Sam B. Taylor

Samuel Brown Taylor (? – April 1966) was an American educator and college football coach.

Educator

In 1943, Taylor was named the "Supervisor of Negro Education" for the state of Kentucky.^[1] 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.^[2]

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 College of Atlanta

In September 1925, Coach Taylor and his new bride, Lullene Perrin, moved to Clark College (now known as Clark Atlanta University) in Atlanta, Georgia where Taylor coached football until 1931.

Prairie View A&M

Coach 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 college football coach for the Prairie View A&M University Panthers located in Prairie View, Texas and he held that position for thirteen seasons, from 1931 until 1943. His career coaching record at Prairie View was 69 wins, 32 losses, and 15 ties. He was inducted into the Prairie View Athletic Hall of Fame in June 1987.^[3][4]

Virginia Union

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

In 1948, the Virginia Union University Panther Football Team of 38 players defeated Jake Gaither and the Rattlers of Florida A & M University in the Orange Blossom Classic. While FAMU boosted an 8-1 record, little VUU with its 5-5 record beat FAMU 39-18.

Bluefield State

In the summer of 1950, Taylor emerged as the next head football coach of Bluefield State College after much speculation that the next coach would be Willie Jeffries. Taylor coached at Bluefield until late spring 1958.

Kentucky State

Taylor later went on to be named the 13th head coach at Kentucky State University in Frankfort, Kentucky and he held that position for four seasons, from 1959 until 1962. His coaching record at Kentucky State was 15 wins, 20 losses, and 1 ties. Hip replacement surgery sidelined Taylor as the football coach, but he continued to coach track. In 1965, Taylor had the fastest quarter of a mile runner in the country. After a lengthy illness Coach Taylor died April 1, 1966. He was inducted into the K-Club Athletic Hall of Fame October 2009.^[5]

He died after a long illness in a Lexington hospital in 1966.^[6]

References

External links

• Sam B. Taylor at the College Football Data Warehouse