Charley Taylor

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Charley Taylor
Date of birth	September 28, 1941 (age 65)
Place of birth	Grand Prairie, Texas
Position(s)	WR (initially, RB))
College	Arrizona State
NFL Draft	1964 / Round 1/ Pick 3
Career Highlights
Pro Bowls	8
Awards	UPI NFC ROY
Honors	NFL 1960s All-Decade Team 70 Greatest Redskins Redskins' Ring of Fame
Stats
Statistics	Pro Football Reference DatabaseFootball
Team(s)
1964-1977	Washington Redskins
Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1984

Charley Taylor (born September 28, 1941) was an American football player. He was a standout wide receiver for the Washington Redskins.

During his tenure with the Redskins they reached the Super Bowl in 1973, (Super Bowl VII), after the 1972 season. They also made they playoffs four other times in the 1970's.

[edit] Early life

Born in 1941, Taylor was the second of seven children -- four girls and three boys. He was raised in Grand Prairie, Texas by his mother Myrtle and step father James Stevenson.

His family was large and included many uncles, all involved in sports in one way or another and most played baseball. They inspired young Charley Taylor to get involved in sports. He started playing actively in sports while in junior high school and by the eighth grade he was playing football, baseball, basketball and competing in track.

His sports prowess continued on when he attended Dalworth High School in Grand Prairie. According to Taylor, Dalworth was a very small school. “Only about 15 or 20 kids played sports,” he said. As time went on, the school attracted students from Fort Worth and Irving. Taylor played football and ran the high hurdles, threw the discus and shot put, and competed in the long jump for the track team. The school did not have a baseball team, but Taylor played baseball in a summer league. As a result of his success on the playing field, he was named All-State in track and football.

His success in sports enticed both Arizona State University and the University of Southern California to offer him a scholarship. In the former, he played running back and defensive back for the Arizona State University football team. He also pitched and played third base for the school’s baseball team.

His success in football led to Taylor being selected All-American two years in a row. He played in all the major all star games in his senior year including the Hula Bowl, the East-West Shrine Game, and the College All-Star game against the Chicago Bears.

[edit] Pro Football Career

Taylor was selected by the Washington Redskins in the first round of the 1964 National Football League draft.

Although he missed most of the 1971 and all of the 1976 seasons due to a serious injury, he retired as the all time leading receiver with 649 catches for 9,110 yards and 79 touchdowns. He had 50 or more receptions seven times during a 13 year career. He played in eight Pro Bowls and was named to the All-NFL or All NFC team three times. He was among the league’s top 10 rushers in 1964 and ‘65 (he was a running back prior to becoming a wide receiver); was in the top 10 in rushing touchdowns in 1964; was among the top 10 in receptions from 1964 through 1975; in the top 10 in receiving yards in 1964, and from 1966 through 1974; and in the top 10 in receiving touchdowns from 1966 through 1967, and from 1969 through 1973. He is among the league’s all time top 50 in receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, yards from scrimmage, and rushing and receiving touchdowns.

He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1984 and was selected as one of the 70 Greatest Redskins of all time. His jersey number 42 has been unofficially retired. In 1999, he was ranked number 85 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.

After he left coaching, Taylor worked for Jerry’s Ford in the Washington, D.C. area and sold boats for Fountain Boats in Annapolis, Maryland. He now does speaking engagements and serves as a consultant to the Redskins.