Jim Taylor (#31) played for ten NFL seasons, from 1958-1967. He was a running back for the Green Bay Packers from 1958 to 1966, and for the New Orleans Saints in 1967. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, inducted in the summer of 1976.
Taylor played college football at LSU, and was drafted in the second round, the 15th overall pick. He holds many Packers' records, including career rushing yards, touchdowns, single-season touchdowns. His 1962 single-season yardage mark (1,474) was not surpassed by a Packer, until Ahman Green ran for 1,883 yards in 2003. At retirement, Taylor's 83 career rushing touchdowns placed him behind only Jim Brown.
Taylor was a member of four NFL championship teams (1961,1962,1965, and 1966), where he was teamed in the backfield with halfback Paul Hornung. In the Packers 1962 16-7 championship win over the New York Giants, Taylor set a championship record with 31 carries, good for 85 yards and Green Bay's only touchdown of the game. In Green Bay's 1965 championship win, he rushed for 97 yards. In January 1967, Taylor and the Packers played in Super Bowl I, in which they easily defeated the Kansas City Chiefs. Taylor was the top rusher of the game with 56 rushing yards and a touchdown (with his score being the first rushing touchdown in Super Bowl history).
Although not exceptional in size (6 ft., 214 lb.), Taylor was a physical fullback who often won legendary duels with linebacker Sam Huff. Taylor was selected to five consecutive Pro Bowls from 1960-1964. He fumbled only 34 times in the 2,173 times he handled the ball (1.56% of his touches).
After a season with the expansion New Orleans Saints in 1967, Jim Taylor retired from pro football. He finished his career with 8,597 yards and 83 rushing touchdowns, highlighted by his five straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons from 1960 to 1964. He also caught 225 passes for 1,756 yards and 10 touchdowns, and returned 7 kickoffs for 185 yards, giving him a total of 10,539 net yards and 93 touchdowns.
