| No. 44 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Cornerback | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | (1948-05-28)May 28, 1948 (age 77) Perth Amboy, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||
| Weight | 193 lb (88 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | Perth Amboy | ||||||
| College | Boston University (1967–1969) | ||||||
| NFL draft | 1970: 1st round, 17th overall pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Bruce Lawrence Taylor (born May 28, 1948) is an American former professionalfootball player who was spent his entire eight-year career as acornerback for theSan Francisco 49ers of theNational Football League (NFL) from 1970 to 1977. He playedcollege football for theBoston University Terriers and was selected by the 49ers in the first round of the1970 NFL draft. With San Francisco, Taylor played in theNFC Championship Game in 1971 and 1972. He was also named to thePro Bowl in 1972. During his football career, Taylor received several rookie of the year awards including ones fromPro Football Weekly and theAssociated Press.
In 1978, Taylor was cut from the 49ers and briefly played for theMontreal Alouettes in theCanadian Football League (CFL). With the Alouettes, Taylor played in theEastern Football Conference andGrey Cup championships held in 1978. Following his cut from theOakland Raiders in 1979, Taylor worked in finance before becoming aBurger King owner in 1982. After expanding his Burger King locations to 18 stores by the late 1990s, Taylor returned to sports as a volunteer coach for aFlorida high school in 2009. Taylor was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1997.
On May 28, 1948, Taylor was born inPerth Amboy, New Jersey.[1] Growing up, Taylor played baseball and basketball while in high school.[2] After high school, Taylor was picked by theBaltimore Orioles in the 30th round of the1966 Major League Baseball draft. He declined the offer by the Orioles to attendBoston University.[3][4]
During his time at Boston, he played at the1968 NCAA University Division baseball tournament on theBoston University Terriers team.[4] As a football player, Taylor appeared at thePasadena Bowl andEast–West Shrine Bowl in 1969.[5][6] He also worked as a schoolteacher and factory worker while attending university.[4] In 1970, Taylor played in theChicago College All-Star Game.[7] He was the All Stars' Most Valuable Player at the game.[8]
In 1970, Taylor turned down an offer to play in theCanadian Football League with theMontreal Alouettes.[9] During the first round of the1970 NFL draft, Taylor was picked by theSan Francisco 49ers.[10][11] With the 49ers, Taylor appeared at theNFC Championship Game in 1971 and 1972.[12][13] As part of theNational Football Conference, Taylor played at the1972 Pro Bowl.[14][15]
Taylor continued to play with the 49ers until he injured his hamstring in July 1978.[16] After sitting out the 49ers training camp due to injury, Taylor was cut from the team in August 1978.[17] During his eight seasons with the 49ers, Taylor was the 1970 punt returns season leader with 516 yards.[1][18] Overall, Taylor had 1323 punt return yards and 190 kick return yards during his 109 games in the NFL. He also accumulated 201 yards with his 18 interceptions.[19]
During his football career, Taylor was employed byDean Witter Reynolds and began hisstockbroking experience.[20] Taylor was a stockbroker upon leaving the 49ers before he joined the Montreal Alouettes in late 1978.[21] As a substitute for injuredDickie Harris, Taylor and the Alouettes defeated theOttawa Rough Riders at the 1978Eastern Football Conference championship.[22] While continuing to play as Harris's replacement, Taylor and the Alouettes lost to theEdmonton Eskimos at the1978 Grey Cup.[23] In May 1979, Taylor returned to the United States and joined a training camp for theOakland Raiders.[24] He remained with the Raiders for a few months before being cut in August 1979.[25][26]
In 1979, Taylor stopped playing football and worked in finance for three years. After switching tofast food in 1982, Taylor ownedBurger King locations inSeattle andWoodinville, Washington by the early 1990s.[20] By the late 1990s, Taylor had opened Burger King stores inChicago and owned eighteen locations.[27] Taylor returned to sports in 2009 when he became a high school volunteer coach inFlorida.[28]
In 1969, Taylor was named the best senior player in New England by the New England Football Writers Association.[29] That year, the Gridiron Club of Boston chose Taylor as the best football player in New England.[30] Taylor andMarty Liquori were each chosen by The New Jersey Sports Writers Association as "New Jersey's outstanding college athlete" in 1970.[31] As a defensive player, Taylor won the 1970 rookie of the year awards fromPro Football Weekly and theAssociated Press.[32][33]
While a member of theNational Football Conference, Taylor received rookie of the year awards for 1970 from theUnited Press International andSporting News.[34][35] For hall of fames, Taylor was named into Boston University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1970 and became part of theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1997.[36][37] Taylor is married and has two children.[27]