In 1966, Otis Taylor played for the Kansas City Chiefs and faced the Boston Patriots. He used to say, “If a ball is thrown to me, I should catch it.”

In 1966, Otis Taylor played for the Kansas City Chiefs and faced the Boston Patriots. He used to say, “If a ball is thrown to me, I should catch it.”

Star Kansas City Chiefs receiver Otis Taylor passes away at the age of 80
He was an acrobatic player and the model for the big receivers that came after him. In the unexpected victory of the Chiefs in Super Bowl IV, he caught a remarkable touchdown.

Otis Taylor, a classy former standout wide receiver for the Chiefs who successfully intercepted a pass to seal the team’s thrilling triumph over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV, passed away on Thursday. He was eighty.

His death was declared by the team, but no cause or location of death was given. Both dementia and Parkinson’s disease have been identified in him.

Taylor was hailed as “one of the most dynamic receivers of his era” by Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, who also said that he “helped revolutionize the position” and that “off the field, he was kind and dedicated to his community.”

Throughout his 11-year career, which started in 1965 when Kansas City was among the best teams in the American Football League, Taylor was a crucial offensive target for quarterback Len Dawson. Dawson passed away at the age of 87 last year. With his tall stature and dexterous hands, he embodied the archetype of the large receivers who would eventually rule the position.

Taylor’s breakthrough year was 1966, when he caught 58 receptions for 1,297 yards at a grab average of 22.4 yards. After the AFL and NFL merged five years later, Taylor finished first in the league with 1,110 receiving yards, earning him the NFC Player of the Year award from United Press International.

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“I should catch the ball if it is thrown to me,” Taylor stated in a 1971 interview with Sports Illustrated. “God did give me two hands to catch with, and I’ll use the other if the ball comes when I can’t use one of them,” he continued. I’m not giving up.

It was the Chiefs’ second trip to the title game, having faced the Vikings in Super Bowl IV on January 11, 1970. In the inaugural Super Bowl, they had fallen short against the Green Bay Packers, 35–10.

The Chiefs easily handled the Vikings, who were a 13.5-point favorite. Late in the third quarter, with Kansas City up 16–7, Dawson hit Taylor with a short pass. He deceived safety Karl Kassulke, deflected a tackle from cornerback Earsell Mackbee, and raced in for a 46-yard touchdown. The Chiefs, who won the title again last month, would only win one Super Bowl until 2020 with their 23–7 triumph.

In 1971, Taylor was pictured alongside Kansas City quarterback Len Dawson. The pair constituted a formidable scoring duo. Give credit…Straeter, William P./Associated Press
On August 11, 1942, Otis Taylor Jr. was born in Houston. The Chiefs selected him in the fourth round of the A.F.L. selection, and the Philadelphia Eagles selected him in the 15th round of the N.F.L. draft. He was a standout receiver at Prairie View A&M University in Texas.

During his first campaign, he caught 26 passes for 446 yards while starting four of Kansas City’s 14 games. The following season, he broke out as a star, and during his career, he was selected for the Pro Bowl three times and twice made the first team All-Pro.

He hauled in 410 passes in all.

Following the 1975 season, Taylor’s playing career came to an end, and he joined the team as a scout. He was angry in 1981 because Kansas City’s head coach at the time, Marv Levy, had not given him an interview for the position of assistant coach.

Taylor told The Kansas City Star, “I was the world’s most frustrated and saddest man.” “Despite all the available employment, I never received a call from anyone. I’ll never put myself above others and claim that just because I’m Otis Taylor, I should be hired as a coach. That isn’t how the system operates. However, it would be pleasant to be considered at least.

In 1990, he was diagnosed with dementia and Parkinson’s disease. He successfully filed a claim under the approximately.

A $1 billion class action settlement was reached as a result of players suing the NFL for misrepresenting the risks of concussions. He sought medical attention for the remainder of his life after his family reported that he had suffered “multiple repetitive traumatic head impacts, subconcussive and concussive injuries” during games and training.

Taylor’s son Otis III, his sister Odell, and his wife Regina Taylor were among those who survived.

Taylor has failed to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, most recently last year, despite numerous of his colleagues being honored with inductions.

In 1999, he said to The Star, “If you close your eyes and think about something you want to happen, it can happen, even if it’s just for a second or two.”