Earle Abbott "Dummy" Taylor (February 2, 1891 – September 10, 1955) was a college football player and oil company distributor. He was one of the first star athletes for the

Florida Gators football The Florida Gators football program represents the University of Florida (UF) in American college football. Florida competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division o ...

team.

Early years

Taylor was born in

Ashland, Kansas Ashland is a city in and the county seat of Clark County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 783. History Ashland lies along what was once a military road from Fort Dodge (now Dodge City, Kansas) to t ...

, in 1891. By age nine, he had moved with his family to Gainesville, Florida. His father, Herbert Taylor, was employed as a bank cashier.

University of Florida

Taylor played at the right halfback position for the

team of the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

from

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 4 ...

to 1912; the only UF player to earn five football letters. Some describe him as the school's first star athlete. Taylor was described by contemporaneous newspaper accounts as a legendary broken field runner and a master of the

hidden ball trick A hidden ball trick is a play in which a player deceives the opposing team about the location of the ball. Hidden ball tricks are most commonly observed in baseball, where the defence deceives the runner about the location of the ball, to tag out t ...

, who could

drop-kick A drop kick is a type of kick in various codes of football. It involves a player dropping the ball and then kicking it as it touches the ground. Drop kicks are used as a method of restarting play and scoring points in rugby union and rugby leagu ...

field goals "at seemingly impossible angles and distance." He is a member of the

University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame The University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame includes over 300 former Florida Gators athletes who represented the University of Florida in one or more intercollegiate sports and were recognized as "Gator Greats" for their athletic excellence ...

. He was nominated though not selected for an ''Associated Press'' All-Time Southeast 1869-1919 era team. Taylor was picked as a halfback for an All-Time Florida Gators football team in 1927. In 1937, Lewis H. Tribble, dean of

Stetson University Stetson University is a private university with four colleges and schools located across the I–4 corridor in Central Florida with the primary undergraduate campus in DeLand. The university was founded in 1883 and was later established in 1887 ...

, declared Taylor the greatest running back who ever played in the state of Florida.

1908 to 1910

In his first season of

, Taylor's extra point decided the win over Stetson, after a Charlie Bartleson touchdown run. Taylor kicked three field goals to beat the Jacksonville Olympics in

1909 Events January–February * January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes. * January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. * Jan ...

. He was captain of the 1910 team which suffered its only loss to

Mercer Mercer may refer to: Business * Mercer (car), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925) * Mercer (consulting firm), a large human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City * Mercer (occupation), a merchant or trader, ...

1911

Taylor featured on the undefeated 1911 team captained by

Neal Storter Neal Summers "Bo Gator" Storter (October 3, 1890 – November 1, 1979) was an American football center for the Florida Gators of the University of Florida. He was captain of the undefeated 1911 Florida Gators football team and is one proposed ...

. The team tied the

South Carolina Gamecocks The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I. The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fighti ...

, defeated

The Citadel Bulldogs The Citadel Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent The Citadel. All sports participate in the NCAA Division I except football, which competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Since 1936, varsity sports have ...

, Clemson and the College of Charleston, declared themselves to be the "champions of South Carolina," and finished their season 5–0–1—still the only undefeated football season in the Gators' history. Of the 84 points scored by Florida in 1911, Taylor scored 49: 25 points on the ground and points-after and 24 on field goals. He also threw two touchdown passes. His 8 field goals were a then school record, standing until 1974. Taylor scored in the tie with

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. and against Clemson he picked up a fumble and ran 45 yards for a touchdown, and then kicked the extra point to win. He kicked three field goals to beat Columbia College of Lake City 9–0. "It was on the South Carolina trip that the Florida team was dubbed the ‘Alligators,’ and the battle that took place . . .between the Clemson Tigers and the Florida Alligators is one long to be remembered!" declared the Florida Pennant.

1912

He closed his career on the 1912 team which played in the

Bacardi Bowl The Bacardi Bowl was a college football bowl game played seven times in Havana, Cuba, at Almandares Park and La Tropical Stadium. The games were also referred to as the Rhumba Bowl and were the foremost event of Cuba’s annual National Sports F ...

. Earlier in the season, the Gators got their first ever win over South Carolina. Taylor made a field goal. After Taylor missed a drop kick, Carolina fumbled, and Florida's Hoyle Pounds recovered for a touchdown. The 23–7 defeat of Stetson was considered Dummy Taylor's greatest game.

Later years

Taylor continued to reside in Gainesville, Florida. As of June 1917, he was employed as a master mechanic for the Florida Industrial Corporation in Gainesville.Draft Registration Card for Earle Abbott Taylor, born February 2, 1891, Ashland, Kansas. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 atabase on-line Registration State: Florida; Registration County: Alachua; Roll: 1556849 In 1920, he was living in Gainesville and employed as an engineer. In 1930, he was living in Gainesville with his wife, Leonilla and their six-year-old son, Earl, Jr., and he was employed as a wholesale dealer in gas and oil. In 1940, he remained Gainesville with his wife and son and was employed as a consignee for the

Texas Oil Company Texaco, Inc. ("The Texas Company") is an American oil brand owned and operated by Chevron Corporation. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owned the Havoline motor oil brand. Texaco was an independent company un ...

. He died in Gainesville in 1955 after suffering a heart attack at age 64.

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Earle 1891 births 1955 deaths American football drop kickers American football halfbacks Florida Gators football players People from Clark County, Kansas Players of American football from Kansas Players of American football from Gainesville, Florida