Sam B. Taylor Explained

Sam B. Taylor
Birth Date:26 February 1898
Birth Place:Doswell, Virginia, U.S.
Death Place:Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
Player Sport1:Football
Player Years2:1921–1923
Player Team2:Northwestern
Player Sport3:Baseball
Player Years4:1926
Player Team4:Dayton Marcos
Player Positions:End (football)
First baseman (baseball)
Coach Sport1:Football
Coach Years2:1924
Coach Team2:Virginia Normal
Coach Years3:1925–1929
Coach Team3:Clark (GA)
Coach Years4:1931–1943
Coach Team4:Prairie View
Coach Years5:1945–1948
Coach Team5:Virginia Union
Coach Years6:1949–1958
Coach Team6:Bluefield State
Coach Years7:1959–1961
Coach Team7:Kentucky State
Coach Sport8:Basketball
Coach Years9:1924–1925
Coach Team9:Virginia State
Admin Years1:1949–1958
Admin Team1:Bluefield State
Bowl Record:10–5
Championships:Football
1 SIAC (1928)
3 SWAC (1931, 1933)
Sam B. Taylor
Position:First baseman
Debutleague:Negro league baseball
Debutyear:1926
Debutteam:Dayton Marcos
Finalyear:1926
Finalteam:Dayton Marcos
Teams:

Samuel Brown Taylor (February 26, 1898 – April 1, 1966) was an American educator, Negro league baseball player, and college football coach. He served as the head football coach at Virginia State College for Negroes—now known as Virginia State University—in 1925, Clark College—now known as Clark Atlanta University—from 1925 to 1929, Prairie View State Normal & Industrial College—now known as Prairie View A&M University—from 1931 to 1943, Virginia Union University from 1945 to 1948, Bluefield State College—now known as Bluefield State University—from 1948 to 1958, and Kentucky State College—now known as Kentucky State University—from 1959 to 1961.

Playing career

A native of Doswell, Virginia, Taylor attended Northwestern University. He played Negro league baseball for the Dayton Marcos in 1926.[1] [2]

Educator

In 1943, Taylor was named the "Supervisor of Negro Education" for the state of Kentucky.[3] He was one of the primary educators in the state of Kentucky responsible for de-segregation of public schools after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954.[4]

Coaching career

Virginia State

Taylor began his coaching career at the Virginia Normal School and Industrial Institute (now known as Virginia State University) as its first men's basketball coach in 1924–25.

Clark

In September 1925, Taylor and his new bride, Lullene Perrin, moved to Clark College–now known as Clark Atlanta University–in Atlanta, where Taylor coached football until 1930.

Prairie View

Taylor established an athletics program that included track and football. His track team was second to none between 1931 and 1942. He coach such athletes as "Blue" Stanley, Lewis "Jack Rabbit" Smith, Johnny Marion, and Veda "Skeets" Metlock Johnson. Johnny Marion and Lewis Smith ran against Jesse Owens in the Olympic Trials of 1936.

Taylor was the fourth head football coach at Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas, serving for 13 seasons, from 1931 until 1943. He was inducted into the Prairie View Athletic Hall of Fame in June 1987.[5] [6]

Virginia Union

Taylor took over the reins as head football coach and track coach at Virginia Union University in 1945 after the war. Once again, Lewis "Jack Rabbit" Smith teamed up with Taylor and ran under the maroon and steel colors of Virginia Union.

In 1948, the Virginia Union football team defeated Jake Gaither's Florida A&M Rattlers in the Orange Blossom Classic, 39–18.

Bluefield State

In the summer of 1949, Taylor was hired as the head football coach at Bluefield State College—now known as Bluefield State University—in Bluefield, West Virginia. He coached at Bluefield State until late spring 1959.

Kentucky State

Taylor was the 13th head football coach at Kentucky State University in Frankfort, Kentucky from 1959 until midway through the 1961 season when Mel Whedbee took charge of the team.[7] Hip replacement surgery sidelined Taylor as the football coach, but he continued to coach track. In 1965, Taylor had the fastest quarter mile runner in the country.

Death and honors

After a lengthy illness, Taylor died in Lexington, Kentucky in 1966 at age 68.[8] He was inducted into the K-Club Athletic Hall of Fame October 2009.[9]

Head coaching record

Football

External links

and Seamheads

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sam Taylor . seamheads.com . August 16, 2021.
  2. Web site: Sam Taylor . baseball-reference.com . August 16, 2021.
  3. http://www.uky.edu/Libraries/NKAA/subject.php?sub_id=33 University of Kentucky Libraries
  4. http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/send-pdf.cgi/Andrews,%20Leigh%20S..pdf?acc_num=miami1114703454#24 Reactions to Brown v The Board of Education
  5. http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_iaa/southwestern/prairie_view_a&m/coaching_records.php Prairie View A&M University coaching records
  6. Web site: Prairie View Agricultural & Mechanical University Directory. The Sports Network. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110525193829/http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot2%2Fteams%2Fdirect582.htm. May 25, 2011.
  7. News: Benken . Tim . Lincoln's Reed Sees Sunshine in Gloomy Loss . Jefferson City Post-Tribune . . November 1, 1961 . 10 . December 17, 2023 . .
  8. News: . Former CIAA coach Sam Taylor buried . . . April 16, 1966 . 17 . January 9, 2019 . .
  9. http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ii/siac/kentucky_state/coaching_records.php Kentucky State University coaching records