Elana Meyers Taylor family tree: Meet former NFL player dad, sons, husband and more from Georgia roots

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• Elana Meyers Taylor dad: Eddie Meyers
• Elana Meyers Taylor husband: Nic Taylor
• Does Elana Meyers Taylor have kids?
• Elana Meyers Taylor children
• Elana Meyers Taylor ethnicity
• Where is Elana Meyers Taylor from?

Bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor has been a staple of the Winter Olympics for well over a decade, representing the United States five times. 

From her debut in 2010 to her fifth appearance in 2026, Meyers Taylor has seen it all. She medaled in each of her first four Olympic appearances, including silver in three different games, and earned her way back to the world's biggest stage after her 40th birthday to remarkably win her first gold medal.

As it turns out, Meyers Taylor isn't the first high-level athlete in her family.

Here's what you need to know about Meyers Taylor's family, including her NFL father.

MORE 2026 OLYMPICS: Live medal tracker | Viewer's guide | Day-by-day schedule

Elana Meyers Taylor dad: Eddie Meyers

Elana Meyers Taylor's father, Eddie Meyers, was a standout running back at Navy from 1978-81. Meyers rushed for 1,318 yards and eight touchdowns in 1981, leading the team in scrimmage yards for three consecutive seasons.

As of 2015, Meyers was the regional president for Georgia at PNC Bank. He told the Baltimore Sun that his goal was to get into banking after the military, and he said the job "gives me thrills."

MORE: How Elana Meyers Taylor finally broke through for gold

Who did Eddie Meyers play for?

Meyers signed with the Atlanta Falcons after graduating from the Naval Academy, as teams were wary about drafting him due to his mandatory five-year military commitment. Despite attempts to convince the military to let him play in the NFL, Meyers had to return to his military duties attending training camp with the Falcons each year from 1982-86. 

In 1986, Meyers told the Los Angeles Times that he considered taking drugs or having an affair just to get kicked out of the Naval Academy, clearing a path to the NFL. He decided against those drastic measures and continued to return to his military commitment each fall after graduating.

Did Eddie Meyers play in the NFL?

Meyers ultimately did not appear in a regular season NFL game, but he did get a chance to make the Falcons' roster once he was finally discharged in 1987. Meyers suffered an injury during the preseason and was released before Week 1.

"I had my cup of coffee with Atlanta and scored two touchdowns before I got turf toe," Meyers told the Baltimore Sun in 2015, adding that his struggle to reach the NFL is now "water under the bridge."

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Elana Meyers Taylor husband: Nic Taylor

Elana Meyers Taylor is married to fellow bobsledder Nic Taylor, whom she met through the sport.

Nic proposed to her at the World Championships podium in 2013. Naturally, their wedding featured bobsledding-themed vows. 

"It was a lot of bobsled and training innuendos," Elana's teammate Jazmine Fenlator told NBC Sports in 2014. "You know, I'll stand with you whenever you're gluten-free and dairy-free, which is the nutrition plan when we're in season."

Nic was born in Colorado but grew up in Hayward, California and attended Arizona State University. While he was never an Olympian, Taylor competed in events such as the North American Cup as part of two-man and four-man teams.

Now, Nic is a conditioning coach who serves as a chiropractor for NBA players.

MORE: Youngest and oldest Winter Olympians on Team USA

How did Elana Meyers Taylor meet her husband?

Elana and Nic first started dating in 2011, after they met by chance. Nic, who was just getting into bobsledding, was looking for certain paperwork and needed to call the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation. Elana, an intern at the time, answered the phone, and the two talked much longer than either of them anticipated.

Nic later said he knew he wanted to marry Elana "the first time I talked to her," and the two hit it off once they finally did meet in-person.

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Does Elana Meyers Taylor have kids?

Elana Meyers Taylor has two sons, born in 2020 and 2022. Even as she continues to train for the Olympics, she frequently takes both on the road with her.

"My boys travel with me as much as possible," Meyers Taylor told NBC Sports. "All season long, six months on the road, they're with me."

Here's more to know about Meyers Taylor's children.

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Elana Meyers Taylor children

Elana Meyers Taylor has two sons: Nico, who was born in 2020, and Noah, who was born in 2022.

Meyers Taylor told NBC Sports that her sons are her inspiration in the 2026 Winter Olympics, as she already believes she has proven all she can to both herself and fans. "I want my children to know that people told their mom that it can't happen and then she went for it anyways," she said.

Are Elana Meyers Taylor's children deaf?

Meyers' oldest son, Nico, has Down syndrome and is deaf due to a condition unrelated to Down syndrome. Her youngest son, Noah, is also deaf.

Meyers Taylor has taken on a new role as a disability advocate since becoming a mother. "I think the biggest problem we have in this society is that we don't value those who aren't able to achieve as much," she told NBC Sports. "I'm a full proponent of everyone having value regardless of what they achieve, and I think that's a message that needs to be spread."

Meyers Taylor and her husband learned American Sign Language after Nico was born, and the two now use it at home to communicate with their sons. 

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Elana Meyers Taylor mom: Janet Meyers

While not much is known about Meyers Taylor's mother, Janet, she was one of the reasons the now five-time Olympian took up bobsledding.

Meyers Taylor was originally a dedicated softball player, but Janet and Meyers Taylor's father, Eddie, suggested bobsledding when softball began to fade as a long-term option.

Does Elana Meyers Taylor have any siblings?

Meyers Taylor has two sisters named Elise and Erica. She is the middle child of the three.

In 2017, Meyers Taylor posted a photo of herself with her sisters for National Sisters Day:

Elana Meyers Taylor ethnicity

Elana Meyers Taylor is of African-American descent, as her father, Eddie, is Black. 

Meyers Taylor has not shied away from the history she has made as a Black woman at the Winter Olympics. She is the most decorated Black athlete in Winter Olympics history with six medals, and she told Olympics.com in 2022 that she was only in that position because of other Black athletes who came before her.

In 2020, Meyers Taylor described instances of racism she faced during her bobsledding career, alleging that an opposing coach made "several racist statements" about her and accusing a sled manufacturer of refusing to sell sleds to Black athletes.

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Where is Elana Meyers Taylor from?

Meyers Taylor was born in Oceanside, California, a suburb of San Diego, but she grew up in Douglasville, Georgia.

Despite limited connections to the area, Meyers Taylor attended George Washington University in Washington D.C. to play softball. Now, she lives in New Braunfels, Texas, northwest of San Antonio.