Jim taylor

[Bart]

Jim Brown is certainly recognized as the best back of his day, perhaps all time. In fact Mr. Z ranks him as #1 on his list of twelve greatest. He also finds a place for Marion Motley as fullback back overlooking Larry Csonka and Jim Taylor.


Taylor was magnificient, outshining Brown at times. Taylor didn't run the ball quite as often as Brown due to sharing the backfield with Paul Hornung. Taylor went to 5 pro bowls and won the leagues MVP. Check out his yds. per carry and touchdowns especially in 62. He was a tough son of a gun, who ran through people. He actually shortened his career by intentionally bowling over people instead of avoiding them. He was quick, fast and strong and really tough.He couldcatch passes and block. Brown even mentions Taylor in a book, calling him a warrior.


They played in the same era, facing the same opponents. Taylor was nearly as prolific as Brown but today is never mentioned as being a superlative back? Why is that so? Check out the stats of both. Taylor aint chopped liver.


+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| Rushing | Receiving |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+--------------- ----------+
| Year TM | G | Att Yards Y/A TD | Rec Yards Y/R TD |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+--------------- ----------+
| 1958 gnb | 12 | 52 247 4.8 1 | 4 72 18.0 1 |
| 1959 gnb | 12 | 120 452 3.8 6 | 9 71 7.9 2 |
| 1960 gnb | 12 | 230 1101 4.8 11 | 15 121 8.1 0 |
| 1961 gnb | 14 | 243 1307 5.4 15 | 25 175 7.0 1 |
| 1962 gnb | 14 | 272 1474 5.4 19 | 22 106 4.8 0 |
| 1963 gnb | 14 | 248 1018 4.1 9 | 13 68 5.2 1 |
| 1964 gnb | 13 | 235 1169 5.0 12 | 38 354 9.3 3 |
| 1965 gnb | 13 | 207 734 3.5 4 | 20 207 10.3 0 |
| 1966 gnb | 14 | 204 705 3.5 4 | 41 331 8.1 2 |
| 1967 nor | 14 | 130 390 3.0 2 | 38 251 6.6 0 |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+--------------- ----------+
| TOTAL | 132 | 1941 8597 4.4 83 | 225 1756 7.8 10 |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+--------------- ----------+
+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| Rushing | Receiving |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+--------------- ----------+
| Year TM | G | Att Yards Y/A TD | Rec Yards Y/R TD |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+--------------- ----------+
| 1957 cle | 12 | 202 942 4.7 9 | 16 55 3.4 1 |
| 1958 cle | 12 | 257 1527 5.9 17 | 16 138 8.6 1 |
| 1959 cle | 12 | 290 1329 4.6 14 | 24 190 7.9 0 |
| 1960 cle | 12 | 215 1257 5.8 9 | 19 204 10.7 2 |
| 1961 cle | 14 | 305 1408 4.6 8 | 46 459 10.0 2 |
| 1962 cle | 14 | 230 996 4.3 13 | 47 517 11.0 5 |
| 1963 cle | 14 | 291 1863 6.4 12 | 24 268 11.2 3 |
| 1964 cle | 14 | 280 1446 5.2 7 | 36 340 9.4 2 |
| 1965 cle | 14 | 289 1544 5.3 17 | 34 328 9.6 4 |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+--------------- ----------+
| TOTAL | 118 | 2359 12312 5.2 106 | 262 2499 9.5 20 |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+--------------- ----------+

 

[Colonel_Reb]

He had 5 1,000 yard seasons in a row, more than Brown. If he hadn't split time in GB, he probably would have at least 3 straight more 1,000 yard seasons. Cool stats.

 

[Bart]

Col.Reb, Taylor and Hornung actually were usually in the back field together. Today, a star running back gets most of the snaps while the fulback is used primarily as a blocker. Hornung was the half back butwas a great blocker who also ran and caught passes very well.


Hornung while at Notre Dame won the Hesiaman and was awarded the most valuable player award in the NFL twice. He also set scoring records because he kicked field goals and extra points. He may talk a bit too much today but he was the "Golden Boy" in his youth.


Hornung also could throw the option pass rather well. So, Taylor was not the sole work horse because Hornung was pretty good in his own right. Taylor won the MVP in 62, Hornung won in 60 and 61, I believe. A pretty potent backfield wouldn't you say?


Funny thing, after Hornung's MVP's he was suspended for an entire year for gambling. He never got back to his previous form. Alex Karass, the great Lions lineman was also suspended. Apparently they met in a bar in Detroit and made a few bets. They both bet on their own teams. Pretty tame stuff by today's standards. They paid a heavy price.

 

[Don Wassall]

When Taylor retired he was second all-time in career rushing yardage behind Jim Brown. He ran in an era when the schedule was shorter and running backs gave it all they had on every play. No running out of bounds to avoid contact, no going down easily.

