Syracuse Crunch Mourn the Passing of Sports Public Relations Pioneer Alan Taylor
AHL Syracuse Crunch

Syracuse Crunch Mourn the Passing of Sports Public Relations Pioneer Alan Taylor

Published on February 25, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Syracuse Crunch mourn longtime sports public relations executive, Syracuse Crunch General Partner and Syracuse Hockey Hall of Famer Alan Taylor, who passed away on Friday at the age of 89.

Taylor was born in New York City on August 5, 1936 and was raised by maternal grandparents in Florida. He earned a journalism B.A. at the University of Miami in 1958 and began his professional career as a copyboy and cub reporter at The Miami Herald. Taylor would go on to be a pioneer in the sports public relations industry.

During his award-winning career, Taylor worked closely with some of the most iconic athletes. In 1964, he managed PR for the Heavyweight Boxing Championship fight in Miami Beach when the 22-year-old Cassius Clay, soon to be Muhammad Ali, won his first title. This marked the beginning of Taylor's relationship with Ali, which grew over decades and included featuring the boxer onto a Wheaties box in 1999. During his time as public relations director for the New York Sets and New York Apples in the mid-1970s, Taylor cultivated a lasting relationship with Billie Jean King in the early days of World Team Tennis.

Taylor continued to build his legacy when he founded Alan Taylor Communications in 1984 with partner and current Syracuse Crunch Owner Howard Dolgon. The firm, located in Manhattan, was one of the first sports public relations agencies and was at the forefront of cultivating event sponsorships. Throughout his glorious career, Taylor worked with prominent Fortune 500 companies, like MasterCard, NASCAR, General Mills and Gillette, in their numerous sports sponsorship programs. Taylor remained active with the firm until 2004, after which the agency became Taylor.

Taylor retired to Florida where he continued to work as a consultant and a mentor for Florida Atlantic University's Sports Management program.

In addition to his PR success, Taylor played a key behind-the-scenes role in the creation of the Syracuse Crunch and remained one of the team's General Partners since the team's inception in 1994. Taylor was enshrined in the Syracuse Hockey Hall of Fame as a member of the Inaugural Class in November 2024 for his outstanding contributions to hockey in Syracuse.

Taylor is survived by his wife of 64 years, Claire, son Stephen, daughter Ginger and four grandchildren.

Check out the Syracuse Crunch Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Hockey League Stories from February 25, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central