Broncos Ring of Fame WR Lionel Taylor dies at 89
Lionel Taylor, a member of the Denver Broncos' Ring of Honor and the first pro receiver to make 100 receptions in a season, died on Aug. 6 at age 89, the team announced on Wednesday.
Taylor also was the first Black man to hold a coordinator job in the NFL, according to NFL Films, when he served as the Los Angeles Rams' offensive coordinator in 1980 and '81.
Taylor made eight appearances for the Chicago Bears in 1959 before jumping to the new American Football League in 1960 with the Broncos. He played seven years in Denver, winning first-team All-Pro honors four times and making the Pro Bowl three times.
In 1960, he had an AFL-high 92 catches for 1,235 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 games, then followed up by logging 100 receptions for 1,176 yards and four scores in 14 games the next year.
Taylor topped the AFL in receptions five times during his stint with the Broncos. He concluded his playing career by playing for the Houston Oilers in 1967 and '68.
In nine AFL seasons and 113 games, Taylor amassed 567 catches for 7,195 yards and 45 touchdowns. He still ranks among the Broncos' all-time top five in each of those categories as he totaled 543 catches for 6,872 yards and 44 scores for Denver.
Taylor was the Pittsburgh Steelers' wide receivers coach for two Super Bowl championships in the 1970s before heading up the Rams' offense.
The Broncos inducted Taylor into their Ring of Fame as part of the inaugural group in 1984.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
17 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Liverpool agree deal to sign Parma defender Giovanni Leoni
Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign Parma defender Giovanni Leoni. It is understood the Reds will pay €30 million plus add-ons for the 18-year-old. Advertisement Leoni is expected to undergo a medical on Thursday as head coach Arne Slot has moved to strengthen his options at centre-back. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Giovanni Leoni (@giovannileonii) He played most of pre-season with just two recognised specialists in the role – Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate – as Joe Gomez, who returned to training this week, was injured and Jarell Quansah was sold to Bayer Leverkusen. Liverpool are still interested in Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi, who has a year left on his contract, but have so far been unable to agree a fee. 'The clubs have agreed a deal but he hasn't signed for us yet. The moment when he signs for us I can go into more detail,' said Slot, who refused to speculate on their pursuit of Guehi. 'He (Guehi) is not our player and unfortunately he was the captain of the team we lost against last Sunday. Advertisement 'If you want any talks on him you should go to Palace and (Oliver) Glasner and ask his opinion about it.'
Reuters
17 minutes ago
- Reuters
Rooney says Brady questioning work ethic was unfair
Aug 14 (Reuters) - Wayne Rooney has hit back at Tom Brady after the NFL great questioned his work ethic during his brief managerial spell at second-tier English club Birmingham City, saying the criticism was "very unfair". Former New England Patriots quarterback Brady, minority owner of Birmingham, in an Amazon Prime documentary series titled, 'Built In Birmingham: Brady & The Blues', had said he was a little worried about Rooney's work ethic. Ex-Manchester United and England forward Rooney, 39, was dismissed as the manager of Birmingham in January last year after less than three months in the role, following a winless run that left the club hovering above the relegation zone. "I think Tom came in once, which was the day before a game where the days are a little bit lighter anyway, and I don't think he really understood football that well," Rooney said on the Wayne Rooney Show podcast. "But what he does understand is, he's a hard worker, we know that." "Football is not NFL – NFL works for three months a year. Players do need rest as well, so I think he's very unfair, the way he's come out and portrayed that." Seven-times Super Bowl champion Brady became a minority owner in Birmingham in August 2023. "Listen, I respect Tom Brady massively," Rooney said. "He's one of the greatest, if not the greatest athletes of all time and Birmingham do look like they're getting it right now, which is good, and I think what they have done is got the players out that they needed to get out."
The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
Wayne Rooney responds to Tom Brady's criticism in Prime documentary
Wayne Rooney has labelled Tom Brady 's criticism of his work ethic as Birmingham City manager "very unfair". Brady, a minority shareholder at Birmingham, expressed concern about Rooney's work ethic in a documentary after visiting the club's training ground. Rooney, who was sacked in January 2024 after less than three months in charge, stated his disappointment with Brady's comments on his new podcast. The former England captain argued that Brady, an NFL great, does not fully understand the demands of football compared to American football. Birmingham City were relegated at the end of the 2023-24 season following Rooney's departure, but have since achieved promotion back to the Championship under current manager Chris Davies.
