Willis Garner "Sec" Taylor (January 20, 1887 – February 26, 1965) was a

sports reporter Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism has its roots in coverage of horse racing and boxing in the early 1800s, mainly targeted towards elites, and into t ...

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

from 1914 until 1965.

Early life

Willis Garner "Sec" Taylor was born in Wichita, Kansas on January 20, 1887. He originally signed his name W. Garner Taylor, but he feared that it sounded pretentious.Congressional Record, March 9, 1965, p. 4523 Accordingly, he went by the name Garner W. Taylor throughout his career. His readers and friends called him "Sec" Taylor, which was the name most associated with him. A lifelong sports fan, he played quarterback on his high school football team."Garner W. Taylor, Sports Editor, 78: Writer with the Des Moines Register 50 Years Dies" ''The New York Times'', Feb. 27, 1965, p. 25 He also played high school baseball and basketball, and later played semi-professional basketball.

Sportswriting career

Taylor began his career as a sportswriter in his hometown of

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...

. He got his start with the Wichita Beacon in 1905."Death Halts Typewriter of 'Sec' Taylor," ''Chicago Tribune'', Feb. 27, 1965, p. A4 He was paid $5 per week. Twice he gave up his job at the Beacon to attend college, but each time he returned to journalism after just a few weeks in school. He later worked for the

Wichita Eagle ''The Wichita Eagle'' is a daily newspaper published in Wichita, Kansas, United States. Originating in the early 1870s, shortly after the city's founding, it is owned by The McClatchy Company and is the largest newspaper in Wichita and the surr ...

, the

St. Joseph Gazette The ''St. Joseph Gazette'' was a newspaper in St. Joseph, Missouri from October 1845 until June 30, 1988, when its morning position was taken over by its sister paper, the ''St. Joseph News-Press''. While he lived in

St. Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri, Buchanan County, Missouri, United States. A small portion of the city extends north into Andrew County, Missouri, Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the princ ...

, he worked as a secretary for a local baseball team, during which he acquired the nickname "Sec." In 1914 he moved to

to become the sports editor of the

Des Moines Register ''The Des Moines Register'' is the daily morning newspaper of Des Moines, Iowa, United States. History Early period The first newspaper in Des Moines was the ''Iowa Star''. In July 1849, Barlow Granger began the paper in an abandoned log cab ...

. He would work for the Register for the next 51 years. John Cowles, Sr. persuaded Taylor to start a regular sports column for the Register. Taylor's column was titled "Sittin' In with the Athletes," and it eventually became one of the most popular sports columns in the country. When Taylor entered the newspaper business, most sports writers served as little more than public relations officials for local boxing promoters and sports team owners. Taylor saw his job differently. He brought to his column a focus on objectivity and a commitment to reporting facts. Along with the famous sports writer

Grantland Rice Henry Grantland Rice (November 1, 1880 – July 13, 1954) was an American sportswriter and poet known as the "Dean of American Sports Writers". He coined the famous phrase that it was not important whether you “won or lost, but how you playe ...

of the

New York Tribune The ''New-York Tribune'' (from 1914: ''New York Tribune'') was an American newspaper founded in 1841 by editor Horace Greeley. It bore the moniker ''New-York Daily Tribune'' from 1842 to 1866 before returning to its original name. From the 1840s ...

, Sec Taylor helped usher in a new era of independent-minded, fact-based sports writing. Other writers that followed in the same tradition included Red Smith,

Halsey Hall Halsey Lewis Hall (May 23, 1898 – December 30, 1977) was a sports reporter and announcer in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area from 1919 until the 1970s. Early life Halsey Lewis Hall was born in New York City's Greenwich Village on May 23, 18 ...

, W.C. Heinz, and Shirley Povich. Taylor covered more than 40

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

during his sports writing career.Nancy Clark, "Sec Taylor's Baseball Legacy," ''Des Moines Register'', p. C1 A highly talented reporter, he nevertheless missed one of the biggest baseball stories ever. Taylor got a tip that the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

planned to fix the

1919 World Series The 1919 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the 1919 Major League Baseball season, 1919 season. The 16th edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion 1919 Chicago White Sox season, ...

, but he failed to follow up on it, a decision that he always regretted. Baseball remained his favorite sport throughout his life. Although he was not based in a city with a Major League team, he covered Major League baseball games across the country on behalf of the Des Moines Register. Taylor routinely traveled by train with the teams, which enabled him to get to know executives, managers, and players throughout Major League baseball. He became so well known that E.R. "Salty" Saltwell, a Chicago Cubs executive, expressed amazement at how often he was asked by players and team officials, "Hey, do you know Sec Taylor? How's Sec?" Taylor wrote about a wide range of sports besides baseball. In a national poll of sportswriters, he correctly predicted that

Joe Louis Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed "the Brown Bomber", Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He r ...

would defeat James Braddock in their 1937 world heavyweight championship bout at

Comiskey Park Comiskey Park was a ballpark in Chicago, Illinois, located in the Armour Square neighborhood on the near-south side of the city. The stadium served as the home of the Chicago White Sox of the American League from 1910 through 1990. Built by Wh ...

