Record-Breaking Wide Receiver Lionel Taylor Dies at 89

Taylor, who starred for the Denver Broncos in the 1960s, was the first player—ever—to record 100 receptions in a single season.

The NFL logo is displayed on the turf as the Denver Broncos defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 24-17 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver on Sept. 14, 2014. Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Lionel Taylor, a record-setting wide receiver for the Denver Broncos, died on Aug. 6, with the franchise announcing the news on Wednesday.

Taylor was 89 years old, and apart from his 10-year professional career, he also spent 21 years coaching at both the NFL and college football levels.

Taylor was one of the most prolific wide receivers in the 1960s with the Broncos, who were in the AFL at the time, as he led the league in receptions five times in his career. That trails only Don Hutson (eight) for the most in AFL or NFL history, as Taylor topped the American Football League in catches in 1960-63 as well as 1965. He and Hutson are also the only players to lead the league in receptions in at least four straight seasons.

The landmark season for Taylor came in 1961, which was his second year with the Broncos and also the franchise’s second year in existence, as it began play in 1960. Taylor racked up 100 receptions for 1,176 yards and four touchdowns in just 14 games, thus becoming the first player in AFL or NFL history to record at least 100 catches in a season. It wouldn’t be until Art Monk in 1984 that any NFL player reached the 100-catch threshold, and he needed 16 games to do so.

Across his seven seasons in Denver, Taylor made five All-AFL teams, including four first-team selections. He was also a three-time Pro Bowler who finished his Broncos career as the franchise’s all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.

After leaving the Broncos following the 1966 season, Taylor finished his career with two seasons with the Houston Oilers, who were also in the AFL. He did spend one season in the NFL—his first very professional season in 1959. He played eight games for the Chicago Bears, at linebacker, before then joining the AFL, linking up with the Broncos, and switching to wide receiver.

For his career, Taylor played in 121 games and had 567 catches for 7,195 yards and 45 touchdowns. No player in the AFL/NFL had more receptions than Taylor during the 1960s, while he ranked fifth in receiving yards and 11th in receiving touchdowns during the decade. When he retired after the 1968 season, Taylor ranked second in AFL/NFL history with his 567 receptions, trailing only Raymond Berry (631). His catch total also remains the most in AFL history.

Despite his accolades, Taylor has not been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. However, he was acknowledged by Canton in 2024 with the Award of Excellence, which recognized his contributions to the game of pro football. That award stemmed from Taylor’s coaching career, which began with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1970 as a wide receivers coach. There, he helped mold Lynn Swann and John Stallworth into Hall of Fame wide receivers, and Taylor also picked up his only two Super Bowl rings while with the franchise.

After seven years in Pittsburgh, Taylor then spent five years with the Los Angeles Rams in the same role, and with the addition of being the team’s offensive coordinator in 1980 and 1981. He then moved to the college ranks at Oregon State (1982-83) before getting his first head coaching opportunity at Texas Southern (1984-88). After two years back in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns, Taylor finished his coaching career with four seasons in NFL Europe.

While he never received football’s highest honor, Taylor did get inducted into the Broncos’ Ring of Fame as part of their inaugural class in 1984. He also received recognition during the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech by Tony Dungy in 2016.

“Finally, I’d like to say a special thank you to 10 men,” Dungy said. “Willie Brown, Buck Buchanan, Earnel Durden, Bob Ledbetter, Elijah Pitts, Jimmy Raye, Johnny Roland, Al Tabor, Lionel Taylor, and Allan Webb. Now, those names might not be familiar to you, but those were the African American assistant coaches in the NFL in 1977—my first year in the league.

“It was a small group of men, just 10 of them, if you can believe that—10 African American assistant coaches in the NFL. Many of them never got the chance to move up the coaching ladder like I did, but they were so important to the progress of this league.”

A native of West Virginia, Taylor played collegiately at New Mexico Highlands University, a Division II school. He also competed in basketball at NMHU, which is located in Las Vegas, N.M., and 700 miles east of Las Vegas, Nevada. Taylor also retired to New Mexico after his coaching career came to an end, settling in the Albuquerque area.