Aaron Taylor ‘94 (football) is the 2025 recipient of the Monogram Club’s Edward “Moose” Krause Distinguished Service Award. The award, which was first presented in 1979, is the highest honor the Monogram Club can bestow upon one of its members. The Monogram Club presented Taylor with the award during last weekend’s Blue-Gold Game festivities.
Moose Krause Distinguished Service Award recipients, which are selected by the Monogram Club’s board of directors, have notable achievements in the following areas:
- Exemplary performance in local, state or national government
- Outstanding dedication to the spirit and ideals of Notre Dame
- Demonstrated responsibility to and concern for their respective communities
- Extraordinary commitment and involvement with youth
Taylor, an All-America offensive lineman at Notre Dame and Super Bowl champion with the Green Bay Packers, has a long history of positively impacting others. He recently launched “Mind Flex with Aaron Taylor”, a solutions-oriented micro-podcast designed to help student-athletes and young adults build resilience and confidence—both on and off the field. He is also the founder of Elite Mentals, which promotes open conversations around mental health in the Black and Brown community. Earlier in his career, he established the Aaron Taylor IMPACT Fund, a donor-advised endowment aimed at bridging the gap between those who have and those who need.
In addition, Taylor serves as a mentor to student-athletes at every level—high school, college, professional and post-professional—through his work with the AthLife Foundation. He also partners with RADical Hope, an organization dedicated to improving the lives and futures of young adults by strengthening connections and building resilience. Taylor’s commitment to service has taken him across the globe. In 2005, he funded a post-tsunami recovery project in Sri Lanka that built a community center and 40 temporary homes in the village of Kosgoda. He has also volunteered with Teaching and Projects Abroad (TAPA), leading English instruction and service projects for high school students in South America.
“On behalf of the Monogram Club, I’m extremely honored to present Aaron Taylor with the Moose Krause Distinguished Service Award,” Monogram Club President Jeff Faine ‘03 (football) said. “Aaron is a great representative of the University of Notre Dame, its football program and the Monogram Club because of his commitment to try and make the world a better place. He cares about others and that is evident with the work he has done in his local community and around the globe. I am proud to be in the same Notre Dame offensive line fraternity as Aaron because he set the standard both on and off the field.”
In 2015, Taylor established the Joe Moore Foundation for Teamwork, which strives to bring the spirit of collective achievement not only to sports, but also to schools, organizations, businesses and communities. The Joe Moore Award, which is named in honor of Taylor’s offensive line coach at Notre Dame, is presented annually to college football’s best offensive line unit. The award promotes the value of teamwork and recognizes the collective achievement over the individual.
Taylor, a team captain and two-time consensus All-American, helped the Fighting Irish post a 40-8-1 record from 1990-93. He was the 1993 recipient of the Lombardi Award, which goes to college football’s top lineman. Taylor was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2021.
Taylor graduated from Notre Dame’s College of Arts and Letters in 1994 with a degree in sociology. The Green Bay Packers selected Taylor in the first round of the 1994 NFL Draft. He spent six seasons in the NFL and was a starter on the Packers team that won Super Bowl XXXI. He currently works as a football analyst for CBS Sports. In 2007, Taylor received the Harvey G. Foster Award from the Notre Dame Alumni Association for his distinguished civic service.
“Moose Krause stood for excellence, integrity and impact—three things I’ve tried to model my life after,” Taylor said. “Receiving an award in his name isn’t just an honor—it’s a call to keep going. Notre Dame taught me that success means nothing if it’s not used in service of others, and I’ve tried to live that lesson ever since. To be recognized by the place that helped shape who I am is deeply humbling—especially since I’ve still got a little making up to do for some of those late nights at the ’Backer.”
The Moose Krause Distinguished Service Award is named in honor of Notre Dame athletics legend Edward “Moose” Krause ‘34, a three-sport Monogram winner in the early 1930s who earned All-America honors in football and basketball while also competing in track and field. He later served as an assistant football coach and assistant and head basketball coach at Notre Dame before becoming one of the nation’s most respected athletic directors, serving in that role at his alma mater from 1949-82.
Click here for the list of Moose Krause Distinguished Service Award recipients.
Read Aaron Taylor’s Strong of Heart Profile from 2015
