Broncos great Lionel Taylor, first player with 100 catches in a season, dies at 89

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Ten players recorded 100 receptions in the 2025 season.

As offenses have taken over the NFL game and the season’s length has expanded, the 100-catch plateau has become an annual milestone for the game’s best.

That wasn’t the case before Lionel Taylor, however.

Taylor hit 100 catches for the American Football League’s Denver Broncos in 1961, becoming the first player in the AFL or NFL to hit the mark.

Taylor, a four-time All-Pro and a trailblazer as an NFL assistant coach, died on Aug. 6 at the age of 89, the Broncos announced on Wednesday.

Following an outstanding playing career, Taylor was a longtime assistant, beginning as receivers coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers, winning two Super Bowl rings with the franchise as he guided the Hall of Fame careers of Lynn Swann and John Stalworth. He was also a groundbreaker, as he was the NFL’s first Black offensive coordinator when he took on the Los Angeles Rams’ OC job from 1980-81.

Taylor played for the Chicago Bears, Broncos and Houston Oilers in a career that ran from 1959 through 1968. He was a star with Denver, though, playing for the squad from 1960 through 1966. Taylor was a three-time AFL all-star and led the league in receptions five times, including his landmark 100-catch campaign in 1961. He was a member of the inaugural 1984 Broncos Ring of Fame.

That 1961 season saw him produce 1,176 yards and the then-all-time single-season receptions record in 14 games.

From 1960 through 1965, he was one of the AFL’s elite players, averaging 84.6 catches for 1,058.6 yards and 7.4 touchdowns per year.

All told, his career saw him record 567 receptions for 7,195 yards and 45 touchdowns.

The first Black coordinator in NFL History.

Looking back on the football life of AFL, @Broncos and Steelers legend Lionel Taylor, who may just find his way into Canton.

— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) November 15, 2024

After hanging up his cleats following the 1968 season with the Oilers, Taylor became the Steelers receivers coach in 1970. He was part of the staff that helped Pittsburgh to wins in Super Bowl IX and X. He took on the same position with the Rams until he was promoted to offensive coordinator for the 1980 season.

He would later coach in the college ranks, taking on the Texas Southern head coaching job from 1984 through 1988 before returning to the NFL as the Cleveland Browns tight ends coach.

Thereafter, Taylor joined the World League of American Football, which would become NFL Europe. Taylor served as the London/England Monarchs offensive coordinator and eventually head coach.

In 2024, Taylor was one of 15 recipients of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s third annual Awards of Excellence.

For a decade, he was a standout on the field and for nearly 30 years he coached the game, leaving an indelible mark.

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