'Lionel Thomas Taylor' (born
August 15,
1935, in
Kansas City, Missouri) was an
American football wide receiver who led the
American Football League (AFL) in
receptions each year for the first six years of the league's existence.
College football
Taylor attended
New Mexico Highlands University, where he had starred in
basketball and
track, earning all-conference wide receiver honors in
1956 and
1957.
Professional football
Taylor first played eight games with the
Chicago Bears of the
National Football League(NFL) before moving to the
Denver Broncos of the AFL for the
1960 season. Second in all-time receptions (543) for the Denver Broncos and their all-time leading receiver in yardage (6,872), Taylor was the Broncos' team
MVP in 1963, 1964 and 1965, and an
AFL All-Star in 1960, 1961, 1962 and 1965.
Taylor was the first professional football receiver ever to make 100 catches in a single season, accomplishing the feat in only 14 games (
1961). He had four seasons with over 1,000 yards receiving, and averaged 84.7 catches per year from 1960 to 1965, then the highest six-year total in professional football history. Taylor completed his career with the
Houston Oilers in
1967 and
1968.
See also
★
Other American Football League players
External links
★
Lionel Taylor stats at Pro-Football-Reference.com
★
Taylor's 1965 Topps football card