Sam B. Taylor
Samuel Brown Taylor was an American educator, Negro league baseball player, and college football coach. He served as the head football coach at Virginia State College for Negroes—now known as Virginia State University—in 1925, Clark College—now known as Clark [Atlanta University]—from 1925 to 1929, Prairie View State Normal & Industrial College—now known as Prairie View A&M University—from 1930 to 1943, Virginia Union University from 1945 to 1948, Bluefield State College—now known as Bluefield State University—from 1948 to 1958, and Kentucky State College—now known as Kentucky State University—from 1959 to 1961.
Playing career
A native of Doswell, Virginia, Taylor attended Northwestern University. He played Negro league baseball for the Dayton Marcos in 1926.Educator
In 1943, Taylor was named the "Supervisor of Negro Education" for the state of Kentucky. He was one of the primary educators in the state of Kentucky responsible for de-segregation of public schools after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954.Coaching career
Virginia State
Taylor began his coaching career at the Virginia Normal School and Industrial Institute as its first men's basketball coach in 1924–25.Clark
In September 1925, Taylor and his new bride, Lullene Perrin, moved to Clark College–now known as Clark Atlanta University–in Atlanta, where Taylor coached football until 1930. He also coached basketball and baseball at Clark.Prairie View
In 1930, Taylor was hired as head coach at Prairie View State Normal & Industrial College—now known as Prairie View A&M University—in Prairie View, Texas.Virginia Union
Taylor took over the reins as head football coach and track coach at Virginia Union University in 1945 after the war. Once again, Lewis "Jack Rabbit" Smith teamed up with Taylor and ran under the maroon and steel colors of Virginia Union.In 1948, the Virginia Union football team defeated Jake Gaither's Florida A&M Rattlers in the Orange Blossom Classic, 39–18.