Franco Harris was the first runner to go out of bounds to avoid being hit. Now almost all do it. When Harris was closing in on Brown's career mark in the early 1980s, Brown threatened to come out of retirement in order to avoid being passed, such was the contempt he had for that style of running. He was in his late 40s but he was serious. As it turned out Harris faded and his career ended before he could pass Brown. You can bet all the old time white running backs felt the same way and still do.

Jim Taylor was a great runner. He looked like the epitome of a football player too, back when the popular conception of a football player was of a white man.

Edited by: Don Wassall

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Thanks for the info guys. Unfortunately Taylor was one of the greats that the Caste System never told me about. Now, because of this site, I know who he is. I had no clue Franco was the first to do that, actually I never thought about it much. But it does stink to see a guy head for the sideline to avoid getting hit, especially when you see it happen all the time with todays RB's.

 

[jaxvid]

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Wow, Nice pic, and autograph!

 

[Bart]

When I was a kid I bought a set of weights from a sporting goods store, they gave me a booklet written by Jim with photo's demonstrating exercises. He was one of the few football playerswho lifted in those days.He was solid and muscular. I would do my exercises using his photo's for inspiration.



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[sport historian]

It's interesting that Colonel Reb hadlitle idea who Jim Taylor was. Taylor was one of the most famous players of the 60s. He was in Sport magazine many times, which was the symbol of "making it" in those days. The Packers under Lombardi were perennial champions and contenders. Taylor had several big days in NFL Title games.


He and Paul Hornung (glib and a press favorite) ran out of a two back set. The I-formation wasn't used in the early 60s. Taylor ran harder, faster, and was more durable than Hornung. I read in a Sport article that Jim Taylor was in a national high school all-star BASKETBALL game as well as a all-star football game. He could fake tacklers out as well, and was probably as athletic as Emmitt Smith, for example.


Funny thing, there was a profile of Taylor by Dick Scaap in The Saturday Evening Post in the early 60s. Schaap wrote that Taylor was proof that intelligence isn't necessary for a pro football player, in comparing Taylor unfavorably with Hornung. He said Taylor was like Yogi Berra in that respect.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Yep, 27 and a victim of the Caste System's media monopoly (almost). But as of January, 9, I have a place to find out info on all the guys the system failed to inform me of. I had actually been looking for a site like this for close to two years. I sure am glad its here.

 

[white lightning]

We love having you here Colonel Reb.

 

[bigunreal]

I can remember back in the early 1970s, when Jim Taylor was still the
2nd all-time leading rusher behind Jim Brown, that his name never came
up during media discussions of the greatest running backs ever. I
didn't really think about it in racial terms at that time, but that's
incredible, and an indication that the Caste system mentality was
already in force at that time.



There were a lot of great white RBs at that time, and almost all of
them had their touches limited for some reason. Ed Podolak was one of
my favorites. He was a real all-around player, but constantly had to
share carries and catches with a bunch of mediocre black RBs. Taylor's
successor in Green Bay, Donnie Anderson, was another great all-around
back, but he had to go to the Cardinals to get more playing time, and
he still only had a couple of seasons as a real feature back. He was so
talented that he was the team's regular punter. Jim Otis was a power
back who led the league in rushing a few times, but had a very short
career as a starter. Steve Owens had a couple of great seasons with the
Lions after a stellar college career, but again his role as a feature
back didn't last very long. Jim Bertelsen was a great all-around talent
with the Rams, but they opted to feature Larry McCutcheon and his
touches were always limited. Walt Garrison played the same role with
the Cowboys, providing occasional relief for Calvin Hill and Duane
Thomas, who paved the way for so many black players today with his
surliness and troublemaking. Norm Bulaich looked like a coming
superstar as a youngster with the Colts, but again he was gradually
phased out as the feature back. Even John Riggins had faded with the
Jets until his career was made in his early 30s with the one-back set
in Washington. I'm sure there were others the people here remember. Al
these guys shared in common a great deal of talent, and solid
production when they touched the ball, but even then it was apparent
that white RBs just didn't get the opportunities that black RBs do.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

That's what is so sick about it.

 

[speedster]

Walt Garrison didn't provide occasional relief for Duane Thomas and Calvin Hill.Garrison was a fullback while Thomas and Hill were halfbacks.Injuries opened the door for Thomas in 1970 to get good playing time,first to Hill then to Garrison.Tom Landry inserted Thomas into the fullback position because Garrison couldn't go and he wanted to keep Thomas on the feild,but when Garrison was healthy he was the starting fullback and he got his share of carries.Garrison only had 25 less carries then Thomas in 1970 but Walt had more receptions.In 1971 Thomas had 175 carries to Walt's 127 but again Garrison had more receptions,in fact he led the team in that category.Garrison also had more carries than Calvin Hill in 1971.Duane Thomas only played the 70' and 71' seasons with Dallas and then was gone.The following season,in 1972,Calvin Hill was the starting halfback and Walt Garrison was the starting fullback and Garrison made the Pro Bowl.Back in the good old days of the 60's and 70's,fullbacks carried the ball a lot more and as everyone knows were sometimes the featured back.These days they only carry the ball on short yardage situations,they need to be able to catch the ball some,but their primary functions is to provide lead blocking for the halfback.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Yeah, speedster, the fullback role seems to have changed at a time when whites were being increasingly ignored for halfback. For a while, there were plenty of white fullbacks. They too are now rare. I remember Darrell (Moose) Johnston running every now and then for the all black line Cowboys. I didn't think about it much then, but Dallas having an all black starting line was rare indeed, but not against the wishes of Jimmy Johnson.

