Samuel Brown Taylor (February 26, 1898 – April 1, 1966) was an American educator,
Negro league
The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...
baseball player, and
college football coach. He served as the head football coach at Virginia State College for Negroes—now known as
Virginia State University
Virginia State University (VSU or Virginia State) is a public historically Black land-grant university in Ettrick, Virginia. Founded on , Virginia State developed as the United States's first fully state-supported four-year institution of hi ...
—in 1925, Clark College—now known as
Clark Atlanta University—from 1925 to 1929, Prairie View State Normal & Industrial College—now known as
Prairie View A&M University—from 1931 to 1943,
Virginia Union University
Virginia Union University is a private historically black Baptist university in Richmond, Virginia. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA.
History
The American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS) founded the school as Rich ...
from 1945 to 1948, Bluefield State College—now known as
Bluefield State University
Bluefield State University (Bluefield State) is a university in Bluefield, West Virginia that is an historically black university. It is a part of West Virginia's public education system and converted to a university in the summer of 2022. It a ...
—from 1948 to 1958, and Kentucky State College—now known as
Kentucky State University—from 1959 to 1962.
Playing career
A native of
Doswell, Virginia
Doswell is an unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Hanover County, Virginia, Hanover County in the Central Region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. Originally called Hanover Junction, it was located on t ...
, Taylor attended
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
. He played
Negro league baseball for the
Dayton Marcos
The Dayton Marcos were a Negro league baseball team based from Dayton, Ohio that played during the early twentieth century.
Founding and early years
The Dayton Marcos history predates the formal organized leagues of Negro league baseball. As an ...
in 1926.
Educator
In 1943, Taylor was named the "Supervisor of Negro Education" for the state of
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
. 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
''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segrega ...
ruling in 1954.
Coaching career
Virginia State
Taylor began his coaching career at the Virginia Normal School and Industrial Institute (now known as
Virginia State University
Virginia State University (VSU or Virginia State) is a public historically Black land-grant university in Ettrick, Virginia. Founded on , Virginia State developed as the United States's first fully state-supported four-year institution of hi ...
) as its first men's basketball coach in 1924–25.
Clark
In September 1925, Taylor and his new bride, Lullene Perrin, moved to Clark College–now known as
Clark Atlanta University–in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, where Taylor coached football until 1930.
Prairie View
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 football coach at
Prairie View A&M University in
Prairie View, Texas
Prairie View is a city in Waller County, Texas, United States, situated on the northwestern edge of the metropolitan area. The population was 8,184 at the 2020 census.
Prairie View A&M University, the second oldest public university in Texas, is ...
, serving for 13 seasons, from 1931 until 1943. He was inducted into the Prairie View Athletic Hall of Fame in June 1987.
Virginia Union
Taylor took over the reins as head football coach and track coach at
Virginia Union University
Virginia Union University is a private historically black Baptist university in Richmond, Virginia. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA.
History
The American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS) founded the school as Rich ...
in 1945 after the war. Once again, Lewis "Jack Rabbit" Smith teamed up with Taylor and ran under the maroon and steel colors of Virginia Union.
In 1948, the Virginia Union football team defeated
Jake Gaither
Alonzo Smith "Jake" Gaither (April 11, 1903 – February 18, 1994) was an American football coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Florida A&M University (FAMU) for 25 years, from 1945 to 1969, compili ...
's
Florida A&M Rattlers
The Florida A&M Rattlers represent Florida A&M University (FAMU) in college athletics. Florida A&M is a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference and participates in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). FAMU offers men's ...
in the
Orange Blossom Classic
The Orange Blossom Classic is an annual college football game first held between 1933 and 1978 and again since 2021. In its first incarnation, it featured Florida A&M and another historically black school in an unofficial ''de facto'' championsh ...
, 39–18.
Bluefield State
In the summer of 1949, Taylor was hired as the head football coach at Bluefield State College—now known as
Bluefield State University
Bluefield State University (Bluefield State) is a university in Bluefield, West Virginia that is an historically black university. It is a part of West Virginia's public education system and converted to a university in the summer of 2022. It a ...
—in
Bluefield, West Virginia
Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 9,658 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Bluefield WV- VA micropolitan area, which had a population of 106,363 in 2020.
Geography
Bluefie ...
. He coached at Bluefield State until late spring 1959.
Kentucky State
Taylor was the 13th head football coach at
Kentucky State University in
Frankfort, Kentucky, serving for four seasons, from 1959 to 1962, and compiling a record of 15–20–1. Hip replacement surgery sidelined Taylor as the football coach, but he continued to coach track. In 1965, Taylor had the fastest quarter mile runner in the country.
Death and honors
After a lengthy illness, Taylor died in
Lexington, Kentucky in 1966 at age 68. He was inducted into the K-Club Athletic Hall of Fame October 2009.
Kentucky State University coaching records
Head coaching record
Football
Notes
References
External links
an
Seamheads
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Sam B.
1898 births
1966 deaths
African-American basketball coaches
African-American coaches of American football
African-American players of American football
American football ends
Baseball first basemen
Baseball players from Richmond, Virginia
Basketball coaches from Virginia
Bluefield State Big Blues athletic directors
Bluefield State Big Blues football coaches
Clark Atlanta Panthers football coaches
College track and field coaches in the United States
Dayton Marcos players
Kentucky State Thorobreds football coaches
Northwestern Wildcats football players
People from Hanover County, Virginia
Players of American football from Virginia
Prairie View A&M Panthers football coaches
Virginia Union Panthers football coaches
Virginia State Trojans football coaches
Virginia State Trojans men's basketball coaches
20th-century African-American sportspeople