Chuck Taylor (American football)

Chuck Taylor
Taylor, circa 1942
Biographical details
Born(1920-01-24)January 24, 1920
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
DiedMay 7, 1994(1994-05-07) (aged 74)
Stanford, California, U.S.
Playing career
1940–1942Stanford
1946Miami Seahawks
Position(s)Guard
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1948Stanford (freshmen)
1949–1950San Francisco 49ers (assistant)
1951–1957Stanford
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1963–1971Stanford
Head coaching record
Overall40–29–2
Bowls0–1
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1 PCC (1951)
Awards
College Football Hall of Fame
Inducted in 1984 (profile)

Charles Albert "Chuck" Taylor (January 24, 1920 – May 7, 1994) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played college football at Stanford University from 1940 to 1942, returned as head football coach from 1951 to 1957, and served as the school's athletic director from 1963 to 1971. During his coaching tenure at Stanford, Taylor compiled a 40–29–2 record and led the Indians to the 1952 Rose Bowl his first season. That same season, at the age of 31, Taylor was named AFCA Coach of the Year, the youngest recipient of the award ever.[1]

As a sophomore, Taylor was one of the "Wow Boys" on the undefeated 1940 Stanford Indians football team and played in Stanford's 1941 Rose Bowl victory over Nebraska.[1][2] As a senior in 1942, he was an All-American guard.[1][2] Taylor was selected in the fourth round of the 1943 NFL draft by the Cleveland Rams.[3]

Taylor's plaque at the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame

By coaching his team to the 1952 Rose Bowl, Taylor became the second person to have participated in the Rose Bowl Game both as a player and a head coach. The first was Wallace Wade who played for Brown in the 1916 bowl game and coached Alabama in 1926,1927 and 1931. Wade also coached Duke University in the Rose Bowl (1939 and 1941). Only six other men have accomplished this feat since Taylor.[4]

After leaving coaching in 1957, Taylor returned to Stanford in 1963 as athletic director, where he served until 1971, when Stanford played in the 1971 Rose Bowl, giving him the distinction of being only one of two men who has participated in a Rose Bowl Game as a player, coach, and athletic director.[1][2] The other man is Jess Hill of USC, who played in the 1930 Rose Bowl, coached in the 1953 and 1955 Rose Bowls, and was athletic director for the 1963, 1967, 1968, 1969, and 1970 Rose Bowls.

For many years Taylor and his wife also directed a camp for young people in the coastal range of Northern California near Santa Cruz, called Mountain Camp, where hundreds of young people enjoyed two-week sessions with unlimited recreation and character-building activities.[1]

His youngest daughter, Janet Ann Taylor, was 21 when she was murdered near the Stanford campus on March 24, 1974. Confirmed serial killer John Getreu was convicted of her murder in September 2021.[5]

Head coaching record

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs Coaches# AP°
Stanford Indians (Pacific Coast Conference) (1951–1957)
1951 Stanford 9–2 6–1 1st L Rose 7 7
1952 Stanford 5–5 2–5 T–6th
1953 Stanford 6–3–1 5–1–1 2nd 17 19
1954 Stanford 4–6 2–4 6th
1955 Stanford 6–3–1 3–2–1 3rd 20 16
1956 Stanford 4–6 3–4 6th
1957 Stanford 6–4 4–3 5th
Stanford: 40–29–2 25–20–2
Total: 40–29–2
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Chuck Taylor at the College Football Hall of Fame
  2. ^ a b c Gary Migdol (1997). Stanford: Home of Champions. Sagamore Publishing. p. 104. ISBN 9781571671165.
  3. ^ "1943 NFL Player Draft". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2009. Retrieved July 17, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ "Coaching Legends - Appeared as Both a Player and a Head Coach". Tournament of Roses.
  5. ^ Kahng, Grace (September 14, 2021). "Alleged 'Stanford murders' serial killer convicted of 1974 cold case murder". ABC News. Retrieved September 14, 2021.