WASHINGTON — Charley Taylor, the Hall of Fame wide receiver who ended his 13-season career with Washington as the NFL’s career receiving leader, died Saturday. He was 80 years old.
Commanders said Taylor died at an assisted living facility in Virginia. The cause of death has not been announced.
Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1984, Taylor finished with 649 catches for 9,110 yards in 165 regular season games. Jerry Rice now holds the catch bar at 1,549, with Taylor at 67th on the list.
“He represented the organization with excellence and class for three decades as a player and coach,” Commanders owners Dan and Tanya Snyder said in a statement. “Charley was a great man and will be greatly missed by all.”
Washington selected Taylor third overall from Arizona State in 1964, with the 6-foot-3, 210-pound player playing his first two seasons. Coach Otto Graham switched Taylor to wide receiver in 1966, and he led the NFL with 72 receptions that season and again in 1967 with 70.
Taylor helped Washington reach the Super Bowl after the 1972 season, where it lost 14-7 to the undefeated Miami Dolphins. He retired after the 1977 season with 90 touchdowns, a Washington record that still stands.
Taylor was the 1964 NFL Rookie of the Year and was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 1960s team. The eight-time Pro Bowl selection was an NFL First Team pick in 1967.
Taylor was Washington’s receivers coach from 1981 to 1993, helping the team win three Super Bowls.
Taylor played high school football, baseball, basketball, and track and field in Grand Prairie, Texas. At Arizona State, he played halfback and defensive back and also threw and played third base.