Jim Taylor (American football)

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Jim Taylor
refer to caption
Taylor in 1967
No. 31
Position: Fullback
Personal information
Date of birth: (1935-09-20) September 20, 1935 (age 88)
Place of birth: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
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Career information
College: LSU
NFL draft: 1958 / Round: 2 / Pick: 15
Career history
Career highlights and awards
NCAA

NFL

Career NFL statistics
Rushing Yards: 8,597
Average: 4.4
Touchdowns: 83
Player stats at NFL.com

James Charles "Jim" Taylor (born September 20, 1935) is a former American football fullback. He played professional in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons, with the Green Bay Packers from 1958 to 1966 and with the expansion New Orleans Saints in 1967. Taylor played college football at Louisiana State University (LSU), and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1976.[1]

High school and college career

Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Taylor was a star athlete at Baton Rouge High School. He stayed in town and played college football at LSU and was an All-American in 1957. He scored 20 rushing touchdowns over his college career. His final game at LSU was a 25-6 victory over Tulane, which was the start of a 22-game unbeaten streak for the Tigers.

Professional career

Green Bay Packers

Taylor was selected by the Packers in the second round of the 1958 NFL draft, the 15th overall pick.[2] That draft for the Packers included Dan Currie (3rd), Ray Nitschke (36th), and Jerry Kramer (39th), but the 1958 team finished with the worst record in the league, which prompted the firing of first-year head coach Scooter McLean, replaced by Vince Lombardi in January 1959.

Taylor holds many Packers' records, including both career and single-season touchdowns. He was the Packers' all-time leading rusher until Ahman Green broke his record on November 8, 2009. Taylor won the NFL rushing title in 1962, the only season that Jim Brown did not lead the league during his nine-year career. His single-season yardage mark (1474) was not surpassed by a Packer until Green ran for 1883 yards in 2003 (a 16-game season, as opposed to the 14-game 1962 season). At retirement, Taylor's 83 career rushing touchdowns placed him behind only Brown.

Taylor was a member of four Packer NFL championship teams (1961, 1962, 1965, and 1966), where he was teamed in the backfield with halfback Paul Hornung. In the Packers 16-7 championship win over the New York Giants in 1962, Taylor set a championship record with 31 carries (for 85 yards) and scored Green Bay's only touchdown of the game. In Green Bay's 1965 championship win, he rushed for 97 yards. In January 1967, Taylor and the Packers played in Super Bowl I in Los Angeles, in which they easily defeated the Kansas City Chiefs. Taylor was the top rusher of the game with 56 rushing yards and a touchdown (with his score being the first rushing touchdown in Super Bowl history); it was his last game as a Packer.

Although not exceptional in size (6 ft 0 in (1.83 m), 215 lb (98 kg)), Taylor was a physical fullback who often won legendary duels with linebacker Sam Huff.[3][4] Taylor was selected to five consecutive Pro Bowls from 1960-64. He fumbled only 34 times in the 2,173 times he handled the ball (1.56% of his touches.)

Taylor was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001.

New Orleans Saints

During his ninth season in 1966, Taylor did not sign a new one-year contract and played out his option; he made no secret that it was likely his last as a Packer.[5][6][7] In July 1967, Taylor left the Packers in for the expansion New Orleans Saints;[8][9][10] to play under head coach Tom Fears, a hall of fame receiver and a former assistant coach for five seasons in Green Bay under Lombardi. The following year, Taylor was reduced to special teams duties and retired from pro football in September, at the end of training camp.[11][12][13]

He finished his ten-year playing career with 8,597 yards and 83 rushing touchdowns, highlighted by his five straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons from 1960-1964. Taylor also caught 225 passes for 1756 yards and 10 touchdowns, and returned 7 kickoffs for 185 yards, giving him a total of 10,539 net yards and 93 touchdowns. His 8,207 rushing yards with the Packers remained a franchise record until Ahman Green surpassed it on November 8, 2009.

Taylor was the first running back in NFL history to gain over 1,000 for five consecutive seasons.

Post playing

After his selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1976, Taylor participated in the Superstars competition in 1977[14][15][16] and finished fourth in 1979.[17] He was commissioner of the United States Rugby League in 1978 and attempted to start a 12-team competition.[18]

References

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External links