. Taylor co-founded the Football Writers Association of America in 1941. He also served as its president. In 1957 Taylor received the Grantland Rice Memorial Award for excellence in sports writing. In addition to his sports writing duties, Sec Taylor served as a Director of the Des Moines Register and Tribune Company. As Kenneth MacDonald, the Register's long-time editor and publisher, observed: "Sec's reputation for integrity was unquestioned."

Officiating career

Sports writing was Taylor's principal career, but he also worked as an official for college basketball and football games. Renowned for his objectivity and fairness, he officiated games in the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

, the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the fourth-oldest collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the Midwestern Unite ...

, the

Big Six Conference The Big Eight Conference was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football. It was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Associati ...

, and the Big Seven Conference. After officiating games, he often wrote the stories on them for the next day's edition of the Register. He also refereed boxing and wrestling matches in Iowa and Missouri. Taylor served as the Field Judge for the 1940 Chicago Charities College All-Star Game at

Soldier Field Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side, Chicago, Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears from the National ...

between the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

champion

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

and an all-star team of college football players. At a time of racial segregation, the 1940 All Star game was notable because it was racially integrated, and included

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

star tailback Kenny Washington. Besides officiating games, Taylor also served as a consultant to the

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...

and the

Pacific Coast Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline that borders the Pacific Ocean. Geography Americas North America Countries on the western side of North America have a Pacific coast as their western or south-western border. One of th ...

conferences.

Minor League Baseball in Des Moines

Taylor played a leading role in minor league baseball's long history in Des Moines. Professional baseball had deep roots in the city, dating back to teams like the Des Moines Prohibitionists, who played in the Western Association in the 1880s and 1890s. When Sec Taylor arrived in 1914, the Des Moines Boosters were a fixture of the Western League. In 1925 the Des Moines Demons became the city's baseball club in the Western League. On May 2, 1930, the Demons made history when they hosted one of the first night games played under permanent lights in professional baseball history.MILB

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston. Over the year ...

provided the artificial lights on stanchions placed around Holcomb Park, the team's home field, which was located on the city's north side at the intersection of Holcomb Avenue and 6th Avenue. Over 12,000 people attended the first game played under the lights, and

NBC Radio The National Broadcasting Company's NBC Radio Network (also known as the NBC Red Network from 1927 to 1942) was an American commercial radio network which was in continuous operation from 1926 through 1999. Along with the NBC Blue Network, it wa ...

broadcast the game live from Holcomb Park. Sec Taylor covered the game. The next day in the Register, he wrote, "Baseball was played successfully after dark on an illuminated field and the Demons won 13-6 in a contest that was normal in every respect so far as the playing was concerned." But in 1937 the city lost its minor league baseball club when the Des Moines Demons folded as a result of the Western League's collapse. To attract a new team, Taylor spent years campaigning on behalf of the construction of a new ballpark, which culminated in the opening of Pioneer Memorial Stadium in 1947. Crucially, he also helped persuade the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

to take on the

Des Moines Bruins Des Moines Bruins were a minor league baseball team based in Des Moines, Iowa. The team played in the Western League from 1947 to 1958. Their home ballpark was Pioneer Memorial Stadium, and they were affiliated with the Chicago Cubs (1947–195 ...

as their minor league affiliate in the newly re-established Western League. The Bruins played at Pioneer Memorial Stadium from 1947 to 1958. In 1959 a revived version of the Des Moines Demons replaced the Bruins as the city's minor league franchise. The Demons served as the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

farm club in the Three-I League. By order of the Des Moines City Council, Pioneer Memorial Stadium was renamed "Sec Taylor Stadium" on September 1, 1959. Representatives of many

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

teams attended the naming ceremony, as well as the boxing champion

Jack Dempsey William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983), nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, was an American boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926. One of the most iconic athl ...

. A long-time friend of Taylor, Dempsey said, "I'd have gone anywhere in the world to pay tribute to Sec. He's one of the grandest men that ever lived. He always said the right thing -the truth." When told that the stadium would be renamed in his honor, Taylor said, "It is the greatest thing that has come to me in my life. I don't feel I'm deserving but being human, I like it."

Death

Sec Taylor died of a heart attack in his hotel room in Miami, Florida on February 26, 1965, while covering Major League Baseball's spring training. He was 78 years old. Maury White, Taylor's colleague at the Des Moines Register, observed after Taylor's death: "At 78, many men have outlived most of their friends. 'Sec' never stopped making new friends."Reverend James W. Lenhart
o
Plymouth Congregational Church
presided at the funeral service.

Family and legacy

Sec Taylor and his wife, Hazel, had two sons: Rex and Garner Jr. The minor league stadium in Des Moines is now home to the

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. T ...

, the AAA club of the

. Although the stadium was renamed

Principal Park Principal Park, formerly Sec Taylor Stadium, is a minor league baseball stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. It is the home field of the International League's Iowa Cubs. Features Principal Park is at the confluence of the Des Moines River and the Racco ...

in 2004, the playing field is still named Sec Taylor Field.Annie Shuppy, "Sec Taylor Becomes Principal Park," Des Moines Register, Aug. 6, 2004, p. B3 Besides the Iowa Cubs, Sec Taylor Field also hosts the Iowa State High School Baseball Tournament.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Sec 1965 deaths Writers from Wichita, Kansas 1887 births