University of Michigan
Born in Hoxie, Arkansas, Taylor spent his early years in Memphis, Tennessee until his father's death in 1954 when Taylor was five years old. His mother moved the family to Barberton, Ohio. After graduating from high school, Taylor attended the University of Michigan where he became one of the most accomplished football players in school history. He was an All-Big Ten selection three times and a first team All-Big Ten selection two times (1969 and 1970). [1] [2]
Taylor broke the Michigan career rushing record with 3,072 yards in three seasons. His record was broken six years later by Rob Lytle. [3]
His 587 carries was also a school record at the time he graduated. He finished his U-M career second to Tom Harmon with 32 career touchdowns and 194 points. He also set the school record in average rushing yards per game at 102 yards per game. [1] He rushed for 1,297 yards in his senior season (1971) and was selected as the team MVP. [1] In the last two minutes of the 1971 Michigan-Ohio State game, Michigan was trailing, 7-3, when Bo Schembechler called Taylor's number. Taylor ran around the end and into the end zone, and Michigan won to cap an undefeated regular season. "It was every kid's dream," says Taylor, remembering what it was like to score the winning touchdown. [4] During Taylor's years they had excellent offensive linemen such as Dan Dierdorf, Reggie McKenzie, and Jim Mandich. Taylor was also named the Most Valuable Player of the 1971 Michigan football team that went undefeated in the regular season (but lost 13-12 to Stanford in the 1972 Rose Bowl game). The team was ranked in the top 5 all season and had four All-Americans. [5]
Although Taylor played in 33 games at Michigan he only carried the ball in 30 of them. His 3072 yards in 30 games gives him a 102.3 yards/game average which was a Michigan average until Mike Hart established a new standard in his career ending in 2007. [6]
In 1969, Taylor rushed for 225 yards against the University of Iowa. [7] At that time, Ron Johnson was the only Michigan player who had rushed for more yards in a game.
Downward spiral and substance abuse
On January 4, 1972, just a few days after Taylor's final game as a Wolverine, his mother died. "After my mother died I didn't want to play anymore" says Taylor. He played in a post-season game at Coach Schembechler's encouragement. O. J. Simpson, who was broadcasting the game, told Taylor to call home. When Taylor called home he discovered that his uncle had killed his aunt and then himself. Late that same summer, his girlfriend, Valerie, was stabbed to death outside a roller rink in Detroit. Taylor wrote in his autobiography that football injuries and deaths of close family members sent him on "a long downward spiral of depression, drinking, drugs and encounters with the law."
Taylor was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the fifth round of the 1972 NFL Draft, [8] [9] but he had a poor training camp with the Falcons. He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, put on injured reserve, and finally cut. Taylor played the 1972 season with the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League, getting into two games and totaling 62 yards rushing on seven carries, three receptions for 27 yards and three kickoff returns for 59 yards. [10] [11] After brief trials in 1974 with Chicago and Memphis of the World Football League (getting into one game, rushing once for two yards), Taylor's football career was over.
Taylor went into a downward spiral ("I self-medicated" he later said) that lasted 25 years. He managed to get his master's degree in education, get married and have three children, but the ex-football star suffered from depression, divorced his wife, became isolated from his children, and eventually became homeless. Taylor hit a low when he was convicted for having knowledge of a bank robbery and spent 2½ years in a federal penitentiary; after his release, he became an addict living on the streets of Detroit, cut off from friends and family.
Rehabilitation
In August 1997, Taylor reports he had an experience with God. "It was August 17, 1997. It was 5 a.m. I was sitting in front of an abandoned apartment building at the corner of Lakewood and Jefferson. I was drinking vodka and Black Label beer. I heard a voice. The voice said, 'William Taylor, come forth.' I heard it as clear as we're talking now. It scared me to death. I jumped straight up in the air. I started cursing and looking for the person who had scared the daylights out of me. ... It was God. I don't want to offend anyone, but that's my testimony." [4]
He stopped drinking and taking drugs that day and published a book about his experience called "Get Back Up: The Billy Taylor Story." In 2003, Taylor received an Ed.D. degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He has held several positions at the Community College of Southern Nevada. Most recently, Taylor was the Director of Rehabilitation Services for the Salvation Army Southeast Michigan working in Detroit and Pontiac, Michigan.
