Lionel Taylor dies at 89: Broncos Ring of Fame receiver was first to log 100 catches in a season
Taylor excelled at receiver at a level few had seen before
Lionel Taylor, the first player in pro football history to record 100 catches in a single season and a member of the Denver Broncos' Ring of Fame, died Aug. 6, per his family and the Broncos. He was 89.
An undrafted free agent out of New Mexico Highlands in 1958, Taylor began his pro career as a linebacker for the Chicago Bears before switching both leagues and positions, joining the newly-minted Denver Broncos of the AFL as a wide receiver for the 1960 season. Taylor excelled at receiver at a level few had seen before, and in 1961 he would become the very first player in pro football history to record 100 catches in a season with 1,176 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
Taylor's historic 1961 season came just after he caught 92 passes on the Broncos' inaugural 1960 team, making him the only pro football player to ever lead a league with 90 or more receptions in two separate seasons -- a feat which would not be matched again until Sterling Sharpe had three between 1989 and 1993.
We are saddened to learn of the passing of #BroncosROF wide receiver Lionel Taylor.
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) August 13, 2025
An original Bronco and one of the most dominant players of his era, Taylor had a tremendous impact on the franchise during his seven seasons in Denver (1960-66).
Our hearts go out to Taylor’s… pic.twitter.com/bjGKOtesgP
Taylor averaged more than 80 catches a year during his first six seasons with the Broncos, and during that period he would record 508 receptions for 6,424 yards and 43 touchdowns, outpacing the best receivers in the rival NFL. By comparison, Bobby Mitchell had 338 receptions for 5,571 yards and 43 touchdowns as the NFL's leading receiver during this same timeframe. Taylor led the AFL in receptions five times, while also earning three AFL All-Star nods and five selections as either a first or second team all-AFL selection.
After finishing his playing career with the Houston Oilers in 1967 and 1968, Taylor would enjoy a long and influential career in coaching that saw him win two Super Bowls as the wide receivers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he coached franchise greats such as John Stallworth and Lynn Swann to championship glory. Taylor also coached in Super Bowl XIV as offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, overseeing the improbable midseason rise of quarterback Vince Ferragamo.
Taylor would earn the opportunity to become a head coach at the college level at Texas Southern from 1984-88 before returning to the NFL with the Cleveland Browns for two seasons. He would also later coach in NFL Europe with the London Monarchs.
Taylor was among the four initial inductees into the Broncos' Ring of Fame in 1984, and he had been honored by the team while on hand at a Broncos game as recently at 2024. Even as NFL passing games advanced and the league's receiving talent flourished, Taylor's 100 receptions in 1961 stood as the Broncos' franchise record all the way until 2000, when it was broken by Ed McCaffrey's 101 receptions. As of 2025, Taylor's 5.7 receptions per game remains a franchise record.
Taylor had lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in his later years.
