Roosevelt "Rosey" Taylor (July 4, 1937May 29, 2020) was an American professional
football
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player who was a
safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are ...
for the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
,
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
, and
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Grambling State University
Grambling State University (GSU, Grambling, or Grambling State) is a public historically black university in Grambling, Louisiana. Grambling State is home of the Eddie G. Robinson Museum and is listed on the Louisiana African American Heritage ...
. Part of Grambling's initial SWAC championship defense in 1960 – the group included four future
All-Pro
All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list th ...
s – Taylor went on to lead the NFL with nine
interception
In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...
s in 1963, on the way to 32 career picks.
Taylor was a key defensive player on the 1963 Bears NFL championship team, during which he led the Bears in interceptions with 9 and in kick returns. The Bears defense that year was coached by future
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...
inductee
George Allen George Allen may refer to:
Politics and law
* George E. Allen (1896–1973), American political operative and one-time head coach of the Cumberland University football team
* George Allen (Australian politician) (1800–1877), Mayor of Sydney and ...
. In 1968, he scored a 96-yard interception return. Twice selected to the
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
, Taylor never missed a game in nearly nine seasons with the Bears and later appeared in
Super Bowl VII
Super Bowl VII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Miami Dolphins and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for ...
with the Redskins, with Allen as head coach. In 2019, to celebrate the team's centennial season, Taylor was named the 56th-greatest player in Bears history by Don Pierson and Dan Pompei.
In 2010, Taylor was inducted as a member of the Grambling State University Hall of Fame. He is a member of the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame. He was an all-city football player at
Joseph S. Clark Sr. High School in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Taylor died on May 29, 2020 at the age of 82.
References
1937 births
2020 deaths
American football safeties
Chicago Bears players
San Francisco 49ers players
Washington Redskins players
Western Conference Pro Bowl players
Grambling State Tigers football players
Players of American football from New Orleans
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