Harold E. "Butch" Woolfolk is an American former professional football player who was a running back and kick returner in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines (1978–1981) before playing in the NFL for the New York Giants (1982–1984), Houston Oilers (1985–1986) and Detroit Lions (1987–1988). Woolfolk attended Westfield Senior High School in Westfield, New Jersey. Woolfolk led Michigan in rushing three straight years and set the school record with 3,850 rushing yards while playing for the Wolverines from 1978 to 1981. As a sophomore in 1979, he was the Big Ten Conference scoring champion, and he went on to become a three-time first-team All-Big Ten selection. He had his best season as a senior at Michigan, winning the 1981 Big Ten rushing title and falling just 10 yards short of Rob Lytle's single-season rushing yards record. He was also selected in 1981 as the Most Valuable Player of both the Rose Bowl played January 1, 1981, and the Bluebonnet Bowl played December 31, 1981, as well as the Wolverines' team MVP for the season.
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The 1969 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1969 Big Ten Conference football season. In their first year under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines compiled an 8–3 record, played in the 1970 Rose Bowl, and finished the season ranked No. 9 in the final AP poll and No. 8 in the final UPI poll.
The 1976 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1976 Big Ten Conference football season. In their eighth year under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines finished the season with a 10–2 record, won the Big Ten Conference championship, and played in the 1977 Rose Bowl. The Wolverines outscored their opponents 432 to 95 and ranked first in the country in total offense, scoring offense, and scoring defense. In the final AP and UPI Polls, Michigan was ranked #3.
The 1972 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1972 Big Ten Conference football season. In their fourth season under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines compiled a 10–1 record, outscored opponents 264–57, and were ranked sixth in both final polls. Offensive guard Tom Coyle and defensive back Randy Logan were the team captains.
The 1971 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1971 Big Ten Conference football season. In their third season under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines compiled an 11–1 record, outscored opponents 421 to 83, won the Big Ten Conference championship, and were ranked No. 4 in the final UPI Poll and No. 6 in the final AP Poll. Defensive back Frank Gusich and center Guy Murdock were the team captains.
The 1970 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1970 Big Ten Conference football season. In their second season under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines compiled a 9–1 record, tied for second place in the conference, and outscored opponents by a total of 288 to 90. Michigan's victories included intersectional contests with Arizona (20–9), Washington (17–3), and Texas A&M (14–10). The team won its first nine games before losing to rival Ohio State and was ranked No. 7 in the final UPI Poll and No. 9 in the final AP Poll
Don Moorhead is a former Canadian Football League quarterback. He was the starting quarterback for the BC Lions from 1971 to 1975 and for the Michigan Wolverines football team in 1969 and 1970. He set 24 football records at the University of Michigan, including most yards of total offense and most yards passing.
Robert N. M. "Blade" Thornbladh is a former American football player, coach and radio color commentator. He played for the Michigan Wolverines football team from 1971 to 1973 and was an assistant coach at Michigan from 1980 to 1986. He later served as the color commentator for Michigan football broadcasts on WJR radio.
Chuck Heater is an American football coach and former player. He was a running back for the University of Michigan from 1972 to 1974 and finished his playing career as the fifth all-time leading rusher in Michigan Wolverines football history. Heater has been an assistant football coach at ten universities since 1976. He has been affiliated with College Football Hall of Fame coaches Bo Schembechler, Earle Bruce, and Lou Holtz. He has been on coaching staffs of national championship teams at Notre Dame (1988) and Florida.
Michael A. Taylor is a former American football player. He played at the quarterback position for the University of Michigan from 1986 to 1989, the final four years of Bo Schembechler's tenure as the school's head football coach. He was Michigan's starting quarterback in 1988 and 1989 and led the Wolverines to Big Ten Conference championships both years. He finished his career at Michigan as the school's all-time leader in passing efficiency.
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The 1971 Big Ten Conference football season was the 76th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1971 NCAA University Division football season.
