Charley Taylor

Last updated

Charley Taylor
Charley Taylor, 49ers at Redskins 2019 (48933481837) (cropped).jpg
Taylor in 2019
No. 42
Position: Wide receiver,
Halfback
Personal information
Born:(1941-09-28)September 28, 1941
Grand Prairie, Texas, U.S.
Died:February 19, 2022(2022-02-19) (aged 80)
Ashburn, Virginia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school: Dalworth (Grand Prairie, Texas)
College: Arizona State
NFL Draft: 1964  / Round: 1 / Pick: 3
AFL Draft: 1964  / Round: 2 / Pick: 9
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
  • Washington Redskins (1981–1993)
    Wide receivers coach
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:649
Receiving yards:9,110
Yards per reception:14.0
Receiving touchdowns:79
Rushing yards:1,488
Rushing touchdowns:11
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

Charles Robert Taylor (September 28, 1941 – February 19, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver for 13 seasons with the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils, he was selected by Washington in the first round of the 1964 NFL Draft. With Taylor, the Redskins made the playoffs five times (1971–1974, 1976) and reached the Super Bowl once (VII), after the 1972 season. [1] A six-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowl selection, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1984.

Contents

Early life

Taylor was born in Grand Prairie, Texas. He was the second of seven children, including four girls and three boys. [2] Taylor was raised by his mother, Myrtle, and step father, James Stevenson. His mother was a domestic worker, chef, butcher and restaurant owner. His stepfather constructed parts for airplanes. [2]

Taylor began playing sports in junior high school, and was playing football, baseball, basketball, and running in track by the eighth grade. [2] He played high school football at Dalworth High School. [2] In track and field, he competed in high hurdles, discus, shot put, and long jump. Although Dalworth did not have a baseball team, he played in a summer league. He earned all-state honors in both track and football. [2]

College career

Taylor played college football at Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe as a halfback and defensive back. [3] [4] He was selected to the All-Western Athletic Conference team as a halfback. [3] Following his final season with the Sun Devils, Taylor played in the East-West Shrine Game, the Hula Bowl, and the All-American Bowl. [3] He also played in the College All-Star Game against the Chicago Bears in August 1964 and was named the most valuable player of the game. [5] [6] [7] [8] In his three seasons at ASU, Taylor gained 1,995 yards from scrimmage and averaged 5.7 yards per carry, while also scoring 25 touchdowns. [9]

Taylor also pitched and played third base for the Sun Devils baseball team. However, during baseball practice, he was hit on a knee by a line drive, which ended his baseball career. [2]

Taylor was inducted into the Arizona State Sports Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1975. [8]

Professional career

Taylor was selected by the Washington Redskins as the third overall pick of the 1964 NFL Draft. [3] He was also selected in the AFL draft, taken ninth by the Houston Oilers. [10] Taylor signed with Washington and won the UPI rookie of the year award as a running back, [11] and became the first NFL rookie in 20 years to finish in the top 10 in the league in both rushing (sixth with 755 yards) and receiving (eighth, 53 receptions for 814 yards). [3] The 53 catches were a then-record for running backs. [3]

Although known as a successful running back, Taylor was switched to wide receiver in 1966 and led the NFL in receiving in both 1966 and 1967. [3] He played that position for the rest of his career and had a record-tying seven seasons with 50 or more receptions. [3] In 1972, he scored two touchdowns in Washington's win over the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football Conference Championship Game, [12] advancing them to their first Super Bowl. [13] They lost in Super Bowl VII to the undefeated Miami Dolphins. [13] In the season finale in 1975, Taylor passed Don Maynard and became the NFL's all-time receptions leader with his 634th career catch on December 21 against the Philadelphia Eagles. [14] [15] Following Maynard's retirement in 1973, Taylor was the league's active leader in receiving yards for four seasons. He began 1974 with 7,470 yards, then 11th all-time, [16] and climbed up to 4th. [17]

Taylor retired following the 1977 season as the NFL's all-time leading receiver with 649 receptions, [18] for 9,110 yards and 79 touchdowns. [3] His career receptions record stood until 1984, when he was passed by Charlie Joiner. [19] With 1,488 yards rushing and some kick return yardage, Taylor totaled 10,803 combined net yards. Along with his 11 touchdowns rushing, Taylor scored 540 points in his career. [3] He was named first- or second-team All-Pro six times and was selected to eight Pro Bowls. [3]

