 5'10 in height.
Taylor is the daughter of Thomas Rooks, top rushing leader for the Illinois Fighting Illini. She is the niece of St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer, Lou Brock, and the niece of former Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints NFL player, Marv Woodson. Taylor Rooks is not married, and has no kids .
Career
From August 2012 to May 2014, Taylor worked with scout.com covering Illinois football and basketball. She made national news with her stories and knowledge of the game - specifically in recruiting. Rooks broke multiple stories regarding Cliff Alexander, Jalen Brunson, Quentin Snider, Aaron Jordan, Charles Matthews, and Jayson Tatum.
In August 2014 -two months out of college- Taylor Rooks became an on-air host, reporter, and correspondent for the Big Ten Network. She appears nightly on the popular sports television show, BTN Live, alongside Dave Revsine, Mike Hall, and Rick Pizzo, and analysts such as Jim Jackson, Chuck Long, and Glen Mason. One of her many roles is to interact with fans and bring their social media topics onto the screen. Rooks regularly reports on Big Ten Games throughout the season, and travels frequently for television shows. She hosts the Women's Sports Report, alongside Lisa Byington, covering all women's sports in the Big Ten. She can be found on the Big Ten Network, and is a popular staple on social media sites, such as Twitter and Instagram.
