Sam B. Taylor

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Sam B. Taylor
Biographical details
Born(1898-02-26)February 26, 1898
Doswell, Virginia, U.S.
DiedApril 1, 1966(1966-04-01) (aged 68)
Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
Playing career
Football
1921–1923Northwestern
Baseball
1926Dayton Marcos
Position(s)End (football)
First baseman (baseball)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1924Virginia Normal
1925–1929Clark (GA)
1931–1943Prairie View
1945–1948Virginia Union
1949–1958Bluefield State
1959–1961Kentucky State
Basketball
1924–1925Virginia State
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1949–1958Bluefield State
Head coaching record
Bowls10–5
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Football
1 SIAC (1928)
3 SWAC (1931, 1933)
Sam B. Taylor
First baseman
Negro league baseball debut
1926, for the Dayton Marcos
Last appearance
1926, for the 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[edit]

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

Educator[edit]

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[edit]

Virginia State[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

Football[edit]

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Virginia Normal Trojans (Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1924)
1924 Virginia Normal 5–3–3 1–2–3 T–4th
Virginia Normal: 5–3–3 1–2–3
Clark Panthers (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1925–1929)
1925 Clark
1926 Clark
1927 Clark 5–1–2
1928 Clark 6–1–1 T–1st
1929 Clark 6–2–1
Clark:
Prairie View Panthers (Southwestern Athletic Conference) (1931–1943)
1931 Prairie View 9–1 1st W Prairie View
1932 Prairie View 6–3–2 2–2–1 W Prairie View
1933 Prairie View 7–1 T–1st W Prairie View
1934 Prairie View 5–4 2–3 4th L Prairie View
1935 Prairie View 4–3–4 1–1–4 4th L Prairie View
1936 Prairie View 4–4–2 1–3–2 6th W Orange Blossom Classic, L Prairie View
1937 Prairie View 7–4 4–2 3rd W Prairie View
1938 Prairie View 5–2–3 2–2–2 3rd W Prairie View
1939 Prairie View 5–2–1 3–2–1 T–2nd W Prairie View
1940 Prairie View 6–3 4–2 3rd W Prairie View
1941 Prairie View 7–1–2 4–0–2 1st[n 1] L Prairie View
1942 Prairie View 5–2 3–1 2nd L Prairie View
1943 Prairie View 6–2–1 W Prairie View
Prairie View: 76–32–15
Virginia Union Panthers (Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1945–1948)
1945 Virginia Union 4–4 4–3 7th
1946 Virginia Union 3–5–1 1–5–1 13th
1947 Virginia Union 4–5 3–5 9th
1948 Virginia Union 6–5 3–5 10th W Orange Blossom Classic
Virginia Union: 17–19–1 11–18–1
Bluefield State Big Blues (Colored/Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1949–1958)
1949 Bluefield State 2–5–1 1–5–1 15th
1950 Bluefield State 6–3–1 4–2–1 6th
1951 Bluefield State 3–6 3–3 11th
1952 Bluefield State 1–7 1–5 14th
1953 Bluefield State 2–7 2–5 15th
1954 Bluefield State 8–2 6–1 4th
1955 Bluefield State 7–2–1 5–2–1 9th
1956 Bluefield State 6–1 5–1 6th
1957 Bluefield State 6–2 4–2 4th
1958 Bluefield State 5–2–1 4–2 5th
Bluefield State: 46–37–4 35–28–3
Kentucky State (Midwest Athletic Association / Midwest Conference) (1959–1961)
1959 Kentucky State 3–5–1 1–1–1 2nd
1960 Kentucky State 2–8 0–3 4th
1961 Kentucky State 3–2[n 2] 0–1[n 2] [n 2]
Kentucky State: 8–15–1 1–5–1
Total:
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Prairie View's 1941 conference title was forfeited after the SWAC ruled at its winter meeting, on December 13, that the Panthers had used an ineligible player, Whiteside.[10]
  2. ^ a b c Taylor served as Kentucky State's head coach for the first five games of the 1961 season before ailing health forced him to hand control over the team over to Mel Whedbee. The Thorobreds finished the season with an overall record of 6–3 with a mark of 1–2 in conference play, placing third in the Midwest Athletic Association.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Sam Taylor". seamheads.com. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  2. ^ "Sam Taylor". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  3. ^ University of Kentucky Libraries, Notable Kentucky African Americans Database
  4. ^ Reactions to Brown v The Board of Education, Leigh S. Andrews, 2005
  5. ^ Prairie View A&M University coaching records Archived January 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "Prairie View Agricultural & Mechanical University Directory". The Sports Network. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011.
  7. ^ Benken, Tim (November 1, 1961). "Lincoln's Reed Sees Sunshine in Gloomy Loss". Jefferson City Post-Tribune. Jefferson City, Missouri. p. 10. Retrieved December 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  8. ^ "Former CIAA coach Sam Taylor buried". Baltimore Afro-American. Baltimore, Maryland. April 16, 1966. p. 17. Retrieved January 9, 2019 – via Google News.
  9. ^ Kentucky State University coaching records Archived October 9, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Dixon, R. E. (December 26, 1941). "Prairie View Forfeits S. W. Grid Title for Use Of Ineligible Player". San Antonio Register. San Antonio, Texas. p. 3. Retrieved October 27, 2022 – via The Portal to Texas History.

External links[edit]

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