Taylor was named to the NFL 1960s All-Decade Team. [12] He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1984, [3] and was selected as one of the 70 Greatest Redskins of all time. [20] In 1999, he was ranked number 85 on The Sporting News ' list of its 100 greatest football players. [21]

Coaching career

After retiring, Taylor was hired to work in the Redskins' front office with Bobby Mitchell as a scout. [2] He became their receivers coach in 1981, when Joe Gibbs became the head coach. [2] He served on the coaching staff through 1993 under Richie Petitbon, but was not retained by new head coach Norv Turner in March 1994, ending three decades with the franchise. [2] [22]

Personal life and death

Taylor and his wife Patricia married in 1965. The Taylors lived in Falcons Landing in Potomac Falls, Virginia. They had three children, Elizabeth, Erica, and Charles, Jr., and three grandchildren, Robyn, Jordyn, and Nathan. [2] He did speaking engagements and served as a consultant to the Commanders. [2]

Taylor died on February 19, 2022, in Northern Virginia, at the age of 80. [1] [23]

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References

  1. 1 2 Schudel, Matt (February 19, 2022). "Charley Taylor, Hall of Fame receiver for Washington, dies at 80". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Janis, Robert. "Whatever Happened To.... Charley Taylor". Capital News Services. Archived from the original on November 4, 2006. Retrieved June 20, 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Charley Taylor's HOF Profile". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  4. ↑ Smith, Connor (February 20, 2022). "Sun Devil Athletics Mourns Passing of Charley Taylor". Arizona State Sun Devil Athletics. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  5. ↑ Lea, Bud (August 8, 1964). "Bears rally for 28-17 win". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 2, part 2.
  6. ↑ McHugh, Roy (August 8, 1964). "Mira, Taylor real all-stars, Bears find". Pittsburgh Press. p. 6.
  7. ↑ "Chicago dumps All-Stars, 28-17". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. August 8, 1964. p. 1B.
  8. 1 2 "Arizona State Sun Devils - History". College Football History. Archived from the original on March 18, 2009. Retrieved June 20, 2008.
  9. ↑ "Report: ASU football legend, Hall of Fame WR Charley Taylor dies at 80". ArizonaSports.com. February 19, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Charley Taylor Stats". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  11. ↑ Ragsdale, W.B. Jr. (December 10, 1964). "Redskins' Charley Taylor selected 'rookie of year'". Gettysburg Times. Associated Press. p. 5.
  12. 1 2 Traub, Alex (February 20, 2022). "Charley Taylor, Running Back Turned Hall of Fame Receiver, Dies at 80". The New York Times. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  13. 1 2 Shapiro, Leonard (February 24, 2022). "Extraordinarily gifted and terribly modest, Charley Taylor made a difference in Washington". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  14. ↑ Seppy, Tom (December 22, 1975). "Turnovers topple Redskins". Free Lance-Star. Fredericksburg, Virginia. Associated Press. p. 10.
  15. ↑ "Washington Redskins: 1970s". Washington Redskins. Archived from the original on June 13, 2008. Retrieved June 20, 2008.
  16. ↑ "NFL Career Receiving Yards Leaders Through 1973". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  17. ↑ "NFL Career Receiving Yards Leaders Through 1977". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Charley Taylor retires". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Florida. Associated Press. June 2, 1978. p. 2F.
  19. ↑ Norcross, Don (November 26, 1984). "Not As Planned". Escondido Times-Advocate. p. C-1. Retrieved January 14, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ "History: 70 Greatest Redskins". Washington Redskins. Archived from the original on May 31, 2008. Retrieved June 20, 2008.
  21. ↑ "Football's 100 Greatest Players". The Sporting News. Archived from the original on June 1, 2008. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
  22. ↑ "Redskins fire Charley Taylor". New York Times. Associated Press. March 2, 1994. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  23. ↑ Alper, Josh (February 19, 2022). "Charley Taylor dies at 80". profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Universal. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
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