James Robert Taylor (born September 9, 1959) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

for the

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from 1953 to 1983, when owner Robert Irsay moved the franchise to Indianapolis. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breeding and racing. It w ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, 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 ...

(NFL). He played high school football at Somerset High School and

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

SMU Mustangs The SMU Mustangs are the sport, athletic teams that represent Southern Methodist University in University Park, Texas, United States. SMU was founded in 1911 and joined the Southwest Conference, competing against Baylor Bears, Baylor, Rice Owls, ...

and

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The teams have also been nicknamed the ...

College Career

SMU

1978

Taylor would see his first collegiate action in 1978, when he replaced starter Mike Ford, who left with a hamstring injury, against

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

. However, Taylor was not allowed to pass the ball, and Ford returned in the second half.

1979

Taylor took the majority of snaps in 1979. He finished with 1001 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. Following the season, he transferred to

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...

Georgia Tech

1981

After redshirting in 1980 due to transfer rules, Taylor did not start the 1981 season. However, he split the snaps with Mike Kelley and Stu Rogers on a 1-10 team.

1982

Taylor was made the starter in 1982 after Kelley left for the NFL. That year, he passed for 1839 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He finished his college career with 3137 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 26 interceptions.

Professional Career

Baltimore Colts

Taylor was selected in the 11th round of the

1983 NFL draft The 1983 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 26–27, 1983, at the New York Sh ...

, 280th overall. His only NFL action in his entire career came in a week 2 loss against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

, where he attempted 2 passes; one was a 20-yard gain, and the second was an interception.

Cleveland Browns

Following a stint as a free agent in 1984, he signed with the Browns, only to be released before the regular season.

Personal Life

His son, Cooper Taylor, also played in the NFL.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Jim Bob 1959 births Living people Players of American football from San Antonio American football quarterbacks SMU Mustangs football players Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football players Baltimore Colts players 20th-century American sportsmen