 

[speedster]

Don't forget the the Cowboys got solid contributions from white offensive lineman as well during the Jimmy Johnson era.Centre Mark Stepnoski was a multiple Pro Bowler and guard John Gesek started for most of his four years in Dallas,between 90' and 93.In fact in the Cowboys secound beating of Buffalo in Super Bowl XXVIII,John Gesek was moved to centre to replace and injured Mark Stepnoski and Kevin Gogan,who is also white,played right guard.Throw in Troy Aikman,Daryl Johnston and Jay Novacek,the Cow had five white starters on offence,as far as the defence goes,that's another story.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Yep, that's true speed-I forgot about Step. One of my football buddies back in high school was #84, just like Novacek. He was his favorite player. I played ball in 7-10'th grade, and that was when the Cowboys were on the rise. Personally, except for Johnston and Novacek, I couldn't stand them. I lived in Louisiana and it seemed like everyone was a cowboys fan. After they fired Tom Landry I never liked them, even to this day. Back then my favorite team were the Bills, and then the Aints. Now I like Indianapolis.

 

[white lightning]

I wish I could have seen some of these guys play.I do
remember seeing Steve Largent play towards the end of
his career.Man could that guy run great routes.He made
is look effortless.It is impossible to relate to guys
like Moss,T.O.,etc. Unless your a gangster or rapper,
what do we have in common with these guys.I will always
root for guys like Manning.It is the only thing that
keeps me still watching the games.It's funny how my
teams now change alot according to who is on them.I love
the Colts and the Titans.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Yep, I was a fan of the 49'ers before I was a bills fan. They were just cool to me. But now I find myself following players, just like you whitelightning, instead of teams. Tennessee seems to be more white friendly these days, and who knows, maybe Billy Volek will become the starter this year or the next, cause the air is almost out of McNair. I'd like to see the Colts in the Superbowl next year though, and get Peyton a ring. I believe if they don't get it within 3 years from now, they may not get it, and I don't want him to be another Marino.

 

[bjan]

I extend a warm welcome to you also Colonel Reb!
This site helped me to look at sporting issues in an entirely different manner!
I would also like to suggest www.anu.org to you.
This site has helped me to look at lifes other issues,and how they are reported to us.
I can never go back to "Mainstream Media" reporting of the news,after reading the solid coverage at this site!

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Thanks, bjan, I have been and will continue to check it out.

 

[Gary]

I remember Jim Taylor,he was a bruising fullback.Here are a few other good white running backs-Jim Otis,Ken Willard,Keith Lincoln,Billy Cannon,John David Crow,Bronko Nagurski,Mark VanEeghen and Charley Tolar.Tolar was part of the Houston Oilers all white backfield of the early 1960's with Cannon and George Blanda.The Oilers were the best team in the AFL at that time and the Packers with there all white backfield of Starr,Taylor and Hornung were the best in the NFL.Tolar was 5'6 205 and very tough-he was called the 'Human Bowling Ball'.He once blocked Ernie Ladd so hard he knocked Ladd unconscious!

 

[speedster]

You guys have brought up some pretty good backs.I'd like to add my two cents as well about some backs from the 70's and 80's like Rob Carpenter.When Earl Campbell showed up in Houston that ended any chance Carpenter had at being the lead back there,but he was still decent and when he was traded to the Giants he had a couple of good years,particularly in '81,as he was a big reason why the Giants made the playoffs that year.Prior to Carpenter showing up with the Giants there was Doug Kotar who held the fort for a bit.He shared some time there with Larry Csonka,who by this time was past his prime but had an outstanding career with Miami where,for a few years made up an all-white backfield with Jim Kiick.Also in New York,the Jets had a decent runner named Scott Dierking.BigUnreal mentions how the Rams went with Lawrence McCutcheon instead of Jim Bertelsen as the lead back,but right after Bertelsen the Rams brought in John Cappalletti and again the Rams went with McCutcheon.John Cappalletti holds a distinct record as the last white RB to win the Heisman.

 

[surfsider]

Ed Podolak had a nice career with the Chiefs(69-77). Had 4451 rushing yds. and 2456 receiving yds.

 

[Gary]

Here are three forgotten white backs-Bronko Nagurski 6'2 228 fullback for the Bears and 3 time world wrestling champion.Rick Casares 6'3 225 fullback for the Bears.Mike Ditka called Casares "The toughest guy I ever played with".Rick was also a golden gloves boxing champ.Ernie Nevers was called by Sports Illustrated the gratest football player of all-time in 1962.White men can run if given the chance-just ask Larry Csonka or John Riggins!