Sad news out of the NFL came on Wednesday as it was learned that former Denver Broncos receiver Lionel Taylor passed away at the age of 89.
Taylor is not known by many outside of Broncos nation, but his career and place in football history should be learned and celebrated by all.
He was a member of the inaugural 1960 Broncos and in 1961, Taylor became the first player in pro football history to have 100 catches in a season (100 receptions for 1,176 yards).
And he did it in only 14 games.
During his seven years in Denver, he amassed a stat line of 543 receptions, 6,872 receiving yards and 44 TDs. He retired as the team’s career receiving leader and, according to the Broncos team website, held the first two records for more than 30 years. Over 50 years later, he still ranks in the top five in all three categories.
In his first six seasons with the team, Taylor averaged 80 receptions a year, never catching fewer than 76 passes in any of those seasons. He also led the AFL in receiving in five of the league’s first six seasons and was a 3x AFL All-Star.
He moved on from Denver to play with play with the Houston Oilers before retiring and going into coaching.
Taylor worked with the Steelers and won two Super Bowls as the team’s receivers coach, working with future Hall of Famers Lynn Swann and John Stallworth. Taylor then moved on to the LA Rams (1977-81), first as the receivers coach and eventually the offensive coordinator, making him the first Black coordinator in NFL history.
That trailblazing status paved the way for other Black coaches.
“We all need role models in life, and fortunately, there was a Lionel Taylor there that I could look at and say, ‘Yeah, this is possible,'” said Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy in a 2024 NFL Films video. “I came in the league with Herm Edwards and Ray Rhodes, and we all became head coaches. It would not have happened without Lionel Taylor.”
“Lionel is like Don Coryell. He’s a master of the passing game. He’s an innovator, a gambler, always looking to hit the big play. He wants to put seven on the board on every snap,” said former NFL player and CBS Sports broadcaster, Irv Cross, in a Philadelphia News story in November 1981.
While he inspired other Black coaches and opened the doors for them, Taylor was frustrated due to never receiving his chance at becoming an NFL head coach.
It was a frustration Lou Moore wrote about in this 2021 First and Pen story, For Many Black NFL Coaches, Sometimes Next Is Never.
Despite boosting the Rams offense and helping the team, as Moore wrote, smash “all previous team passing and offensive records, including touchdowns by their quarterback. In addition, they also led the league in rushing,” Taylor was denied a head coaching opportunity.
Even with the support of the Steelers organization, including head coach Chuck Noll and President Dan Rooney, the NFL wasn’t ready to have a Black man lead a team.
It was a fact that Taylor readily acknowledged.
“You look in the stands at an NFL game. How many blacks do you see? Not many. An owner has to consider how that audience will react to a black head coach…That’s why I was never that optimistic about a black getting the shot.”
With that roadblock in mind, Taylor went the college route, first becoming a wide receivers coach at Oregon before moving to Texas as the head coach at Texas Southern University.
In 1996, Taylor finally got his pro head coaching opportunity as the head coach of NFL Europe’s London/England Monarchs.
While Taylor moved around during his football career, Denver was always home for him.
In 1984, he was one of the four initial inductees into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame, and in 1920, he was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.
Lionel Taylor passed away on August 6th at the age of 89, but his place in football history is cemented forever.
RIP Lionel Taylor.
