Silent Night: Taylor University's Tradition Like No Other | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

In the realm of college sports, tradition is everything.

From the Ohio State marching band doing "Ohio" in script to the cadets marching in prior to the Army/Navy game, traditions abound throughout college athletics.

Taylor University, a small NAIA school in Upland, Ind., has a tradition like no other. It's a tradition that has been gaining national notoriety over the last few years.

Known as Silent Night, Taylor students, faculty, staff and alumni assemble on the last Friday of the Fall Semester to let off a little steam before finals and root on their men's basketball team - well, not so much at first.

"The first time I witnessed it, it was so cool," said junior Erin Guarneri. "There's a lot of anticipation leading up to it."

Leading up to what?

The tradition began in the early 90s, when head coach Paul Patterson took the suggestion of an assistant, blending basketball, the anxieties of finals and the joy of Christmas.

Students come in dressed in mostly pajamas, but many take it one step further and don a costume. From Waldo, to Trojans to two guys in gorilla costumes chasing around another guy in a banana costume, Taylor students come all decked out for a 20-year tradition that the Trojans have never lost.

"As you walk in, you see there is no place to stand," said freshman Drew Flatford. "The place was packed. The costumes were crazy."

As warm ups finish, so does virtually all the noise as the tradition calls for silence through player introductions and the start of the game. The only thing is, the gym stays silent until Taylor scores its 10th point.

This year, and for the two previous years, the 10th point came at the hands of the same player, junior Casey Coons. And, all three years, the 10th point came the same way.

"You have no idea that it's going to be you," Coons said. "You just go out there and try to execute and get to the 10th point as quick as possible" (see link 'notoriety' for source).

Here's the situation. The Trojans are up 7-3 on Ohio Mid-western College and Coons fires off a 3-pointer, only to be fouled.

As the gym anticipates the 10th point, they know that Coons has stepped to the line in the previous two Silent-Night games in an effort to get the 10th point. Three free throws later, the gym erupts.

"Everyone starts moving around getting fidgety," Guarneri said of Coons stepping to the free-throw line. "We get into position and as soon as the free throw is good, everyone goes crazy."

"It would be nice to get the 10th point on a (regular) shot, but we'll take (points) any way we can get them," Coons said. "There's always next year."

For Flatford, who's attended multiple big-time college and pro events, the atmosphere there pales in comparison to what he experienced at Taylor.

"It's one of the most electrifying places I've ever been at," he said. "This is the kind of atmosphere you love to be in."

It is worth noting that Ohio Mid-Western went down and scored a bucket right after the Taylor students celebrated the 10th point.

"I don't think anyone noticed the other team score," Flatford said. "I don't think anyone cared, either."

In the end, Taylor won, 71-47, keeping its undefeated mark in Silent-Night games.

Ultimately, what the students are most proud of is the fact that their small university in the middle of Indiana is getting positive attention from major news outlets at a time where a few major colleges and universities are in the media spotlight for negative reasons.

"We're just a small university in a small town that has a lot to offer," Guarneri said.

And, for one Friday night every December, the offering is one of solidarity, unity and a lot of craziness on the side.

Chris Stephens is a Correspondent for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

Note: For more information on the tradition, visit