Taylor was born on July 4, 1902 in Seattle, Washington. His middle name of "Union" was given in honor of his birth falling on Independence Day. He was a direct descendant of Native American chief and warrior Tecumseh. Taylor played at Franklin High School in his native Seattle.
College career
Taylor was a prominent guard for the USC Trojans football team of the University of Southern California. He started as a fullback on Gus Henderson's 1924 Trojan team. The next year Howard Jones became head coach and moved him to running guard. Taylor played all but four minutes of USC's eleven games, a school record that stood for decades. Taylor was a member of USC's 1925 class and was the school's first All-American football player, but was not recorded in the school's media guide due to "the racism that permeated USC's football field at that time." In the 1950s, Brad Pye Jr. and Deke Houlgate Sr. initiated a campaign to have Taylor's name added to USC's media guide listing of All-Americans, which was ultimately successful. In the spring of 1925, Taylor was a sprinter, hurdler and relay runner on the USC track team that startled the nation by winning the IC4A meet at the University of Pennsylvania. He won the 100-yard dash with a 9.8 time, won the 220-yard high-hurdles and was the lead runner on the mile relay team that broke the world record that day. He was also selected for the relay team for the Olympics held in Paris in 1924 but due to a sprained ankle, he was not able to compete. Taylor's All-American status was made all the more spectacular because he was born without a left hand. While a student at the University of Southern California, he became a member of the Phi Delta Kappa fraternity and remained an active member throughout his life.
Professional career
In June 1927, Taylor was hired as the head athletic coach at Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina. The following year, he was appointed as head athletic coach at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He served as head coach for the Southern Jaguars football team from 1928 to 1931. There he began what would become the Bayou Classic against rival Grambling State University. He led the Jaguars to their first undefeated season in 1931. Taylor returned to Claflin in 1932. From 1936 to 1939, Taylor coached at Samuel Huston College, which later merged with Tillotson College to form Huston–Tillotson University in Austin, Texas. Taylor later became a high school football coach and teacher at Jefferson High School in Los Angeles, California and an associate pastor at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles. While a football coach at Jefferson High School, he began a weekend program for students at the high school by opening the gym on Saturdays as well as hosting Sports Nights during the week, offering an opportunity for students to participate in sports activities and games while keeping them off the streets in Central Los Angeles. Besides coaching football, Mr. Taylor also taught tennis and gymnastics. In 1969, Governor Ronald Reagan appointed him to be the Director of Head Start within the Office of Economic Opportunity in California.
Death and honors
Brice Taylor died on September 18, 1974, in Los Angeles, after suffering a stroke two weeks prior. He was survived by his wife, Dora Jones Taylor and their three children; two sons, Cryus and Henry, and a daughter, Dora Ada. Mr. Taylor was honored as Teacher of the Year by the City of Los Angeles in 1969 and received the University of Southern California General Alumni Association Service award in 1970. Los Angeles Mayor Sam Yorty appointed Brice Taylor to the Mayor's Community Advisory Board in 1964. Taylor was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995. There is a plaque honoring him as the first All-American at the Los Angeles Coliseum in the Memorial Court of Honor. Every year, the Brice Taylor Award is given to a USC alumnus for outstanding civic service in their community.
