Remembering Charley Taylor

Perhaps the best way to fully express my great admiration for Charley Taylor, a magnificent, versatile football player and highly successful assistant coach on all 3 Washington NFL team titles, is he and a select few like him, instilled so great a love, that I “put up” with all that football, especially the NFL now represents.

I have vague recollections of “Charley T,” at Arizona State and as MVP of the no longer played College All Star Game vs the ’63 champion Chicago Bears.

Taylor was an excellent running back who became a superb wide receiver. The passing attack for Washington (I will not say the old name but the new name also offends me) was second to none in say ’66 and ’67 with the great Sonny Jurgensen throwing to the trio of Charlie, Bobby Mitchell and Jerry Smith. (I will post that point as stated in a post paying tribute, when Bobby Mitchell died).

Charley grew up in Texas and was a Cowboys’ fan. He nearly went to Dallas but a coin flip for the third pick in the 1964 player’s draft yielded Charlie to “Wash” and another standout, Mel Renfro to Dallas.

As with 1964, 1972 was a year in which a landslide presidential election result occurred. On that year’s last day, Charlie’s career highlight of two touchdown catches from Bill Kilmer manifested as “Wash” went to its first Super Bowl, defeating the defending champion Cowboys.

The winning candidate in that ’72 election, incumbent President R.M. Nixon suggested a play for Washington in the next game Super Bowl, surprisingly rated “pick ’em” by the odds gurus, vs the undefeated Miami Dolphins.

Miami won the tilt played in L.A. 49 years before the one “HELD” (really that penalty then?!!) last week.

A great memory for me involves not only Charley Taylor’s great skill but also a bit of flamboyance. It is generational as I love that say a Jim Brown or a Frank Gifford and so many others would just flip the ball to a game official after scoring a touchdown.

Charley did a little more and a younger me liked it. He raised his hands over head in the touchdown signal.

It is 10 years after President Kennedy was killed, Thanksgiving 1973 and home from college, my dad and me are watching Washington “ho hum” Detroit. (With Ray Scott and Pat “Super” Summerall it is still a good broadcast). I say to my father I hope Charley scores a touchdown, as Wash is near the Detroit goal line. He will raise his hands above his head and at just past 18, I think that is so cool.

He scores and does. Dad asked me how I knew he would. It is another good way of telling how much I “dug” the great Charley Taylor.

 

The great #42 (also worn by another great receiver and favorite of mine, Paul Warfield) Charley Taylor pictured above.

Click below as in tribute to Bobby Mitchell, I cited Charley, Bobby and Jerry Smith along with the Colts’ Willie Richardson as top 4 in NFL receiving. Charley led.

Remembering Bobby Mitchell