The newest FAU tradition arrived last month after being delayed by U.S. Customs.
The Taylor Victory Bell is 50 pounds of solid brass that was forged in India. Its purpose is to unify the FAU community and build more support for its athletic teams.
“I think it will help enhance the growing body of tradition,” said Paul Metcalf, the assistant director of alumni relations. “It’s symbolic of the energy and enthusiasm of student alumni and of the Athletics Department.”
The bell will be brought to various sporting events starting this fall, according to Michael Burdman, an alumni relations graduate assistant. After each game, coaches will pick a player to ring it.
Alumnus Robert “Crash” Taylor, who donated the bell, hopes that it will bring in students, faculty and staff who didn’t previously attend sporting events. It was named after him, but it was Burdman’s idea.
Burdman explained that after an “exciting” home basketball game against FAU rival Florida International University, he felt that the university needed something more.
“I decided that we need something special to crown our victories,” said Burdman.
He then tossed the idea around, and Taylor immediately got involved.
“I looked at training bells, thousands of bells,” said Taylor. “I found the biggest damn bell I could buy.”
The bell cost $900 without shipping or labor charges, said Taylor.
After being finished, it was put on a cargo ship and sent across the Atlantic. But once it reached American soil, it was stopped by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The company he bought the bell from had it shipped to a port they had never used before, according to Taylor. As a result, it was inspected four different times, including by the Department of Homeland Security. Because of the delays, FAU received the bell a month later than expected.
The UP inquired as to the nature of the inspections, but U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement never responded.
After the bell finally arrived, Taylor realized that it needed a support frame. He got his inspiration from the Liberty Bell postage stamp. After drawing up a design, he constructed a frame with neighbor Bob Weherald, who is also a member of FAU’s Owl Club.
After five coats of shellac and stain, Crash put the Taylor Victory Bell in the back of a pick-up truck and personally delivered it to the Boca campus.
If you want to see the Taylor Victory Bell for yourself, visit the second floor of the Marleen & Harold Forkas Alumni Center, located west of the Recreation Center on the Boca campus. The building’s hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
